A duende is a humanoid figure of folklore, with variations from Iberian, Latin American, and Filipino cultures. In Spanish duende originated as a contraction of the phrase dueño de casa or duen de casa, effectively "master of the house", or perhaps derived from some similar mytical being of the Visigoth or Swabian culture given its similarity with the “Tomte” of the Swedish language conceptualized as a mischievous spirit inhabiting a dwelling.
