Di sma undar jordi

Sources describe Di sma undar jordi as part of Gotland's regional variation of the broader Scandinavian hidden-people tradition rather than providing a specific creation myth. They are presented as subterranean vættir-like beings coexisting with human communities beneath the earth, occupying a stable cultural role as unseen caretakers of farms and household affairs in the Gotlandic worldview.

The sources do not give a detailed physical description. They are characterized as small, subterranean, vættir-like hidden people of Gotland. Folktales note that they are normally invisible and that, according to Gotlandic tales, they can be seen only by looking through a hole in a sheet of paper.

Di sma undar jordi are described as taking care of farms and the people and animals that live there, provided humans do not anger them. Their beneficial role is conditional: when treated properly they care for household and livestock welfare; if angered, they cease to provide that caretaking (sources do not enumerate specific retaliatory deeds).