[Footnote A:  Jones and Kropf, Folk Tales of the Magyars, pp. xxxvi. et seq.]

In a widely distant part of the world, the Battaks-Karo,[A] of the high ground north of Lake Toba in Sumatra, believe in three classes of mysterious beings, one of which closely corresponds with the fairies of Europe.  The first group are called Hantous; they are giants and dead Begous (i.e. definitely dead souls), who inhabit Mount Sampouran together with the second group.  These are called Omangs; they are dwarfs who marry and reproduce their species, live generally in mountains, and have their feet placed transversely.  They must be propitiated, and those making the ascent of Mount Sebayak sacrifice a white hen to them, or otherwise the Omangs would throw stones at them.  They carry off men and women, and often keep them for years.  They love to dwell amongst stones, and the Roumah Omang, which is one of their favourite habitations, is a cavern.  The third group, or Orangs Boumans, resemble ordinary beings, but have the power of making themselves invisible.  They come down from the mountains to buy supplies, but have not been seen for some time.  Westenberg, from whom this information is quoted, regards the last class as being proscribed Battaks, who have fled for refuge to the mountains.  Passing to another continent, the Iroquois[B] have several stories about Pigmies, one of whom, by name Go-ga-ah, lives in a little cave.

[Footnote A:  L’Anthropologie, iv. 83.]

[Footnote B:  Smith, Myths of the Iroquois. American Bureau of Ethnology, ii. 65.]

3.  The little people may occupy a castle or house, or the hill upon which such a building is erected, or a cave under it.  Without dwelling upon the Brownies and other similar distinctly household spirits, there are certain classes which must be mentioned in this connection.  The Magyar fairies live in castles on lofty mountain peaks.  They build them themselves, or inherit them from giants.  Kozma enumerates the names of about twenty-three castles which belonged to fairies, and which still exist.  Although they have disappeared from earth, they continue to live, even in our days, in caves under their castles, in which caves their treasures lie hidden.  The iron gates of Zeta Castle, which have subsided into the ground and disappeared from the surface, open once in every seven years.  On one occasion a man went in there, and met two beautiful fairies whom he addressed thus, “How long will you still linger here, my little sisters?” and they replied, “As long as the cows will give warm milk.”