Anjana

Oral tradition gives two overlapping accounts coexisting side by side: some say Anjanas are heavenly beings sent by God to do good deeds who return to heaven after 400 years and never return; others indicate they are spirits of trees who take care of the forests. Both strands are reported in the tradition rather than synthesized into a single canonical origin.

Folkloric descriptions portray Anjanas as beautiful, delicate female fairies of very small stature (traditionally given as about 0.5 ft / 0.15 m tall), with white skin and a sweet voice. Their eyes are described as slanted, serene and loving, with black or blue pupils "as bright as the stars." They have nearly transparent wings, long braids (jet black or golden) adorned with multicolored silk bows and ribbons, wear a crown of wild flowers, a blue cape over a long thin white tunic, and carry a stick of wicker or hawthorn said in tradition to shine in a different color every day of the week.

Anjanas are portrayed as caretakers of nature and helpers of people: they help injured animals and trees damaged by storms or by the Ojáncanu, assist lovers, guide people who become lost in the forest, aid the poor and suffering, can converse with spring waters, and leave gifts at the doors of helpful and kind villagers. They punish the wicked and oppose the cruel Ojáncanu. They are said to respond to summons for help if the summoner is "good of heart."