Creatures of the Deep: Five Stories of the Sea

There are many folk and fairy tales about the creatures of the deep.  Some are well known and loved,  like The Little Mermaid and Jonah and the Whale.  Some stories which contain the mythological creatures of the sea are lesser known and contain a lesson for the reader.  Today I hope to share some of those stories with you.

The Fisherman, the Maiden, and the Sea Monster - A Korean Folktale

'In which an overlooked detail counts for everything.'

Destined for Valhalla by BAKART

    There was once a young fisherman who lived in a village by the sea and was engaged to marry a beautiful maiden.  The fisherman made a good living from the plentiful ocean and the couple hoped that their marriage would be long and happy.
    But one day a fierce sea monster appeared in the ocean and ate all of the fish.  The fishermen were unable to make their catch and the people went hungry.
    'What can we do?' the fishermen asked one another.
    'You must sacrifice a beautiful maiden to the sea monster!' an old man of the village answered.  'The sacrifice will satisfy the monster and it will leave.  Then you will be able to catch fish and the people will not go hungry.'  But the young fisherman was distraught for he would have to sacrifice the maiden he was soon to marry.
    'No!' The young fisherman cried.  'There must be another way!'
    'But how?' the other fishermen asked.
    'I will slay the monster!' the young fisherman told them.  'Then we will be able to fish once more and I will keep my bride.'
    'But what will happen if he fails?' the villagers asked the old man.
    'Then you must sacrifice the maiden!' the old man replied.
    So the young fisherman took to his boat and went to sea to slay the great sea monster.  He left in a boat with a white sail, but took two sails with him: one white and one red.  The young fisherman had told the people to await the return of his boat, for then they would know if he had succeeded by the colour of the sail.  'If I slay the monster, you will see a white sail.  But if it is red, I have failed.'
    The young fisherman soon found the sea monster, gorging itself on fish.  It was so engrossed that it failed to notice the approaching boat, giving the young fisherman the opportunity to strike first.  Swinging a great sword, the young fisherman decapitated the monster.  The sea monster's blood sprayed, soaking the young fisherman and his boat.  But all was well, for the sea monster was dead.
Elater, the fisherman sailed for home.
    The villagers awaited the return of the fisherman anxiously on the beach.  The fisherman's bride,

Waiting by quixoticbelle33

who was constantly searching the horizon for the sign of a white sail, suddenly scream and fell dead on the sand.  The villagers rushed over and, finding the maiden dead, cried out in anguish.
    The young fisherman made it to the shore and wondered why the people were crying.  'Where is my bride?' he asked.
    'She is dead.' the villagers replied.
    'But how can this be?  I killed the sea monster.  See, I am covered in its blood.'  Upon saying this, the fisherman turned and saw that his once white sail was stained with the blood of the sea monster, and the reason for his bride's death became clear.  She would have believed that he had failed at his task and had died of despair.
    So the village was saved and the people no longer went hungry.  But the young fisherman's bravery was not rewarded.  He lost his bride, who was buried on a hilltop overlooking the ocean. 
    'Even if you slay monsters, the little things that can still kill you... or the one you love.'


The Sea Monster Salt-Chuck Oluk - A Squamish Legend

'There is one vice that is absolutely unknown to the red man; he is born without it, and amongst all the deplorable things he has learned from the white races, this, at least, he has never aquired.  That is the vice of avarice.  That the Indian looks upon greed of gain, miserliness, avariciousness, and wealth accumulated above the head or his poorer neightbour as one of the lowest degradations he can fall to is perhaps more aptly illustrated than anything I could quote to demonstrate his horror at what he calls 'The white man's unkindness.''

    When the gold craze first came, many of the young men would act as guides to the white man, taking them far up the Fraser.  Always when they returned they would bring back tales of greed and murder.  The old people and women would shake their heads, saying that nothing but evil could come of it.  But all of the young men returned as they had left.  They continued to be kind to the poor and those that were without food, and would share whatever they had.
    But one man, a man called Shak-shak (the Hawk), came back with hoards of golden nuggets and chickimin.  He was rich like the white man and, like the white man, he kept his riches.  Everyday he counted his chickimin and his golden nuggets.  He would gloat over them, toss them in his hands, rest his head upon them as he slept, and kept them about him wherever he went.  He loved his riches more than food, more than his tillicums, more than his life.
    The tribe soon noticed and said that Shak-shak had the disease of greed.  To cure it, he would have to divide his riches, share them with the poor, the old, the sick, and those without food.  But Shak-shak just laughed at them and continued on as before, loving and gloating over his riches.

