#fairytypes

People may argue on what is or is not allowed to be called a dragon today (for example, people tend to classify the kind with only two legs instead of four as a wyvern and no legs as a wyrm), but I am not going to be using modern specifics for this post. The stories these creatures are from call them “dragons,” so that is what I will call them as well.

A waulking song is a traditional song that was sung for a group to keep in sync while rhythmically beating newly-woven fabric on a surface. This motion shrinks the fibers of the fabric, which makes it better at repelling water.

“There would often be 24 of them at one table, singing songs for four to five hours at a time, during which 300-400 yards of cloth would be waulked.” Audio Recording Transcript: “WAULKING THE CLOTH, ” Track ID: 65191, Date: 1961. Source: tobarandualchais.co.uk

This could be done sitting around a table and moving the fabric with your hands, but in some places the fabric was waulked using feet.

As they sing, they both beat and move the fabric a clockwise direction.

Related to this practice is a water fairy called Loireag(lorryack). She was a rather mischievous fairy that is often described as having an obsession with tradition.

“The ‘loireag’ presided over the warping, weaving, waulking, and washing of the web, and if the women omitted any of the traditional usages and ceremonies of these occasions she resented their neglect in various ways.” Carmina Gadelica, Volume 2, by Alexander Carmicheal, [1900]

Not only did she make sure things were done in the right order, but she also disliked people singing out of tune, and hated hearing the same waulking song twice.

” If a song were sung twice at the waulking, the ‘loireag’ would come and render the web as thin as before, and all the work of the women of no avail. They had to begin anew and waulk the web over again, taking special care not to repeat the offence. “ Carmina Gadelica, Volume 2, by Alexander Carmicheal, [1900]

The loireag had such a great love of milk that people would leave out offerings of it for her. If this was forgotten, she would take matters into her own hands by enchanting the milking animals to be as still as a statue while she drank her fill.

In one story where this occurred, a girl in Benmore discovered a loireag sucking a cow. The girl tried to drive the fairy away, but nothing worked so she went to fetch her father. It turns out her father was a Carle. Carle can be a derogatory term for a commoner man, but it can also be an alternative name for the "Bodach," which they may be intending in this case.

“The little Carle leapt out at the door in sparks of red fire, swearing at the impudent ‘loireag,’ and at the cow. He threw a boulder at the ‘loireag,’ wishing to kill her, but struck the cow instead and nearly killed her!” Carmina Gadelica, Volume 2, by Alexander Carmicheal, [1900]

He then grabbed the very point of one of the cows horns in the name of “Columba the kindly,” who was “the best leech of man and beast in Alban in his day.” With those words, the cow broke from the enchantment and leapt away. At the same time, the loireag took off running while singing back insults.

“Little carle of Corrie-foot, Little carle of the short coat, Little carle of the foot of the Pass Much I praise your aim.” Highland Mythology by Watson, E. C. (1908)

WAULKINGS SONG EXAMPLES:

(link) In this waulking song a man mourns the fact that another is courting his beloved while he sails the seven seas.

(link) This is a short fragment from a waulking song with a love theme.

(link) The composer describes going through the strath and seeing a herd of hinds. A man was driving them down the hill. He had a bow and arrow and a gun.

(link) This is a waulking song of the type found at the start of a waulking. The chorus refers directly to waulking the tweed, which is unusual in waulking songs.

(link) In this waulking song a sailor tells of his feelings, as the girl he loves is unfaithful. He expresses the hope that his beloved will not take the tailor, the shoemaker, the shepherd or the herdsman.

(link) In this waulking song, the composer lists by their occupation the men who are unsuitable, and then gives details of the one she would accept.

Fairy lights in Scotland went by many names depending on the area. Some examples are: spunkies, will-o-the-wisp, pinkets, ignis faluus, and more. The word “spunkie” is thought to come from the word “Sponk.”

“SPUNK , SPUNKE , SPONK , s . 1. A spark fire , or small portion of ignited matter , S.”“ A very small fire is called a spunk of fire” An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language. Vol. 2 by Jamieson, J. (1841)

People still argue on where they come from; some describing them as the souls of some sort of dead, some say they are more fairy than ghost, while others simply dismiss them as the spontaneous ignition of marsh gasses.

