Basque ethnography at a glance

Illustrations taken from Orozko haraneko kondaira mitiko ilustratuak by Floren Usia Barbara. Orozko Council, 2021. Treatment of images: Irati Zarandona.

Some people are believed to possess certain minuscule creatures who help them with their daily chores. They are capable of prodigious undertakings and often grant otherwise unattainable wishes when summoned.

These mysterious beings or genies receive multiple names in Basque: pamerialak or familiarrak —because they belong in the household—, gaizkinak —or ‘little devils’, though they are not naturally evil nor benign— mamorroak or mozorroak —or ‘bugs’—, airetikakoak —or ‘air creatures’—… They are occasionally described as tiny, almost imperceptible men, dressed in red pants, known in several places as galtzagorriak or prakagorriak —from galtza or praka ‘pants’ and gorriak ‘red’—. Some claim that they are neither male nor female, and others insist that they resemble flies or even lice.

Their owner usually carries them in a needle case. They rush out at full speed, as soon as they are set free, do as they are told, no matter how far-fetched or fanciful tasks you might ask of them, and wait impatiently for the next command. They are good workers, extremely strong and fast as lightning, but can be difficult to control. You ought to keep them busy, and since they do everything so quickly, it is sometimes necessary to give them impossible commands, such as carrying water in sieves or whitening dark sheep fleeces.

Folks say that they are collected in the mountains. All you need to do is place an open needle case upon a bed of brambles, among ferns and gorse, or in a cave, at midnight. You might also buy them for the same amount of money you would pay for a chicken, some believe. And others maintain that needle cases, along with the genies they contain, cannot be sold, but given for free, or else exchanged.

Those who make wonders or accomplish extraordinary things —namely fortune tellers, healers, contractors, and even the devil and some witches— are suspected of possessing their own personal genies. As it happens, their powers and virtues would be said to come from the magical force of genies who readily help and serve them.

There are folks who make all efforts to hold them hostage until parted by death. Remember, though, that you are not allowed to leave this world, and would suffer never-ending agony unless your captive genies are destroyed, sold or donated.

Should you doubt the veracity of the aforementioned words, bear in mind that everything which is named does exist, or so the proverb goes. Unfortunately, the chain of transmission which bound us to our ancestors broke somehow, so generations of people today have never been told about these tiny fantastic beings. These creatures were, in times gone by, central protagonists of many popular tales spread far and wide across our country and would later fall into oblivion. And yet, which of you does not know of the famous genie imprisoned in a not less famous enchanted lamp?

Jaione Bilbao – Ethnography Department – Labayru Fundazioa

Bibliographical references:

José Miguel de Barandiaran. Diccionario ilustrado de mitología vasca y alguna de sus fuentes [Illustrated dictionary of Basque mythology and some of its sources]. Bilbao: La gran enciclopedia vasca, 1972.

Antonio Zavala. Txirritaren Bertsoak [Txirrita’s verses]. Tolosa: Auspoa, 1971.