Sisiutl: Lake and Moon by Zelphyre

    The Sagalie Tyee spoke from the sky, saying, 'Shak-shak, you have made yourself into a loathsome thing.  You listen not to the cry of the hungry, nor to the call of the old and the sick.  You will not share you riches and have made yourself an outcast from your tribe by disobeying the ancient laws of your people.  Now I will make you loathed and hated by men, white and red.  You will have two heads, for your greed has two mouths to bite.  One bites the poor and one bites your own evil heart.  And the fangs of these mouths are poison which kills the hungry and the poor and it will kill your own manhood.  The one that pierces the evil heart which lies in the centre of your foul body will kill the disease of greed forever from amongst his people.'
    When the sun rose the next morning, the tribe saw a great sea serpent streching across the surface of the water.  One hideous head rested on the bluffs of Brockton Point, while the other rested on the rocks below the mission, on the western edge of North Vancouver.  The tribe were horrified.  They loathed this creature, hated it, feared it.  Day after day it lay there, its hideous heads raised above the water, its mile long body blocking the way.
    The chiefs made council, the medicine-men chanted and danced, but the Salt-Chuck Olak never moved for it could not.  It was the hated totem of what rules the white man's world - the love and greed of chickimin.  No one can hope to move the love of chickimin from the white man's heart and no one can force him to share it.
    After the chiefs and medicine men had done all they could and still the Salt-Chuck Olak lay there, a handsome boy of sixteen reminded them of the words of the Sagalie Tyee.  'The one who pierces the evil heart which lies in the centre of your foul body will kill the disease forever from amongst his people.'
    'Let me try to find his evil heart, oh great men of my tribe,' he cried.  'Let me try to rid my people of this pestilence.'  The boy was brave and the tribe called him Tenas Tyee (Little Chief).  They loved him for all the fish, furs, game and hykma which came to him, he shared with the boys who had none.  He hunted food for the old and gave to those in need.
    'Let him try!' cried the tribe.  'The unclean and greedy monster can only be destroyed with cleanliness and generosity.  Let him try!'  The chiefs and medicine-men listened to the people and consented .
    Tenas Tyee told his mother that he would be gone for four days.  'I shall swim all the time for I must be clean.  Put fresh furs on my bed everyday, even if I am not here to lie on them, for if my bed, my body, and my heart are clean, I can overcome the serpent.'  Then Tenas Tyee stripped and, taking only a hunting knife, jumped into the sea to go in search of the centre of the serpent, where its evil and selfish heart lay.
    After four days Tenas Tyee did not return.  Weeks passed, then months, but still Tenas Tyee searched.  The seasons passed, summer to winter, winter to summer and Tenas Tyee's mother did his bidding each day, laying clean furs upon his bed.  But it was four years before Tenas Tyee found the serpent's centre and plunged his knife into the great Salt-Chuck Olak's heart. 

swimming in your blood by yourxheartxache

    Salt-Chuck Olak writhed in agony through the Narrows, leaving behind it a trail of black.  It's massive body began to shrink until nothing was left but the bones of its back, which soon sank to the bottom of the ocean.  As Tenas Tyee swam for home, through the blackness left by the Salt-Chuck Olak, the waters became clean and blue, for the boy's cleanliness overcame even the serpent's trail of darkness.
    And so Tenas Tyee defeated not just the sea-serpent Salt-Chuck Olak, but the disease of greed and avarice.

