Nain Rouge

The Nain Rouge (French for "red dwarf") is a legendary creature of the Detroit, Michigan area whose appearance is said to presage misfortune for the white settlers of the area. There are no records that indicate the legend of the Nain Rouge existed prior to the 1880s.^[1]

According to various narratives surrounding the figure, Detroit's founder Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac was told by a fortuneteller to appease the Nain Rouge, but he instead attacked it with his cane and shouted, "Get out of my way, you red imp!" As a consequence, a string of bad luck befell Cadillac; he was charged with abuse of power and reassigned to Louisiana, later returning to France where he was briefly imprisoned and eventually lost his fortune.^[2][3] The Nain Rouge is also known as "the Demon of the Strait."^[4][5]

The Nain Rouge legend has become part of contemporary Detroit culture. There are several alcoholic drinks named after the Nain Rouge, and the legend has been the basis for the films Devil's Night: Dawn of the Nain Rouge and Eric Millikin's The Dance of the Nain Rouge. Each Spring, there is an event called the Marche du Nain Rouge where hundreds of people chase the Nain Rouge out of the city and burn them in effigy.^[6]

The Nain Rouge first appeared in Marie Caroline Watson Hamlin's 1883 book Legends of Le Détroit, where she described the Nain Rouge as a dwarf, "very red in the face, with a bright, glistening eye," and with "a grinning mouth displaying sharp, pointed teeth".^[1] The Nain Rouge was then included in Charles M. Skinner's 1896 book Myths And Legends Of Our Own Land, described as "a shambling, red-faced creature, with a cold, glittering eye and teeth protruding from a grinning mouth."^[5]

Legend holds that Nain Rouge's appearance would presage terrible events for the white people of the city, and foretell success for the Indigenous People. The creature is said to have appeared on July 30, 1763 before the Battle of Bloody Run, where 58 British soldiers were killed by Native Americans from Chief Pontiac's Ottawa tribe. Supposedly, the Nain Rouge "danced among the corpses" on the banks of the Detroit River after the battle, and the river "turned red with blood" for days after. According to the tale, all the misfortunes of Governor and General William Hull leading to the surrender of Detroit in the War of 1812 are blamed on the Nain Rouge.^[7]

Several sightings were later reported during the 20th century. Two utility workers claim to have seen the creature just before the 1967 Detroit riots,^[1] and supposedly, it was also seen before an ice storm in 1976.^[8]

There are no records that indicate the legend of the Nain Rouge existed in the 18th century, when Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac was in authority in Detroit. The earliest record, Hamlin's Legends of Le Détroit, wasn't published until 1883, 180 years after Cadillac was said to have been cursed by the Nain Rouge.^[1] However, some claim that it originates in the early 1700s French settlement of Detroit, supposedly deriving from Norman French tales of the lutin, a type of hobgoblin. Some also claim that the Nain Rouge originated with supposed Native American legends of an "impish offspring of the Stone God".^[9][1]

Wellesley College assistant professor Kate Grandjean, a specialist in early American and Native American history, says "My personal feeling is it's really not quite as simple as just European colonists appropriating some Native American spirit ... I think, and it seems to be demonstrable in the historical record, that the Nain that we know in Detroit today probably has both French and Native traditions sort of wrapped up in it."^[1]

Grandjean says the Nain Rouge is a defender of sorts for “those on the losing end of history ... Historically, the Nain Rouge has mostly been a menace to those in power.”^[10]

The Nain Rouge legend has become an enduring part of the folklore of the Detroit area.^[11]

Detroit Beer Company, a brewpub in Downtown Detroit, has as its signature brew a "Detroit Dwarf" lager, named in honor of the Nain Rouge.^[12] In 2015 Woodberry Wine, a distributor and wholesaler of fine wines and Kindred Vines Import Company, an importer of French and Italian wines both based out of the Metro-Detroit area introduced "Nain Rouge Red"; a French red wine blend named after the Nain Rouge dwarf.^[13]

Each Spring since 2010, a costumed parade called the Marche du Nain Rouge has been held in Detroit,^[14][15][6] in which a person dressed like the Nain Rouge is chased out of the city.^[16] and then an effigy of the Nain Rouge is burned,^[1] in what the organizers describe as "banishing the evil spirit from the city for another year".^{[citation needed]} The parade participants wear masked costumes, supposedly so the Nain Rouge will not recognize them.^[1]

Critics have protested the banishment parade, arguing that the Nain Rouge is being unfairly blamed for the city's problems, and no one should be banished from the city, particularly those who have been there the longest and who are being targeted based on the color of their skin.^[17][18] One protester has said "Originally the Nain Rouge was a Native American Earth spirit, a protector of Detroit. They turned him into a devil."^[18]

Hundreds of people attend the event.^[19][20] The 2014 parade included a speech from Alexis Wiley, a representative for Mayor Mike Duggan, the first white mayor of the majority-black city since the early 1970s.^[21]

Devil's Night: Dawn of the Nain Rouge is a 2019 English language feature film directed by Sam Logan Khaleghi based on the creature of the same name.^[22] The film marks the debut of Eminem's younger brother Nathan Kane Mathers.^[23] Swifty McVay, of the hip hop group D12, played the role of the mayor of Detroit and composed the song “Scariest Thing" for the film.^[24]

Artist Eric Millikin has been creating work based on the Nain Rouge since at least the early 2000s.^[25] His The Dance of the Nain Rouge is a 2023 short animated documentary film about the Detroit folklore legend of the Nain Rouge.^[26] The film is described as "an experimental decolonial Detroit demonology deepfake dream dance documentary."^[27] It was awarded "Best Animation Film" at the 2024 Absurd Film Festival in Italy.^[28]

• Mothman
• Pukwudgie
• Spring-heeled Jack

• Myths and Legends of our Lands, vol. 6, by Charles M. Skinner, printed about 1896, Nain Rouge.
• Hamlin, Marie Caroline Watson; Campbell, James Valentine (1883). Legends of Le Détroit. T. Nourse.

• Marche du Nain Rouge official site