(Title: Ignis fatuus / Th. Nast. Abstract/medium: 1 prints  : wood engraving.)

Spunkies and Pinkets are the spirits of unbaptized children, but Willo’ the Wisp is often a usurer who has hidden gold, or an unjust man who has moved his neighbours’ boundary stones, or in some stories, a man who has been too clever for the Devil, and can get entry into neither Heaven nor Hell.’  The Fairies in Tradition and Literature by Katharine Mary Briggs (1967)

No matter what the origin, they typically hold the same role; leading people astray. In the forest, people typically describe thinking the lights are for a distant building and so heading towards it, while others seem to be curious or enraptured by the strange lights. If the person followed, they are lead somewhere to kill them, such as a swamp to drown in or a cliff to fall from.

“Willy and the Wisp, he is a fiery devil, and leads people off their road in order to drown them, for he sparks sometimes at our feet, and then runs before with his candle, as if he were two or three mile before us…” Ancient and modern history of Buck-haven in Fife-shire by Merry Andrew at (1793)

On the ocean, they trick sailors into thinking they are heading towards a port, when instead it is a random shoreline.

“…many a good boat has Spunkie drowned; the boats coming to land in the night-time, they obsere a light off the land, and set upon it and are drown’t.” Ancient and modern history of Buck-haven in Fife-shire by Merry Andrew at (1793)

So essentially, what it comes down to is that it does not matter their origin, just do not follow them.

(The Child sees the Will o’ the Wisps. (1913))

Biasd Bheulach Odail, also known as “The Beast of Odail Pass,” was a nocturnal creature living in (you guessed it) the Odail Pass of the Isle of Skye. About 180 years ago, Skye’s first public road was being built in that pass, which is when the beast first made it appearance.

"At the time it was being made, the pass was haunted by “something” awful – the more awful that its character was not distinctly known,-that enjoyed an evil reputation far and wide as “The Beast of Odal Pass” (Biasd Bealach Odail).” Witchcraft & Second Sight in the Highlands & Islands of Scotland by John Gregorson Campbell (1902)

Despite it’s reported fame, no one was able to narrow down what exactly it looked like. It’s shaped ranged from an animal, to a beast, to a man with one leg.

"Sometimes it bore the form of a man, sometimes of a man with only one leg; at other times it appeared like a greyhound, or beast prowling about; and sometimes it was heard uttering frightful shrieks and outcries, which made the workmen leave their bothies in horror. " Witchcraft & Second Sight in the Highlands & Islands of Scotland by John Gregorson Campbell (1902)

It was, seemingly, some sort of shapeshifter that targeted both the workers and travelers, by pushing them to the ground so hard that it caused injury. Those injured people would have to escape to safety.

Luckily, the sightings did end, but only after the death of one man.

"It ceased when a man was found dead at the roadside, pierced with two wounds one on his side and one on his leg, with a hand pressed on each wound. It was considered impossible these wounds could have been inflicted by human agency.” Witchcraft & Second Sight in the Highlands & Islands of Scotland by John Gregorson Campbell (1902)

Whoever that man was, it was clear that his death somehow caused the end to the attacks.

How it so suddenly ended has caused some, including Katharine Briggs (author of 1976’s A Encyclopedia of Fairies) to suggest that it was not a beast at all, but instead a ghost seeking revenge. When the intended man met his end, the ghost was satisfied.

A boobrie is a creature from Scottish folklore that is most commonly described as a giant bird, but occasionally is said to be able to shapeshift into the form of a water bull or water horse.

“He  is  ravenous  and  gigantic,  gobbles  up  sheep and  cows,  has  webbed  feet,  a  very  loud  hoarse  voice and  is  somewhat  like  a  cormorant. “ Popular tales of the west Highlands by Campbell, J. F.(1822)

As well as having the shape of a cormorant, the sound of the boobrie is often described similarly to one as well. You can hear the sounds a cormorant makes here. The sound is sometimes described as drumming.

“In form and colour the Boobrie strongly resembles the Great Northern Diver, with the exception of the white on the neck and breast ; the wings of both, bearing about the same proportion to the size of their bodies, appear to have been given them by nature more for the purpose of assisting them in swimming under water, than flying. “ Survivals in belief among the Celts by Henderson, George(1912)

It was said to live in lochs, but sheltered and nested in heather, which (due to heather burning) lead to it’s extinction.