The Fisherman and the Fish - A Russian Folktale

Golden Fish by amazoncanvas

    There was once an old man and his wife, who lived on the shore of the deep blue sea.  They were very poor and lived in an old mud hut.  The man made his living by fishing, while his wife spun cloth.  One day the man caught a small golden fish in his net.  'Please let me go, old man,' begged the fish, 'and I will reward you for your kindness by giving you anything you desire.'  The fisherman was both frightened and surprised.  He had never heard a fish speak before.  But he let the fish go, saying kindly, 'May God bless you, golden fish, but I need nothing from you.'
    So the fisherman went home and told his wife of the wonderful golden fish which he had set free.  But his wife cursed him, shouting, 'Go back to the fish, you old fool, and ask for a watering-trough, for ours is broken.'
    The old man returned to the shore and called to the golden fish.  She soon swam up and asked him, 'What is it you need, old man?'  The old man bowed his head and told her of how his wife had cursed him for a fool because she needed a new watering-trough.  The golden fish comforted the old man and promised to grant his wish.
    When the old man returned home a new watering-trough stood outside the hut.  But still the old man's wife cursed him.  'Go back to the fish you old fool and ask for a new house.  The man went back to the shore, where the water and sky had become cloudy and overcast.  He called to the golden fish, who swam to him and listened as the old man told the fish that his wife had cursed him for a fool for not asking for a new house.  Again, the golden fish comforted the old man and promised to grant his wish.
   The man returned and saw a beautiful new cottage with a gate.  But still his wife cursed him, only louder, shouting, 'Go back to the fish you old fool.  I don't want to be a peasant.  I want to be a noblewoman!'  So the poor old man returned again to the shore where the waves rose high and beat against the shore and the sky was not almost black.  He called out to the golden fish, who swam over and listened as the old man repeated what his wife had said.  'Please, Your Majesty Golden Fish, don't be angry.  My wife has gone crazy and wants to be a noblewoman.'  Again the fish comforted him.
The old man arrived home, only the cottage was gone to be replaced by a great house.  The man's wife was dressed in expensive clothing and jewellery made of pearls and gold.  Servants moved around her, doing her bidding, but the man's wife was cruel and beat them.  'Greetings Milady,' said the old man.  'I hope you are satisfied now.'  His wife didn't answer him, instead sending him to live in the stables.
    Weeks passed in this way and the old man's wife ordered him to go again to the sea.  'I'm nothing but a subject to those who rule.  I want to be the queen of all the land.'  By now the old man was frightened but he said, 'You must be crazy, old woman.  You have no idea of courtly manners.  The people will laugh at you.'  His wife flew into a rage, slapped him across the face and ordered him to follow her orders.

The Stormy Coast by Theophilia

    So the old man went again to the shore where the water roiled and the sky and sea were black.  He called to the golden fish,and bowed to her as she swam to him.  He told her of what his wife had said.  The golden fish once more comforted him and let him go home.
    When he reached home, the old man found a palace.  Inside he found his wife perched on a throne, surrounded by noblemen who acted as her servants and fierce looking guards.  By now the old man was terrified, but still he appraoched his wife  and said, 'Greetings Your Majesty.  I hope that you are satisfied now.'  But his wife didn't even deign to look his way and the old man was driven from the palace by the guards. 
    Many weeks passed until the queen called the old man before her.  She ordered him to return once more to the fish and to ask it to become her servant so she could become Empress of the Land and Sea.  The old man was so frightened that this time he didn't even protest, but submissively followed her orders.
    Giant waves crashed on the shore and a terrible storm raged.  The old man had to shout to be heard over the thunder and the golden fish rose out of the waves.  He told the fish of what his wife had demanded, only this time the golden fish did not reply.  It turned its back on the man and swam off into the ocean.  The old man waited in vain for an answer but none came and he was forced to turn for home.
    When the old man arrived, the palace was gone.  Instead, the fisherman found his old mud hut, his poor old wife and the old broken watering-trough.

