Fairy Tales, Their Origin and Meaning; With Some Account of Dwellers in FairylandBunce, John Thackray
History
Fairy Tales, Their Origin and Meaning; With Some Account of Dwellers in Fairyland
Bunce, John Thackray
Fairy tales -- History and criticism
These Scandinavian elves were like beings of the same kind who were once
supposed to live in England, Ireland, and Scotland, and who are still
believed in by some country people. Scattered about in the traditions
which have been brought together at different times are many stories of
these fanciful beings. One story is of some children of a green colour
who were found in Suffolk, and who said they had lived in a country
where all the people were of a green colour, and where they saw no sun,
but had a light like the glow which comes after sunset. They said, also,
that while tending their flocks they wandered into a great cavern, and
heard the sound of delightful bells, which they followed, and so came
out upon the upper world of the earth. There is a Yorkshire legend of a
peasant coming home by night, and hearing the voices of people singing.
The noise came from a hill-side, where there was a door, and inside was
a great company of little people, feasting. One of them offered the man
a cup, out of which he poured the liquor, and then ran off with the
cup, and got safe away. A similar story is told also of a place in
Gloucestershire, and of another in Cumberland, where the cup is called
"the Luck of Edenhall," as the owners of it are to be always prosperous,
so long as the cup remains unbroken. Such stories as this are common in
the countries of the North of Europe, and show the connection between
our Elf-land and theirs.
The Pixies, or the Devonshire fairies, are just like the
northern elves. The popular idea of them is that they are small
creatures--pigmies--dressed in green, and are fond of dancing. Some of
them live in the mines, where they show the miners the richest veins of
metal just like the German dwarfs; others live on the moors, or under
the shelter of rocks; others take up their abode in houses, and, like
the Danish and Swedish elves, are very cross if the maids do not keep
the places clean and tidy others, like the will-o'-the-wisps, lead
travellers astray, and then laugh at them. The Pixies are said to
be very fond of pure water. There is a story of two servant-maids at
Tavistock who used to leave them a bucket of water, into which the
Pixies dropped silver pennies. Once it was forgotten, and the Pixies
came up into the girls' bedroom, and made a noise about the neglect. One
girl got up and went to put the water in its usual place, but the
other said she would not stir out of bed to please all the fairies in
Devonshire. The girl who filled the water-bucket found a handful of
silver pennies in it next morning, and she heard the Pixies debating
what to do with the other girl. At last they said they would give her a
lame leg for seven years, and that then they would cure her by striking
her leg with a herb growing on Dartmoor. So next day Molly found herself
lame, and kept so for seven years, when, as she was picking mushrooms on
Dartmoor, a strange-looking boy started up, struck her leg with a plant
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account