The first recorded fairy changeling was in the 16th century, but they likely have a history older than that. Changeling stories, however, are quite dark and disturbing, so leave now if you are not in the right mindset to handle that. There are mentions of child harm and murder ahead.

"When they succeeded in their felonious attempts, the elves left instead of the mother, and bearing her semblance, a stock of wood (stoc maide), and in place of the infant an old mannikin of their own race." Superstitions of the Highlands & Islands of Scotland by John Gregorson Campbell (1900)

Both adults (particularly mothers) and babies were susceptible of being changelings. The mothers were said most often to be taken to help care for fairy babies, while the babies were taken for four main reasons.

The first is that the baby was swapped out for an elderly fairy, so that it can live out the rest of it’s days in comfort. This is why some changeling babies are said to not live long.

The second is because the fairies owed souls to the devil.

Every seven years they had to pay “the teind to hell,” and to save them from paying this tribute with one of themselves they were ever on the alert to get hold of human infants. Folklore of the North East of Scotland by Walter Gregor (1881)

The forth (though less common) reason is that, for whatever reason, the fairy mother can not care for her own baby, and is swapped to save it. One story that sort of confirms this (though without a changeling) a fairy woman asks a mother to nurse her child and leaves. The mother does, and when the fairy comes back, the mother is blessed with good fortune.

In the cases where the baby is simply taken, a piece of wood is enchanted to look and act like a baby.

To prevent a mother or baby being taken away, they would have to be sained. To get a baby or mother back, sometimes all it would take was saining the changelings.

"He knew at once what was going on, and what was to be done, and he ran with all his speed to the smith’s house and “sained” the mother and her baby-an act which the nurse had neglected to do. No sooner was the saining finished than a heavy thud, as if something had fallen, was heard outside the house opposite to the spot where stood the bed on which the mother and her baby lay. On examination a piece of bog-fir was found lying at the bottom of the wall. It was the “image” the fairies were to substitute for the smith’s wife." Folklore of the North East of Scotland by Walter Gregor (1881)

Other times, the customs to get rid of a changelings either involve tricking the fairy into giving itself away, or by hurting the baby so that the spell is either broken. This is when things will get quite dark, so again, this is your warning.

"The changeling was converted into the stock of a tree by saying a powerful rhyme over him, or by sticking him with a knife. He could be driven away by running at him with a red-hot ploughshare; by getting between him and the bed and threatening him with a drawn sword; by leaving him out on the hillside, and paying no attention to his shrieking and screaming; by putting him sitting on a gridiron, or in a creel, with a fire below; by sprinkling him well out of the maistir tub; or by dropping him into the river. There can be no doubt these modes of treatment would rid a house of any disagreeable visitor, at least of the human race." Superstitions of the Highlands & Islands of Scotland by John Gregorson Campbell (1900)

There are many historical recordings on Tobar an Duelchais of fairy changelings being put onto a shovel, and held above the fire, and in other stories (such as from The Fairy Mythology / Illustrative of the Romance and Superstition of Various Countries by Thomas Keightley (1850) ) the baby is quite literally thrown into the fire.

If the changeling was indeed a fairy in disguise, the fairy will leave the real baby behind and scramble up the chimney.

"One day an old highland woman having seen the child , and inspected it carefully , affirmed that it was a fairy child . She went the length of offering to put the matter to the test , and this is how she tested it . She put the poker in the fire , and hung a pot over the fire wherein were put certain ingredients , an incantation being said as each new ingredient was stirred into the pot . The child was quiet during these operations , and watched like a grown person all that was being done , even rising upon its elbow to look . When the operations were completed , the old woman took the poker out of the fire , and carrying it red hot over to the cradle , was about to burn the sign of the cross on the baby’s brow , when the child sprung suddenly up , knocked the old woman down and disappeared up the lum ( chimney , ) filling the house with smoke , and leaving behind it a strong smell of brimstone . When the smoke cleared away , the true baby was found in the cradle sleeping as if it never had been taken away." Folk Lore, Or, Superstitious Beliefs in the West of Scotland Within this Century by James Napier (1879)

There is a major dark side to these stories. All it took for a baby to be accused of being a changeling was simply crying more and louder than normal, which could, of course, lead to human babies being gravely injured. As well as that, often, some people born with deformities were accused of being changelings their entire life.