Urashima Taro, The Fisher Lad - A Japanese Tale

Urashima Taro by thunderrainstorm

    Long, long ago there was a young fisherman named Urashima Taro.  He lived in the small fishing village, Mizu-no-ye in Japan.  Urashima Taro was the most skilled fisherman in the land and could catch more Bonito and Tai in a day than the others could catch in a week.  He was also known for his kindness and had, in his entire life, never harmed any creature whether it was great or small. 
    One summer evening Urashima Taro was returning home after a day of fishing when he saw a group of excited children and, when he drew nearer, he saw that they were mistreating a tortoise, pulling it this way and that and beating it with sticks and stones.
    Urashima felt very sorry for the tortoise and decided he would rescue it.  'That poor tortoise will die soon if you continue to treat it so badly,' he said to the boys.  The boys took no notice of Urashima and continued on as before.  One of the older boys turned and said, 'Who cares if it dies?'  And they carried on torturing it, only more so than before. 
    After a moments thought, Urashima said, 'I'm sure you're all good boys.  Won't you give the tortoise to me?  I would like it very much!'  But the boys refused.  'Why should we?  We caught it,' the boys said. 
    'That is true,' Urashima responded.  'But I will give you some money for it.  In other words the Ojisan [Uncle] will buy it from you.'  He held the money up, strung on a piece of string through a hole in the centre of each coin.  'You could buy anything you like and could do more with the money than with the tortoise.  See what good boys you are to listen to me.'  The boys, who weren't really bad but mischievous, were won over by Urashima's gentle words and gave him the tortoise.  'Very well, Ojisan.  We will give you the tortoise if you give us the money.'  So Urashima gave the boys the money and took the tortoise from them.
    The boys ran off and Urashima, stroking the tortoise's back, carried the creature back to the sea.  'You poor thing,' he said to the tortoise. 'You are safe now.  They say that a stork lives for a thousand years, but a tortoise for ten thousand years.  You are the longest lived of all creatures and were in great danger of having your life cut short.  Now I will take you back to the sea.  Do not let yourself get caught again, for there may be no one to save you next time.'  Reaching the sea shore, Urashima put the tortoise into the water and watched as the creature disappeared before returning home himself.
    The next morning Urashima went out to sea as he did each day.  He soon left the other fishing boats behind and drifted far out into the ocean.  On this day he felt unusually happy and couldn't help but wish that his life could be as long as that of the tortoise.  Suddenly Urashima was startled.  Someone was calling his name. 

Urashima Taro by JusticeVonBrandt

    He stood up and searched for the caller.  Surely another fishing boat must be nearby.  But all Urashima saw was the endless blue of the ocean.  Feeling confused, he looked in all directions until he spotted the tortoise floating beside his boat.  'Mr Tortoise, was it you that called my name?' 
    The tortoise nodded then said, 'Yes, it was me.  Yesterday in your honorable shadow my life was saved and I wish to offer my thanks to you and to tell you how much I appreciate your kindness.'
    'That is most polite of you. Do come into my boat.  I would offer you a smoke, but I don't believe that tortoise smoke,' Urashima said, laughing at his own joke.      The tortoise laughed along with him before telling Urashima that he didn't care for tobacco but that his favourite drink was sake.  'I'm sorry I have no sake to offer you, but you are welcome to come into my boat and dry your back in the sun - all tortoises enjoy that.'  So the tortoise was helped into the boat and asked, 'Have you ever seen Rin Gin, the Palace of the Dragon King of the Sea, Urashima?' 
    Urashima shook his head.  'No,' he replied.  'For many years the sea has been my home but, while I have heard of the Dragon King's realm beneath the sea, I have never laid eyes on that fabulous place. 
    It must be far away, if it exists at all.'  The tortoise seemed surprised.  'You have never seen the Sea King's Palace?' the creature asked.  'You have missed seeing the most wonderful of sights in the entire universe.  It is far away, but I could take you and we would soon reach it.  If you would like to, I will be your guide,' the tortoise offered.
    Of course, Urashima could not turn down such an offer and the tortoise told him to ride on its back.  'But how is it possible when your back is so small?' The tortoise laughed.  'It may seem absurd, but it can be done.  Try and you will see that it is not as impossible as you think.'  As the tortoise finished speaking, Urashima was astounded to see that the tortoise had grown so large that a man could easily ride on its back.
    Urashima climbed on and the strange pair set off.  They rose through the sea for a long time but Urashima never grew tired, nor did his clothes get wet.  At last they reached a magnificent gate and the sloping roofs of the palace could be seen on the horizon.  The tortoise told Urashima that this was the great gate of the Rin Gin Palace and that the sloping roofs were those of the Sea King's Palace.'
Here Urashima climbed off the tortoise's back and the tortoise spoke to the gatekeeper, a fish, who led Urashima through the gate.  Many fish came out to make courtly bows to welcome the stranger.   
    Soon they reached the palace, where Urashima met a beautiful princess, clothed in flowing garments of red and green threaded with gold.  Her sable hair streamed over her shoulders much like that of a king's daughter many hundreds of years ago and, when she spoke, her voice was like music over water.  Urashima was speechless but soon remembered that he ought to bow.  The Princess took him by the hand and led him into a beautiful hall, to the seat of honor, where she told him to sit.

