The Fairy Mythology: Illustrative of the Romance and Superstition of Various CountriesKeightley, Thomas
General
The Fairy Mythology: Illustrative of the Romance and Superstition of Various Countries
Keightley, Thomas
Fairies; Fairy tales; Folk literature; Folklore
A farmer's boy was keeping cows not far from Ebeltoft. There came to him
a very fair and pretty girl, and she asked him if he was hungry or
thirsty. But when he perceived that she guarded with the greatest
solicitude against his getting a sight of her back, he immediately
suspected that she must be an Elle-maid, for the Elle-people are hollow
behind. He accordingly would give no heed to her, and endeavoured to get
away from her; but when she perceived this, she offered him her breast
that he should suck her. And so great was the enchantment that
accompanied this action, that he was unable to resist it. But when he
had done as she desired him, he had no longer any command of himself, so
that she had now no difficulty in enticing him with her.
He was three days away, during which time his father and mother went
home, and were in great affliction, for they were well assured that he
must have been enticed away. But on the fourth day his father saw him
a long way off coming home, and he desired his wife to set a pan of
meat on the fire as quick as possible. The son then came in at the
door, and sat down at the table without saying a word. The father,
too, remained quite silent, as if every thing was as it ought to be.
His mother then set the meat before him, and his father bid him eat,
but he let the food lie untouched, and said that he knew now where he
could get much better food. The father then became highly enraged,
took a good large switch, and once more ordered him to take his food.
The boy was then obliged to eat, and as soon as he had tasted the
flesh he ate it up greedily, and instantly fell into a deep sleep. He
slept for as many days as the enchantment had lasted, but he never
after recovered the use of his reason.[143]
_Hans Puntleder._
There are three hills on the lands of Bubbelgaard in Funen, which are
to this day called the Dance-hills, from the following occurrence. A
lad named Hans was at service in Bubbelgaard, and as he was coming one
evening past the hills, he saw one of them raised on red pillars, and
great dancing and much merriment underneath. He was so enchanted with
the beauty and magnificence of what he saw, that he could not restrain
his curiosity, but was in a strange and wonderful manner attracted
nearer and nearer, till at last the fairest of all the fair maidens
that were there came up to him and gave him a kiss. From that moment
he lost all command of himself, and became so violent, that he used to
tear to pieces all the clothes that were put on him, so that at last
they were obliged to make him a dress of sole-leather, which he could
not pull off him; and ever after he went by the name of Hans
Puntleder, i. e. Sole-leather.[144]
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Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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