A () is a type of hobgoblin (an amusing goblin) in French

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

and fairy tales. Female lutins are called (). A ''lutin'' (varieties include the '' Nain Rouge'' or "red dwarf") plays a similar role in the folklore of

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

to household spirits in England, Germany and Scandinavia. ''Lutin'' is generally translated into English as: brownie, elf, fairy, gnome, goblin, hobgoblin, imp, leprechaun, pixie, puck, jetin or sprite. It sometimes takes the form of a horse saddled ready to ride, and in this shape is called Le Cheval Bayard.Brewer
pp.283-84
Lutins sometimes tangle people's or horses' hair into elf-locks. A French fairy tale, " Le Prince Lutin", written in 1697 by Marie Catherine d'Aulnoy has a description of the "air, water and terrestrial ''lutin''": "You are invisible when you like it; you cross in one moment the vast space of the universe; you rise without having wings; you go through the ground without dying; you penetrate the abysses of the sea without drowning; you enter everywhere, though the windows and the doors are closed; and, when you decide to, you can let yourself be seen in your natural form." In this story a red hat with two feathers makes the lutin invisible. ''Lutins'' also assist Père Noël in Lapland.

Name and etymology

The name is attested as ''netun'' c. 1176–1181 by

Chrétien de Troyes Chrétien de Troyes (; ; 1160–1191) was a French poet and trouvère known for his writing on King Arthur, Arthurian subjects such as Gawain, Lancelot, Perceval and the Holy Grail. Chrétien's chivalric romances, including ''Erec and Enide'' ...

in '' Yvain, the Knight of the Lion'', as ''nuiton'' by Benoît de Sainte-Maure in ''Troie'', and as ''luitun'' c. 1176–1181 by Wace in the '' Roman de Rou''. It originally designated a sea monster. The meaning "a kind of demon, more mischievous than evil, who comes to torment people" appeared in the second quarter of the 14th century as ''luitin'' in ''Le Chevalier de La Tour Landry''.'' Trésor de la langue française'', v.
lutin, -ine
'. It comes from Latin '' Neptunus'', the name of the Roman god of the seas, which came to also designate a pagan god in Late Latin. The transition from ''netum'' to ''nuiton'' was probably influenced by

Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th [2-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...

''nuit'' ('night'), and the form ''luitun'' ~ ''luiton'' by Old French ''luitier'' (modern ''lutter'', "to fight").

Lutins in Quebec

Belief in ''lutins'' also spread to North America, particularly the Canada, Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, as spirits in the form of either pets (such as dogs or rabbits) or other common animals. Completely white cats are especially considered likely to be ''lutins'', although seemingly any distinctive animal that lives in or near the home may be regarded as such. These ''lutins'' may be good or evil, with good ''lutins'' being attributed powers ranging from control of the weather, to shaving the beard of the master of the house before he woke on Sundays. Evil or offended ''lutins'' may harass the house-owner with any number of minor troubles, such as blunting a scythe or filling shoes with pebbles.

Salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

is considered abhorrent to them, and they are thought to go out of their way to avoid crossing it when spilled on the ground.

Lutins in Detroit

The Nain Rouge appearance is said to presage terrible events for the city. The Nain Rouge appears as a small childlike creature with red or black fur boots. It is also said to have "blazing red eyes and rotten teeth."

Lutins in Newfoundland

French-Newfoundland culture also mentions the lutin, particularly in connection with causing fairy-locks.Gary R. Butler, ‘The Lutin Tradition in French-Newfoundland Culture: Discourse and Belief’, in The Good People: New Fairylore Essays, ed. by Peter Narváez, Garland Reference Library of the Humanities, 1376 (New York: Garland, 1991), pp. 5–21.

Sources

The Fairy Mythology (France) by Thomas Knightly (1870)
{{Fairies Puck (folklore) French legendary creatures Norman folklore Canadian legendary creatures Culture of Quebec Household deities

Name and etymology

Lutins in Quebec

Lutins in Detroit

Lutins in Newfoundland

See also

Sources