Quote:Knygatin
I don't know so much about this, but I'd like to mention that Robert E. Howard also wrote a bit about the little people in connection to his favorite race, the Picts
Indeed, he'd written several different stories about them, chief of which are "The Children of the Night" and "The Black Stone." It seems he was even more directly influenced by Machen's little people than Lovecraft was. HPL's "little people" were a super-advanced civilization of crustaceans!
Quote:Knygatin
Recent excavations on the Indonesian island Flores have actually unearthed skeletons of an upright standing midget humanoid race that were about 90 cm tall. Not deformed and squat, like the ones you see in Hollywood films, but having gracile anatomy; miniatures of men.
I never heard of this before! I'm looking up these people and I can't believe what I'm reading! If ever there were elves in human history, this is the closest thing imaginable. It's such a shame they went extinct, but then again it's a shame when anything goes extinct, including the giant storks and miniature elephants they lived among. Speaking of which, I've just read that this race of literal little people might have been menaced by those colossal storks, scary to imagine...
Quote:Sawfish
In Hawaiian lore, there's the idea of the minehune (I hope I spelled that correctly), a race of small people who inhabited the islands before the Polynesians arrived around 1500 AD or so. They are associated with furtiveness, etc.
Thanks for the fascinating story and insight, especially regarding that Polynesians' perspective. I had a feeling you'd contribute something related to Hawaiian lore! It seems no matter what continent or island you go to, there's going to be some stories about hidden people or diminutive people blessing and cursing human existence. It's interesting to wonder where all these similar ideas come from, whether it's psychological or historical.
Quote:Sawfish
The Hawaiians must have been very hungry after their long voyage. We see no evidence of any minehunes, but we *do* see lots of evidence of large, well-fed Polynesians...
In an age when voyagers had no clue where their next food source will be, it isn't too far-fetched an idea. ;)
By the way, that mention I made of HPL's "little people" reminded me that the Mi-Go, or Himalayan Snow-Men, were not merely legendary ape-like animals, but actual fabulous legends, somewhat akin to elves or trolls. They had magical powers, good and bad relationships with humanity (mischievous tricksters, good-natured gift bringers, or man-eating devils), and even religious significance.
And just describing this is making me realize how strange it is that HPL decided the hairy bestial Snow-Men were in fact bat-winged crustaceans!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 7 Sep 20 | 12:53PM by Hespire.