The manairons of Les Valls D’àneu

The “Manairons” were tiny pixies or genies who lived underground. The woodcutters, farmers and mushroom pickers went out to look for them in the forest to help with them with their work in the fields, as they were very hardworking. When they found them, they put them inside a sewing box, a matchbox, or even in the cleft of the handle of the scythe, where thousands could fit! Once released, they performed all kinds of impossible tasks, such as diverting the course of the river, levelling mountains or arranging the boulders. They also carried out more common tasks such as going down to the mine or forging iron. They never sat still and were so demanding that if they weren’t given enough work, or if they ran out of work, they would get very angry. In El Pallars, they are considered the creators of the megaliths and bridges built in inaccessible places.