Encounter Atlas

Creature index / Fairies and little people

Nain Rouge

Also called Red Dwarf of Detroit, Demon of the Strait, Le Nain Rouge, Detroit red imp, Lutin of Detroit

Detroit's red imp, said to appear before every disaster to hit the city.

The Nain Rouge, French for 'red dwarf', is a small, red-faced imp with a glittering eye and a grin full of sharp teeth, said to haunt Detroit. Seeing it is a warning that something bad is coming.

The story says Detroit's founder, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, struck the imp with his cane and lost his fortune. Tellers say it danced among the dead after the Battle of Bloody Run in 1763, was seen before the 1805 fire that burned the city, and was spotted by utility workers just before the 1967 riots. The legend first appeared in print in 1883, so how far back it really goes is unclear.

Since 2010 Detroiters have held the Marche du Nain Rouge each spring, a costumed parade that banishes the imp from the city for another year.

What witnesses report

  • A small red figure with a wide, toothy grin
  • A glittering eye
  • Seen just before fires, riots or disasters

Famous cases

  1. 1763Seen after the Battle of Bloody Run
    Detroit
  2. 1967Sighting before the riots
    Detroit, Michigan
  3. 2010First Marche du Nain Rouge
    Detroit, Michigan

Seen the Nain Rouge?

Tell us what happened. Every report is read by a person before it goes on the map, and you can stay anonymous.

Report a Nain Rouge encounter Not sure what it was?

Related

Melon headsaka Melonheads, Melon-headsSmall, big-headed figures said to live in the woods of Michigan, Ohio and Connecticut.Pukwudgieaka Puk-Wudjie, PukwudgeeA knee-high forest being from Native American tradition, now part of Bridgewater Triangle lore.Dogmanaka Michigan Dogman, Upright canineA tall, upright, dog-headed creature with glowing eyes, the Midwest's favourite monster.