 The word is also used in Portuguese folklore, being used to describe beings of a small stature wearing big hats, whistling a mystical song, while walking in the forest (and rendered in English by "goblins", "pixies", "brownies", “elves”, and "leprechauns").Using their talent, they are believed to lure young girls and boys to the forest causing them to lose their way home.Conversely, in some Latin American cultures, duendes are believed to be the helpers of people who get lost in the forest so they could find their way home.