the laminak

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Laminak is the Basque term for a fantastic being in Basque mythology, a nature spirit or genie with a human appearance. The plural laminak is more commonly used because these genies are often represented as a collective. The singular lamina, however, is found in several stories where a single individual is featured. The description, gender and even the name of the laminak vary according to the legends and the regions. Thus, the term lamia (indet. form lami, pl. lamiak) is frequently encountered in the Spanish Basque Country. Most often, laminak are depicted either as male goblins or as normal-sized women with animal features on their lower bodies (webbed feet, hen's feet, goat's hooves, or fish tail). Mostly nocturnal creatures, the laminak live underground, in caves or near springs and streams. The stories and tales about the laminak form an important part of the corpus of Basque legends. Many places in the Basque Country, both on the French and Spanish sides, owe their names to them and the construction of many bridges, churches and other buildings is attributed to them.