Mikelats

In the accounts available, Mikelats appears within a Basque narrative pairing him with a brother (Atarrabi/Axular). In some versions the brothers are described as offspring of the goddess Mari and a mortal, and both are sent to or entrusted to a teacher called Etsai who 'teaches from the depths of his cave.' Modern summaries and retellings frame the two brothers as diverging moral figures: Atarrabi follows a sacred path while Mikelats follows a profane, worldly one. The sources indicate variability across tellings and do not supply a single canonical origin.

Traditional mythic sources surveyed do not provide a consistent physical description of Mikelats as a mythic being. Contemporary, localized practice records show the name used for a parade giant (erraldoia) in Mendillorri fiestas — a modern festival figure or giant puppet/carrier labeled 'Mikelats' in archival captions — which functions as a public, embodied representation but is not a documentary source for any original mythic appearance.

Available materials do not enumerate specific supernatural powers for Mikelats. Instead, his character is defined behaviorally and morally: in the tale he is the brother who 'decided to stay with his master' and is characterized in modern summaries as following a profane path in contrast to Atarrabi's sacred vocation. Some tellings link his upbringing to instruction by Etsai (presented in summaries as a dark or diabolic teacher), which frames Mikelats's role around moral alignment and pedagogy rather than listed magical deeds.