Faerie Superstitions
It was once a common custom in East Cornwall, when houses were built,
to leave holes in the walls by which these little beings could enter;
to stop them up would drive away good luck. A certain man, living at
Hayle, was in the habit of regularly putting out a saucer of milk for
the small people before going to bed. The small people, he said, only
drank the 'astral' part of the milk, whatever that might be.
Apparently the cats drank the rest, and strangely enough one of them
which belonged to a friend of the writer became very ill as the
result of it
Spriggans guard the vast treasures that are supposed to be buried our
immense carns and in our cliff castles. No matter if the work be
carried on by night or by day, they are sure to punish the rash
person who ventures to dig in hopes of securing them. When he has got
some way down, he finds himself surrounded by hundreds of ugly
beings, in some cases almost as tall as he, who scare the unhappy man
until he loses all control over himself, throws down his tools, and
rushes off as fast as he can possibly go. The fright often makes him
so ill that he has to lie for days in bed. Should he ever summon up
courage to return to the spot, he will find the pit refilled, and no
traces show that the ground has been disturbed.
In Madern (Madron) parish a good woman of discretion hath told be of
certain, that sitting up late in her father's house she often sawe
fairies (neat little creatures) who familiarly talked with her, and
gave away many groats until she betrayed this converse against their
charges and order.
When unmolested, fairies bring good fortune to places they frequent;
but they are spiteful if interfered with, and delight in vexing and
thwarting people who meddle with them. It is well known 'that they
can't abear those whom they can't abide.' Then there were the tales
of persons spirited away to fairyland, to wait upon the small
people's children and perform various little domestic offices, where
the time has passed so pleasantly that they have forgotten all about
their homes and relations, until by doing a forbidden thing they have
incurred their master's anger. They were then punished by being
thrown into a deep sleep, and on awakening found themselves on some
moor close to their native villages. These unhappy creatures never,
after their return, settled down into work, but roamed about
aimlessly doing nothing, hoping and longing one day to be allowed to
go back to the place from whence they had been banished. They had
first put themselves into the fairie's power by eating or drinking
something on the sly, when they had surprised them at on of their
moonlight frolics; or by accepting a gift of fruit from the hands of
one of these little beings.
Courtesy of Miss Daney at Folklore,Magic and Superstitions
It was once a common custom in East Cornwall, when houses were built,
to leave holes in the walls by which these little beings could enter;
to stop them up would drive away good luck. A certain man, living at
Hayle, was in the habit of regularly putting out a saucer of milk for
the small people before going to bed. The small people, he said, only
drank the 'astral' part of the milk, whatever that might be.
Apparently the cats drank the rest, and strangely enough one of them
which belonged to a friend of the writer became very ill as the
result of it
Spriggans guard the vast treasures that are supposed to be buried our
immense carns and in our cliff castles. No matter if the work be
carried on by night or by day, they are sure to punish the rash
person who ventures to dig in hopes of securing them. When he has got
some way down, he finds himself surrounded by hundreds of ugly
beings, in some cases almost as tall as he, who scare the unhappy man
until he loses all control over himself, throws down his tools, and
rushes off as fast as he can possibly go. The fright often makes him
so ill that he has to lie for days in bed. Should he ever summon up
courage to return to the spot, he will find the pit refilled, and no
traces show that the ground has been disturbed.
In Madern (Madron) parish a good woman of discretion hath told be of
certain, that sitting up late in her father's house she often sawe
fairies (neat little creatures) who familiarly talked with her, and
gave away many groats until she betrayed this converse against their
charges and order.
When unmolested, fairies bring good fortune to places they frequent;
but they are spiteful if interfered with, and delight in vexing and
thwarting people who meddle with them. It is well known 'that they
can't abear those whom they can't abide.' Then there were the tales
of persons spirited away to fairyland, to wait upon the small
people's children and perform various little domestic offices, where
the time has passed so pleasantly that they have forgotten all about
their homes and relations, until by doing a forbidden thing they have
incurred their master's anger. They were then punished by being
thrown into a deep sleep, and on awakening found themselves on some
moor close to their native villages. These unhappy creatures never,
after their return, settled down into work, but roamed about
aimlessly doing nothing, hoping and longing one day to be allowed to
go back to the place from whence they had been banished. They had
first put themselves into the fairie's power by eating or drinking
something on the sly, when they had surprised them at on of their
moonlight frolics; or by accepting a gift of fruit from the hands of
one of these little beings.
Courtesy of Miss Daney at Folklore,Magic and Superstitions
