Lums

Overview

Lums are a central object in the Rayman series. They are small, concentrated bodies of magical energy. Most of the time they appear to onlookers as small lights/orbs with wings. Their name is derived from the French word "Lumiere", which means "light". They are fragments of the Glade of Dreams, with each serving a different purpose.
In rayman 3 yellow, purple and silver lums were replaced and blue and green were omitted.    

Types

Yellow Lums

- These are one of the main types of lums. They appear as yellow lights with wings. As told in Rayman 2, 1000 Yellow lums comprise the Heart of the World. Collecting them allows you to learn new secrets about the world's creation, with new knowledge available every 50 collected.

Super Yellow Lums

- Almost the same as Yellow Lums, with a few key differences. One, they each have eyes and a big toothy smile, making them one of the few lum types with a personality. Second, they contain the power of 5 regular Yellow Lums.

Red Lums

- The other major type of lum, Red Lums appear as red orbs with wings. They are the embodiement of the energy in the Glade of Dreams. Collecting them replenishes Rayman's lost health. If injured, they will gravitate towards him. Red Lums are loved by Pirates and Hoodlums alike, so once Rayman defeats one, he can take all of the lums that they have stolen. Contradictory to the previous game, Rayman 3 suggests that the Heart of the World is made of Red Lums, not yellow ones. In Rayman 2 for PS1, Admiral Razorbeard can be seen eating a Red Lum, instead of a Yellow Lum. Also, if scared, a Red Lum will turn into a Black Lum, the only evil type of lum.

Blue Lums

- These lums resemble yellow ones, only they are blue and reside underwater. They are the physical manifestation of the life force of the Glade of Dreams. Thus, next to Silver Lums, they are the rarest. They are only found underwater and replenish Rayman's air when he grabs them. They then reappear after a short time. They were replaced by bubbles in Rayman Revolution.

Green Lums

- They also resemble yellow ones, only having a sharp, green coloring. Green Lums serve as checkpoints in a level. If Rayman dies, and has even a small amount of health left, he will reappear next to the last Green Lum he collected. They are not mentioned in the lore, and thus, their role in the Glade of Dreams is unknown.

Purple Lums

- These lums resemble rings, with eyes and a small pair of wings. You are able to use them after Ly is released from the Fairy Glade prison. By grabbing onto them with his fist, Rayman can swing across large gaps to the other side. Purple Lums represent visibility and continuity in the Glade of Dreams, and thus are essential as nothing would be solid or visible without them.

Silver Lums

- The rarest of them all. They give Rayman new powers, as well as upgrade the ones he has. They are created by fairies, and are only seen once in a great while.

Black Lums

- The odd child of the lum family, these were first seen in Rayman 3. A Red Lum turns into a Black Lum when it is mortally afraid. They look completely different, as they do not shine. Rather, they look like furry black balls, with big lips and bloodshot eyes. Only one Black Lum, Andre (the leader) has arms, the rest having no appendages. When several congregate together, they can create a hoodlum. Rayman is able to convert them back to Red Lums, after acquiring the Grimace power.