Lutin

A lutin (varieties include the Nain Rouge or "red dwarf"[1]) plays a similar role in the folklore of Normandy to household spirits in England, Germany and Scandinavia.

Lutin is generally translated into English as: brownie, elf, fairy, gnome, goblin, hobgoblin, imp, leprechaun, pixie, puck, jetin or sprite.

[3] A French fairy tale, "Le Prince Lutin", written in 1697 by Marie Catherine d'Aulnoy has a description of the "air, water and terrestrial lutin": "You are invisible when you like it; you cross in one moment the vast space of the universe; you rise without having wings; you go through the ground without dying; you penetrate the abysses of the sea without drowning; you enter everywhere, though the windows and the doors are closed; and, when you decide to, you can let yourself be seen in your natural form.

The meaning "a kind of demon, more mischievous than evil, who comes to torment people" appeared in the second quarter of the 14th century as luitin in Le Chevalier de La Tour Landry.

[5] Belief in lutins also spread to North America, particularly the Canadian province of Quebec, as spirits in the form of either pets (such as dogs or rabbits) or other common animals.