Costa Rica Legend

By: Esteban

There is a legend in Costa Rica, the country I am from, about these beings called "Duendes". Translated from Spanish, I guess this would mean gnome or elf. These creatures are often seen wearing all gray and usually have a hood over their heads. They also seem to be able to disappear and reappear as they please. Some accounts describe these elves as having chicken feet. The legend is usually a variation of the following:

A small child is playing outside, usually at a farm somewhere near the woods. His mom loses sight of him for a moment at which time an elf appears and lures the child from the home using toys and games.

In some accounts, the child is teased with hair pulling, pinching, etc. until the point of crying. Then, they are found by their parents in the woods somewhere.

In other accounts, these creatures are friendly and treat the kids well by giving them toys, then just returning them to their homes.

Although it may sound crazy, two of my cousins have seen these gnome/elves. One was walking home after a party when he noticed a group of kids following him. It was late, around midnight. He heard them calling him by his nickname, Mimila, which only family members used to call him. They started telling him to "come here". When he looked back, it appeared that they had no faces, were wearing all grey with hoods and they were the size of three-year-old children. He ran home, and according to my aunt and uncle, when he entered the house he was crying hard.

My other cousin, who is female, said this happened as an adult when she was sleeping one night. She heard them calling her name near her window which was open. She heard several voices saying her name, but didn't get up to see who it was. She was too scared, but did say that it sounded like children calling her.