maa-alused

maa-alused

In Estonian folk religion, mysterious elves living under the earth. These small folk had suitably tiny possessions, and their world was differently oriented from the mortal world above them (up was down and right was left). People came in contact with them either by chance or at the elves' wish. Legends tell of distraught elves seeking help from humans in cases of difficult childbirth or illness. A human could marry an elf, but such marriages eventually dissolved. In Finland, such elves were called maahiset.