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Some say there are hundreds and perhaps a thousand different kind
of fairies. The following are some of these different types
of fairies.
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Banshee The
banshee, from ban (bean), a woman, and shee ( sidhe, a fairie),
is an attendant fairy that follows the old families, and none
but them, and wails before a death.. Whatever her origins, the
banshee chiefly appears in one of three guises: a young woman,
a stately matron or a raddled old hag. These represent the triple
aspects of the Celtic goddess of war and death, namely Badhbh,
Macha and Mor-Rioghain. She usually wears either a grey, hooded
cloak or the winding sheet or grave robe of the dead. She may
also appear as a washer-woman, and is seen apparently washing
the blood stained clothes of those who are about to die. In this
guise she is known as the bean-nighe (washing woman).
Although
not always seen, her mourning call is heard, usually at night
when someone is about to die. In 1437, King James I of Scotland
was approached by an Irish seeress or banshee who foretold his
murder at the instigation of the Earl of Atholl. This is an example
of the banshee in human form. There are records of several human
banshees or prophetesses attending the great houses of Ireland
and the courts of local Irish kings. In some parts of Leinster,
she is referred to as the bean chaointe (keening woman) whose
wail can be so piercing that it shatters glass. In Kerry, the
keen is experienced as a "low, pleasant singing";
in Tyrone as "the sound of two boards being struck together";
and on Rathlin Island as "a thin, screeching sound somewhere
between the wail of a woman and the moan of an owl". The
banshee may also appear in a variety of other forms, such as
that of a hooded crow, stoat, hare and weasel - animals associated
in Ireland with witchcraft. |
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Grogochs Grogochs
were originally half human, half-fairy aborigines who came from
Kintyre in Scotland to settle in Ireland. The grogoch, well-known
throughout north Antrim, Rathlin Island and parts of Donegal,
may also to be found on the Isle of Man, where they are called
'phynnodderee'. Resembling a very small elderly man, though covered
in coarse, dense reddish hair or fur, he wears no clothes, but
sports a variety of twigs and dirt from his travels. Grogochs
are not noted for their personal hygiene: there are no records
of any female grogochs.
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The
grogoch is impervious to searing heat or freezing cold. His home
may be a cave, hollow or cleft in the landscape. In numerous
parts of the northern countryside are large leaning stones which
are known as 'grogochs' houses'.
He has the
power of invisibility and will often only allow certain trusted
people to observe him. A very sociable being, the grogoch. He may even attach
himself to certain individuals and help them with their planting and harvesting
or with domestic chores - for no payment other than a jug of cream.
He will scuttle about the kitchen looking
for odd jobs to do and will invariably get under people's feet.
Like many other fairies, the grogoch has a great fear of the clergy
and will not enter a house if a priest or minister is there. |
If the grogoch
is becoming a nuisance, it is advisable to get a clergyman into
the house and drive the creature away to inadvertently torment
someone else. |
Changlings
Not
only do human women find giving birth difficult,
but fairy women also find it difficult. Many
fairy children die before birth and those that
do survive are often stunted or deformed creatures.
The adult fairies, who are aesthetic beings,
are repelled by these infants and have no wish
to keep them. They will try to swap them with
healthy children who they steal from the mortal
world. The wizened, ill tempered creature left
in place of the human child is generally known
as a changeling and possesses the power to work
evil in a household. Any child who is not baptised
or who is overly admired is especially at risk
of being exchanged.
It
is their temperament, however, which most marks the changeling. Babies are generally
joyful and pleasant, but the fairy substitute is never happy, except when some
calamity befalls the household. For the most part, it howls and screeches throughout
the waking hours and the sound and frequency of its yells often transcend the
bounds of mortal endurance.
A
changeling can be one of three types: actual fairy children; senile fairies who
are disguised as children or, inanimate objects, such as pieces of wood which
take on the appearance of a child through fairy magic. This latter type is known
as a stock.
Puckered
and wizened features coupled with yellow, parchment-like skin are all generic
changeling attributes. This fairy will also exhibit very dark eyes, which betray
a wisdom far older than its apparent years. Changelings display other characteristics,
usually physical deformities, among which a crooked back or lame hand are common.
About two weeks after their arrival in the human household, changelings will
also exhibit a full set of teeth, legs as thin as chicken bones, and hands which
are curved and crooked as birds' talons and covered with a light, downy hair.
No luck will come to a family in which there is a changeling because the creature
drains away all the good fortune which would normally attend the household. Thus,
those who are cursed with it tend to be very poor and struggle desperately to
maintain the hungry baby in their midst.
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Puckered
and wizened features coupled with yellow, parchment-like skin
are all generic changeling attributes. This fairy will also exhibit
very dark eyes, which betray a wisdom far older than its apparent
years. Changelings display other characteristics, usually physical
deformities, among which a crooked back or lame hand are common.
