 Fair Folk, Part 2
As promised, it is time to rummage through Wikipedia and dig up something peculiar from local myths, a task easily accomplished given the variety of European folklore (and indeed, this article's aim is merely to draw interest to the matter, so that one may read up from more qualified authors than me.) But there is one more thing I wish to explain, and that is why fairies are called, well, fair folk. This trend seems to be present in several languages - good folk, duine sith (people of peace, though it may also mean people of the mounds, as they were thought to live in fairy mounds. ), Tylwyth Teg (the fair folk). I do not know of the individual etymology of the phrases, though even the Turkish phrase iyi saatte olsunlar seems to run in the same vein, given it refers to similar, potentially dangerous beings in a positive light.
Before the modern visage of fairies as butterfly-winged little people took hold, they were just another aspect of nature, something that you were under the risk of encountering. And as any survivor of an earthquake, flood or a wild animal attack would tell you, natural events are not necessarily pleasant, neither are they safe. Fairies were similarly dangerous and fickle things, varying from irritating pests to deadly threats at their worst. It was therefore a good idea to stay on their good side, hence why pleasant names are used when referring to them, so that they are less inclined to do harm.
While they vary widely in both shape and disposition, a very common “type” of fairy is a domestic spirit that assists a single household - the house elves of Harry Potter fame seem to be based on those. Examples include Russian domovoi and kikimora, British brownie and Scadinavian tomte and tonttu. Often in the shape of small, elderly, human-like creatures, these were believed to do housework in secrecy and dislike being seen, and were appeased with small offerings of food and milk. Should a family draw their ire, those creatures would simply leave the house or make it known that they are displeased by turning milk sour or harming the family's animals. Calling the offerings made to them “payment” was another way to make them leave, a trait shared by the aforementioned Harry Potter elves.
Such fairies are not limited to houses. Spirits such as the kobold, bluecap or knocker were inhabitants of mines, and could warn miners of cave-ins (though other stories also claim they may cause them). The knocking produced by them could also lead the miners to rich ores. Like household spirits, miner spirits could be appeased with offerings of ore or food. More malicious variants, in addition to causing cave-ins, could steal mining equipment or lead miners to worthless ore. One such ore, now called cobalt, is named after the German kobold.
Yet others were openly malicious. One belief about fairies is that they were angels that supported neither side during the Fall. As such, they were punished by exile to earth (as opposed to hell) and had to pay a tithe to hell - one of their own people was to be sacrificed every seven years. As such, fairies were thought to kidnap humans to replace them as their payment. The legend of Tam Lin is about one such captured man and his attempt to avoid his fate. Other fairies may be little more than wild beasts with magical qualities, such as the kelpie, an aquatic horse that would trick people into riding it, only to drown and eat them.
Of course, European legends are rather well-documented, and it is impossible to mention all of them here, so here's hoping that at least some myths mentioned have interested you enough to read about them.
BY ALPER ÖZKAN (MBG/III)
d_ozkan@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
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