Little People - Greys and Fairies?

[corvine_w]

Hi there, I'm Corvine. I'm new so sorry if I'm posting this in the wrong area!

I'm a UK student researching a connection between grey aliens and faeries/folklore. The notion of a diminutive people living in a separate but connected realm to our own exists in many cultures globally; though we give them different names, some characteristics (abduction, missing time, messages of preserving our eco-system etc.) come up time and again.

Here in the British Isles we've no shortage of faerie stories, though there aren't many people today who claim to have seen or experienced fairies. I'm looking to find any stories, personal or cultural, which connect 'faerie' races to the modern idea of the greys. Have you seen unnatural and seemingly sentient orbs of light? Do you know of any local legends of 'little people', perhaps living underground or in the mountains? Have you yourself experienced encounters with greys or small cryptids, or do you know of a place where- as the Irish say- the world is thin?

If you have a story that might be relevant, I would love to hear from you, or see links/pics etc..

Thanks!

[Kenemet]

Might be a hard sell, given that many cultures' stories of "little people" make it clear that they're less developed than the parent culture (and not infrequently are cannibals, mentally deficient, and easily tricked.)

[corvine_w]

Might be a hard sell, given that many cultures' stories of "little people" make it clear that they're less developed than the parent culture (and not infrequently are cannibals, mentally deficient, and easily tricked.)

I was planning to focus on the smarter 'little people'- I've run into accounts of them trading, or as tricksters etc, although even then there is an element of difference that might be deemed 'less developed' than our own culture (cattle mutilations etc.). Good point though, thanks; I want to cover areas that contradict my points as well so it's good to hear another interpretation

[cheo_vl]

I once wrote a paper (though not a very good one, probably) on the subject, explaining how the belief in fairies or mythological creatures has been largely discredited due to our modern culture relying more on science than spirituality. Aliens visiting Earth, though not accepted by science, is at least more plausible if you go by modern scientific standards. Therefore people's need to believe in "something else" has evolved from fairies to ET's. Though I have no personal experiences to share, I did recently hear from someone who told me she was terrified of elves. I thought this was strange so I asked and she said when she was a little girl living in Mexico they had "duendes" or elf-like creature that would go into her grandmother's house (where she lived at the time) and pretty much just mess everything up around the house. She said that when they woke up they would find some things out of place and some things broken around the floor. She said they could sometimes hear something moving quickly around the house at night. This struck me as peculiar, since it is very similar to some of the fae stories in Ireland and other places very far away from Mexico, where a house would be built in the middle of a fairy path or in between two forts and this would cause the house to be invaded by the wee folk.

[Podo]

The kwakwaka'wakw people of northern Vancouver Island have the Bakwass and Pugwiss. The former is a trickster, tiny, green-faced skeleton guy who is supposedly the king of the ghosts. The Pugwiss is a kapa-like sprite that lives in lakes, streams, and occasionally the ocean.

[Galego]

This struck me as peculiar, since it is very similar to some of the fae stories in Ireland and other places very far away from Mexico, where a house would be built in the middle of a fairy path or in between two forts and this would cause the house to be invaded by the wee folk.

It has an explanation. The stories of duendes invading the house were brought to Mexico by the spanish. The northwest of Spain's mithology is full of duendes, fadas and trasgos (goblins, fae creatures, etc), and our culture is really similar to the Irish folklore (and our music).

Edited April 8, 2016 by Galego

[cheo_vl]

It has an explanation. The stories of duendes invading the house were brought to Mexico by the spanish. The northwest of Spain's mithology is full of duendes, fadas and trasgos (goblins, fae creatures, etc), and our culture is really similar to the Irish folklore (and our music).

Makes sense to me.