A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
Webster’s introduction reports little people living underground or entering through chimneys, using accounts from unnamed informants. He associates them with cleanliness and says their orders can mean the opposite of their apparent wording. Estefanella Hirigaray’s The Servant at the Fairy’s makes this pattern concrete. A mistress orders destructive household work, but a speaking dog explains that sweeping, washing and orderly care are intended. The servant who feeds and heeds it receives gold and a forehead star despite requesting the contrary rewards. Her sister refuses the dog and follows the literal instructions, returning with charcoal and a donkey’s tail.
The same narrator’s Fairy in the House describes a repeated visitor given ham by an increasingly resentful household. A husband disguises himself as his wife and injures the visitor with hot food. Thirty companions arrive to investigate, but her answer attributes the injury to herself, and they withdraw. No fairy visits again. The family’s prosperity subsequently decays into poverty. This unhappy consequence qualifies the apparently successful expulsion: the household loses the visitor’s associated fortune. These specific domestic accounts do not require wings or the uniform personality of a modern miniature fairy.
Origins & earliest records
Wentworth Webster, Basque Legends, chapter IV, pp. 47–48, 53–56. Selected tales attributed to Estefanella Hirigaray; section commentary also includes unnamed informants.
Records & interpretation
A located historical English collection retains named tale attribution and distinguishes its introductory comparisons from the narrated actions.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Basque Legends, IV: Lamiñak in Webster’s Household Accounts, pp. 47–48, 53–56
Actual edition title checked; selected tales read through the final outcomes.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary historical collected narrativeWebster: Basque Legends, chapter IVResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.