There are also murders to mention as well. The best known case of this happened in Ireland. Bridget Cleary was accused of being a changeling in 1895, simply for having bronchitis. I wont go into the gruesome details, but she was tortured to death by her husband and father. She was later (including by some today) called a witch, and described as the last witch burnt in Ireland.

This led to the nursery rhyme:

Are you a witch, Or are you a fairy, or are you the wife of Michael Cleary?

More Research:

Audio Recordings:

(link) A fairy changeling forced out. 1987,

(link) A family story about getting rid of a fairy changeling. 1984

(link) A changeling left by a fairy was not a real child and would never grow up properly. 1979

(link) A family story about getting rid of a fairy changeling. 1979

(link) The hump-backed tailor and the fairy. 1954

The Cù Sìth (Pronounced Coo Shee) is a formidable fairy dog that is said to be as big as a young bull. Unlike the English fairy dog, which is often described as being black, the Cù Sìth and has green fur.

"The Fairy dog (cu sìth) is as large as a two-year-old stirk, a dark green colour, with ears of deep green. It is of a lighter colour towards the feet. In some cases it has a long tail rolled up in a coil on its back, but others have the tail flat and plaited like the straw rug of a pack-saddle" Superstitions of the Highlands & Islands of Scotland by John Gregorson Campbell (1900)

It has paws as wide as a human hand which allowed it to stalk completely quietly, or run with the sound of a galloping horse.

"Like the fairies , it moved silently , but for all its gliding gait , the print of its paws , as big as a human hand , were found on mud or sand or snow." Folk Lore in Lowland Scotland by Evelyn Blantyre Simpson (1908)

With a dog that big, you know it is going to be fast, and it is said that if you did not get to safety before it let out a third roaring bark, you would be overtaken.

These hounds were often seen in three different situations. The first is when guarding a fairy mound, the second was accompanying fairy women, and the third is when they are roaming alone. While roaming, they like to make lairs in the clefts of rocks. One such place was said to be in the rocks by the shore at Baluaig in Tiree, which gave it the name theBed of the Fairy Dog.

These good boys are very good at killing people, so it was best to keep distance.

Selkies are seelie court fairy that are mostly in the form of a seal, but can also shed their seal skin and become human. This “becoming human” part has lead to many stories of human men kidnapping selkie women for brides. In fact, theMacCodrum clanin the Outer Hebrides were said to be descendants of a selkie bride, which is why members of this clan were said to have skin connecting their fingers.

"In their human form, the male and female selkies were more beautiful than ordinary mortals, though they were uncouth and shapeless as seals, their beauty only showing in their large, liquid eyes. The male selkies were amorous, and used to make expeditions ashore to court mortal women, but they would never stay with them long." A Encyclopedia of Fairies by Katharine Briggs (Published in 1976)

If I am being honest, most of the Selkie bride stories are a rather uncomfortable to read. They often have the love-stricken human man steal the seal pelt, and lock it away. In doing so, he traps the Selkie bride on land, and has no choice but to stay with him.

“Vainly she implored the restitution of her property; the man had drunk deeply of love, and was inexorable; but he offered her protection beneath his roof as his betrothed spouse. The merlady, perceiving that she must become an inhabitant of the earth, found that she could not do better than accept of the offer. “ Folk Lore and Legends of Scotland by Anonymous(1889)

As the years go on, she has children, but never stops looking longingly at the sea. In some stories, she sneaks to the beach to talk sadly with a large seal.

The stories always end with either her or the children finding her pelt. When that happens, she embraces her children one last time, then escapes to the sea.

“The large animal of the same kind with whom she had held a secret converse soon appeared, and evidently congratulated her, in the most tender manner, on her escape. But before she dived to unknown depths, she cast a parting glance at the wretched Shetlander, whose despairing looks excited in her breast a few transient feelings of commiseration. “Farewell!” said she to him, “and may all good attend you. I loved you very well when I resided upon earth, but I always loved my first husband much better.” Folk Lore and Legends of Scotland by Anonymous(1889)

Which may not be a surprise, seeing as he did kidnap her.

There are other sad stores, such as the one where a mermaid sacrifices herself to fishermen in order get a selkie his pelt back, and in doing so saves his life.