Urashima Journeys to the Dragon Palace by nimirofox

    'It gives me the highest pleasure to welcome you to my father's kingdom, Urashima Taro,' the Princess said.  'Yesterday you freed a tortoise and I wished to thank you for saving my life, for I was that tortoise.  Now, if you wish, you may live here forever in the land of eternal youth, where summer never dies and sorrow never comes, and I will be your bride, if you wish it.'  Urashima was filled with wonder and joy, and of course he could think of nothing better than to spend forever in this wonderful place.
    A great wedding commenced, where a parade of fish brought all manner of delicacies.  The couple pledged themselves in the wedding cup of wine, three times three, music played and all rejoiced.  When the feast was done, the Princess took her bridegroom through the palace, which was made of coral and adorned with pearls.  Then they went to the gardens which Urashima thought more wonderful than the palace.  All at one time the scenery showed the four seasons: in the east were plum and cherry trees in bloom, where nightingales sang and butterflies flitted from flower to flower; to the south the trees were the green of summer; in the west the autumn maples were ablaze like the sun setting; and in the north the ground and trees were silvery white with snow.
    Each day brought new wonder to Urashima and he was so happy that he quite forgot everything from his old life: his home, his parents, his country.  Three days passed until he remembered who he was and that he did not belong here.  'I cannot stay,' he thought.  'How anxious my parents must have been when I didn't return.  I must return at once.'  So he prepared to leave before going to his wife, the Princess Otohime Sama.
    'I have been so happy with you, Otohime Sama,' he told her.  'But I must go back to my old parents.'
    'Is is not well with you here, Urashima, that you wish to leave me so soon?  Stay with me yet another day.'  But Urashima knew he could not. 
    'Let me go for one day,' he said.  'Then I will come back to you.'
Feeling much sorrow, the Princess said, 'If there is nothing to be done, I will send you back today to your parents.  But take hithis as a token of our love.'  And she gave him a beautiful lacquer box, tied with a silken cord with tassels of red silk.
    Urashima, though, felt that he should not take more from the Princess.  She had given him so much already.  'It doesn't seem right,' he told her, 'that I should take another gift from you after all you have done.  But as you wish it I will accept.  What is this box?'
    'This is a tamate-bako [Box of the Jewel Hand],' she told him.  'It contains something very precious but you must not open it, no matter what happens, for something dreadful will happen to you.  Promise you won't open it.'  Urashima promised and then, after saying goodbye, he found a large tortoise waiting to take him home.
    It took Urashima back to the bay and he stepped onto the shore.  But something was different.  While the shore and the hills remained the same, the faces of the people were different to those he had once known so well.  He walked quickly to him old home and even this seemed different.    'Father, I have returned,' Urashima called and was about to enter when a strange man walked out of the front door.
    'Excuse me,' he said to the man.  'My name is Urashima Taro and noly days ago I lived in this house.  Where are my parents?'  The stranger laughed, thinking this must be a joke.
    'You must not joke,' he said.  'It is true that a man named Urashima Taro once lived her, but that was three hundred years past.  He could not possibly be alive now.'  This frightened Urashima more than anything.
    'But I am Urashima Taro.  Please tell me what I want to know.'
    'You may or may not be who you say... I do not know.  Perhaps you are his spirit come to visit your old home?' 
    'Why do you mock me?' Urashima cried.  'I am Urashima Taro, a living man.  Do you not see my feet?' [Japanese ghosts have no feet]
    'But Urashima lived three hundred years ago and that is all I know,' said the stranger, finding himself unable to believe what this fisherman was saying.  Urashima felt bewildered and looked about himself.  Everything was different to how he remembered it.  It was like he was in some strange dream.  Could the three days he had spent at the Palace of the Sea King truly have been hundreds of years?  That would mean that his parents were dead along with all the people he had once known. 
    There was no point in staying here.  Urashima should return to his wife beyond the sea.  He made his way back to the shore, carrying the box in his hands.  But he didn't know the way and would never find the Palace on his own.

