eluriskide
Eluriskide is a figure that appears in Basque folklore and in some Basque-language contemporary fiction, where it is associated with winter and snow. In traditional and later tales, eluriskide is described as a shapeshifting entity that inhabits high mountains and snowfields; its form and behavior vary widely between narratives. Some versions depict it as a pale hunter, a spectral beast, or a cloaked guardian of mountain passes. It is frequently linked to storms, blizzards, and hazardous travel, and travellers are said to be tested by its signs or by difficult choices.
In folklore, eluriskide functions as a mnemonic of nature's power and as a reminder of winter's dangers.
In modern culture, eluriskide appears in Basque novels, poetry, and graphic works, where it is reinterpreted
Etymology and classification are unsettled in scholarship; eluriskide is best treated as a folkloric name rather