About two weeks after their arrival in the human household, changelings
will also exhibit a full set of teeth, legs as thin as chicken
bones, and hands which are curved and crooked as birds' talons
and covered with a light, downy hair. No luck will come to a
family in which there is a changeling because the creature drains
away all the good fortune which would normally attend the household. |
| Thus, those who are cursed
with it tend to be very poor and struggle desperately to maintain
the hungry baby in their midst. |
| One wee little Hobgoblin
All dressed up in red,
Was spying on a farmhouse
With mischief in his head.
"this place," said the little Hobgoblin,
"It could be lots of fun,
Everything's so clean and tidy,
And begging to be undone."
So the wee little Hobgoblin
He went to work with glee,
He let the cattle out the gate
And set the piglets free.
He spilled some milk in the kitchen,
And overturned the butterchurn.
He yanked the laundry off the line
And caused the soup to burn.
He pinched the baby and scared the cat
And had the mostest fun.
And when his spree was over
He said, "That's a job well done!"
Mark Shapiro The Wee Little Hobgoblin
(Also Known As: Hobgoblins, Bogans, Bauchans, Gobelins, the Boogey Man, Boogies, Padfoot, Hobbers, Gobs, Blobs.)
The Boggart is most commonly found in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire, its name appears in places such as Boggart's Clough and Boggart's Hole in Lancashire. Boggarts were mischievous spirits responsible for mishaps and poltergeist activity within the home and in the countryside. They would rearrange furniture, break pots and generally be blamed for 'things that go bump in the night'.
They were often found attached to families and could be helpful within the household until they were insulted in some way. Boggarts had the ability to shape-shift, and sometimes appeared in the form of animals. If offerings were left out for them they would not cause trouble.
The supposed ghosts of people were also called Boggarts, and the word may be have been used to explain any strange phenomena in the past. An outbreak of poltergeist activity on a farm above Oldham in Lancashire was attributed to a Boggart and there are several such stories, some of which we will outline in the future. |
Brownies
A
widespread name for a fairy or supernatural creature, they
were small in appearance and wore brown coloured clothing.
Like many mischievous spirits they were thought to be attached
to houses or families and could be helpful in menial household
tasks. If offended they became malignant and mischievous, creating
poltergeist activity and generally making a nuisance of themselves.
To get rid of brownies all you had to do is leave them a new
cloak and hood, they would take it and never be seen again.
The brownies were found in both England and Scotland as far
as the Shetland Isles. |
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There
are a number of creatures particular to Cornish folklore, although
their cousins can be found elsewhere in Britain under a different
name and guise. One of these strains is the Piskie also known
as a Pixie in other West Country counties.
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The Piskie is a general name for a fairy
race or tribe in Cornwall. In appearance they look like old men
with wrinkled faces, and are small in stature with red hair.
They dress in the colours of the earth especially green, using
natural materials such as moss, grass and lichen.
Generally
the piskies are seen as cheerful creatures with a prankish nature.
They are said to be helpful but also mischievous, helping the
elderly and infirm whilst sometimes leading the more able bodied
traveler astray on the lonely moors. Many stories relate to travelers
being led into the wild moorland to become hopelessly lost because
of the Piskies. In many ways the Piskies are similar to the Brownies
being helpful but also mischievous in nature. Often places of
ancient worship such as stone circles and barrows were avoided
as piskie haunts.
There are many
legends attached to the origin of the piskies. Some people saw
them as the souls of pagans who could not transcend to heaven, and they were
also seen as the remnants of pagan gods, banished with the coming of Christianity.
In tradition they are doomed to shrink in size until they disappear. |
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name leprechaun may have derived from the Irish leath bhrogan
(shoemaker), although its origins may lie in luacharma'n (Irish
for pygmy). These apparently aged, diminutive men are frequently
to be found in an intoxicated state, caused by home-brew poteen.
However they never become so drunk that the hand which holds
the hammer becomes unsteady and their shoemaker's work affected.
Leprechauns
have also become self-appointed guardians of ancient treasure
(left by the Danes when they marauded through Ireland), burying
it in crocks or pots. This may be one reason why leprechauns
tend to avoid contact with humans whom they regard as foolish,
flighty (and greedy?) creatures. If caught by a mortal, he will
promise great wealth if allowed to go free.
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He carries two leather
pouches. In one there is a silver shilling, a magical coin that
returns to the purse each time it is paid out. In the other he
carries a gold coin which he uses to try and bribe his way out
of difficult situations.This coin usually turns to leaves or
ashes once the leprechaun has parted with it. However, you must
never take your eye off him, for he can vanish in an instant.
The leprechaun
'family' appears split into two distinct groups - leprechaun and
cluricaun. Cluricauns may steal or borrow almost anything, creating mayhem
in houses during the hours of darkness, raiding wine cellars and larders. They
will also harness sheep, goats, dogs and even domestic fowl and ride them throughout
the country at night. |
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