Urashima Taro by Uhheyguys

    He looked down at the tamate-bako and thought to himself, 'The Princess told me to never open it but now I have nothing.  I have lost everything that was once dear to me.  Surely if I open the box I will find something that might help me back to my Princess of the sea.'
    So Urashima allowed himself this one act of disobedience and untied the red silk before carefully lifing the life.  A beautiful cloud of purple rose from the box in three soft wisps and covered his face before floating away.  Up until this moment, Urashima was a strong and handsome man of twenty-four but, as the purple cloud dispersed, he suddenly became very, very old.  His back doubled up with age, his hair turned a silvery snowy white, his face became wrinkled and the fell dead upon the beach.
    Because of his disobedience, Urashima would never return to the Sea King's realm and his lovely Princess beyond the sea.  So, remember to never be disobedient to those who are wiser than you, for disobedience was the beginning of all the miseries and sorrows of life.

One Spared to the Sea - A Celtic Folktale

    One day, long ago, Willie Westness of Over-the-Watter was digging for lugworms on the island of Sanday.  By the time his pail was full, the tide had yet to turn and the trink was still safe to cross.  So Willie decided to search for driftwoord on the shore.  It was then that he head a cry comeing from the rocks, like the moan of a woman in pain.  The sound came from the geo, a small inlet which was hidden behind the rocks and covered at high tide. 

Selkie's by Victory-Girl

    Willie crept towards the geo where he first saw a seal in the water, just off the shore and he then found a large seal with a newborn pup.  The large seal quickly moved off into the water, but the newborn lay helpless.  Willie picked it up and it nuzzled at his hands.  Willie thought to take the seal home with him.  He could keep it in a small loach at Over-the-Water.  But the mother seal splashed about and sobbed in distress and, when Willie looked over, he saw the seal pull herself back onto land, where she lay moaning with tears in her eyes.  The pup also looked at him with blurred brown eyes and its head, sleek and round, reminded him of a child.
    'Ach, selkie, take thee bairn and be gone wi' ye!' Willie said aloud, putting the pup close to the water's edge.  He waited for the mother seal to reach her pup, then picked up his pail of lugworms and cross the trink where the tide was now turning.
    Nine years passed and Willie had a family of four.  One fine day the youngest three went wading for cockles in the little sandy bay.  They knew they must not cross the trink, where the water rushed in deep and fast when the tide turned.  But they had heard their father say that the cockles were better there than in the large bay and, after much discussion, the children crossed the trink. 
    'We won't stay long,' the eldest, Johnny, said.
    'We'll hurry back,' agreed his younger sister, Jeanie. 
    The cockles were plentiful across the trink and the children continued to gather them.  When their pail was almost full, they turned towards home.  The tide was coming in fast and the trink had widened.  'Hurry,' Johnny cried, but, despite their pulling and scolding, young Tam's fat little legs would not be hurried and the water deepened by the minute.  When the water lapped at their ankles, Jeanie and Tam began to cry and, clinging to one another, they backed into a corned made by the rocks.  Johnny called for help but no one came and the water continued to rise.

Selkie by Selina Fenech

   It was then that they heard a woman singing, the sound almost beside them.  Two grey cloaked women had come up behind them.  'Come away, bairns,' said the elder.  Her face was plump and friendly, and her brown eyes were kind.  'You must come away.  It will soon be too late,' the woman said, taking Tam and Jessie by the hand and leading them into the water, which now reached their knees.  Before long, the water reached their middles and then to their necks, but the woman held firm to their hands and they kept their footing.  Soon they were across safely and, looking back, they saw their brother being led by the smaller, slimmer woman, who had the bucket of cockles balanced on her head.
    'All's well,' the older woman said, looking at the children with her kind, brown eyes.  'Now take
thee father a word from me,' she said.  'Remember now, say to thee father, Willie Westness, to mind a day when he digged lugworm at the geo, nine summers gone.  And say to him that one spared to the sea is three spared to the land.'  She made them repeat the message until they remembered it word for word.  'One spared to the sea is three spared to the land.'
    'Now run hom, bairns,' she said.  'And dunno pass the trink again - I came for once only.  Run away home.'  The children ran obediently hom and, when the looked back, the tide poured through the trink, the water high over the rocks. 
    There were no grey-cloaked women in sight.  All they saw were the two seals which swam towards the point of Elsness.


Tigers in Disguise!  Wisdom for Living from Korean Folktales by Dongho Lee
The Sea Serpent Salt-Chuck Olak
Fisherman and the Fish
Urashima Taro, the Fisher Lad
One Spared to the Sea

Fairies - Protection, Sacred Plants and Locations

Fairies were once considered to be capable of both good and bad, of helping or hurting humans.  In fact, in Celtic countries like Scotland and Ireland, venturing too close to a fairy or the dwelling of fairies was considered to be especially dangerous, more so if you were a beautiful woman or a handsome man.  So what could you do to please these little people?

Protection

The first thing people tried to do was to avoid fairies altogether.  Farmers avoided going into the mill at night as this was the time when the fairies brought their grain to be ground.  Any interruption of this important task could earn a farmer a failed crop or some other curse.
It was important to take care where you were walking.  You certainly wouldn't want to step on a strange tuft of grass or stray sod as it might trigger a nasty spell.  Doing so could cause your path through the woods to disappear or you may veer in the wrong direction or cross a field only to find yourself back where you started.  This particular situation was known as being pixie-led and could happen in broad daylight.

St John's Wart

To protect yourself from these situations you could wear St. John's Wart which was said to protect a person from fairy magic and mischief.  To protect horses from being ridden to exhaustion, garlands of marsh marigolds were hung above barn doors.  Other flowers, especially primroses, were placed on windowsills and hung above doors to stop fairies from entering your house.

You could avoid being led astray by the Will-o'-the-Wisp by not following it.  Locations believed to be the dwellings of fairies, along with fairy paths, should be avoided and digging in fairy mounds is unwise.  House owners have, in the past, been known to knock down corners of their houses to stop them from obstructing a fairy path.  In other cases, cottages have been built with aligning back and front doors so the owners could, in times of need, leave both doors open so the fairies could pass through during the night.  C.S. Lewis reported hearing of a case where a cottage was more feared for the fairies that lived there than the ghosts.

A Fairy Fort

Fairy forts were, and in some cases (such as in Ireland) still are, left undisturbed.  Even cutting trees, bushes or brush growing on fairy forts was discouraged as it was said to incur the wrath of the fairies, leading to the death of the person who performed the cutting.  It was also considered to cut fairy trees, such as thorn trees as is might upset the fairies.  One case in Scotland tells of how a fairy tree was left undisturbed even though it prevented a road from being widened.  This went on for 70 years.

Fairies were believed to be capable of vanishing at will and could remain invisible to human eyes for as long as they wished.  However, this could be counteracted by carrying a four-leaf clover in a small bag worn around the neck.  This would grant the user the opportunity to see these invisible beings - but only once.  In Celtic traditions, several four-leaf clovers were sewn into a small bag, giving the user more that one chance to spot a fairy.  Other legends tell us that four-leaf clovers allowed  people to see through fairy glamour and magical disguises.

Four Leaf Clover

Iron is considered one of the best deterrents to a fairy.  An iron nail in your pocket could save you from being carried away by the fairies.  Iron shears mounted on a wall near a babies bed would protect the child from being swapped for a fairy changeling.  Iron horseshoes could be nailed over doors to prevent fairies from entering.
Red berries were, by some, considered a deterrent, especially if they came from rowan, mountain ash or holly trees.  Some of these ideas are actually contradictory - for example, the rowan is sometimes said to be sacred to the fairies, where, in other examples, is said to protect against them. 
Oatmeal was also said to repel fairies and was put either in your pocket or sprinkled over your clothing.
Other protective charms included running water, wearing your clothes inside out and bells, especially church bells.  However, as with the rowan, bells are not always a deterrent.  The fairy queen was believed to have bells on the harness of her horse.  The crowing of a cockerel is another contradiction, in some instances driving the fairies away but in other situations fairies were believed to keep poultry.

Newfoundland folklore once used bread as protection against fairies.  The bread sometimes had to be stale, sometimes fresh, and, in other instances, had to be hard tack (a type of cracker or biscuit).  They believed that bread had some magical power and this goes back to more ancient beliefs.  Bread is associated with home or hearth, with industry and with the taming of nature.  For these reasons, some fairies seem to dislike bread.  This, however, isn't the rule for all fairies.

Other cultures protected themselves from fairies by cooperating and respecting them.  The Welsh were known to leave bread and milk on the porch at night as an offering for the fairies.  This was considered a way of stopping the fairies from playing tricks on the family and was also believed to gain a family favour with the fairies.  Fairies are also believed to like ale, butter and cream.
In Ireland, if you spilt salt you might throw some over your shoulder as an offering to the fairies.  When passing a river, pond or lake, or even a well, you may drop a piece of silver there for the fairy that lives there.  If you were milking a cow or goat, you might allow the first few squirts to fall on the ground in the hopes that it would please the fairies that were thirsty.
Brownies could be kept from taking spiteful action if you made the effort to keep your house in good order.  If they believed that you weren't making enough of an effort to keep your house clean, they were believed to pinch you in your sleep

Some fairies were believed to be offended by a lack of hospitality and courtest among mortals and would punish them accordingly.  If you treated these creatures with fairness, honesty and generosity they were more likely to repay the favour or to at least leave you alone.
Giving clothes to a brownie is believed, in some cases, to cause them great offence.  This sometimes resulted in the brownie leaving and was believed to be due to the clothing being of inferior quality.  However, in other cases, brownies are said to be delighted with the gift of clothing, leaving with it.  In other cases, brownies were offended by overheard complaints or compliments of their work.
People who saw fairies were advised not to look too closely as fairies saw this close inspection as an infringement of their privacy.

Many believed that millers were in league with the fairies and, as a result, mills were avoided at all costs during the night.  As long as the locals believed this, a miller could sleep soundly in the knowledge that his stores were not being stolen.  The miller of Whitehill, John Froser claimed to have hidden and watched the fairies trying unsuccessfully to work his mill.  After watching them struggle, he decided to help them, with one of the fairy women gifting him with a gawpen, or a handful of meal.  She told him to put this into his empty gimal, or store, and that it would keephis grain store full for the foreseeable future, no matter how much he took out.

Fairies, when offended, were noted for their mischief and their malice.  They were believed to tangle the hair of people sleeping into Elf-locks, to steal small items and to lead wanderers astray.  But they were believed to be capable of far worse.  In some instances, sudden death was attributed to the fairies having stolen the person, with the corpse being a wooden replacement in the appearance of the person who had been kidnapped.
Tuberculosis or consumption was, at times, blamed on the fairies forcing people to dance at revels every night until they wasted away from lack of rest.  Paralysis and other mysterious illnesses in animals were often connected to the fairies riding them, often encompassing pigs, horses, cows and ducks.

If you knew the name of a particular fairy, it was believed that you could summon the fairy and get it to do you bidding.  The name could be used both as an insult to the fairy and as a way to gain powers and gifts.

Sacred To The Fairies

As you can see, there are many ways to insult and offend a fairy, but it is possible to please a fairy which may lead to the granting of gifts.  Fairies are said to hold certain trees as sacred.  As such, it is best to avoid these trees at night, especially hazel, thorn, alder and oak which are favourites of the fairies.  Venturing too near may result in you getting pinched and hit as you walk by, or even tangled in the branches until morning.  Hawthorn is held sacred to the fairies and is also known as a wishing tree.  The Irish know the hawthorn as 'the fairy bush' due to the belief that fairy spirits live there, acting as guardians.  As such, it was believed to be bad luck to cut or damage a hawthorn tree as it may offend the fairies.  According to some folklore, if you find oak, ash and hawthorn growing together, you might see fairies as these trees are powerful fairy trees which represent the three realms - the underworld, middleworld and upperworld.

A Famous Fairy Hawthorn Tree

Some ponds, lakes and rivers were believed to be favourite places for the water fairies and kelpies.  Coming to these places alone was considered to be dangerous.  If the water fairies were displeased by your presence they might find yourself pulled in and drowned.  If this were to happen, it was claimed that your spirit would forever reside in the realm of fairies.

If you want to go 'fairy spotting' there are many sites throughout the British Isles and Ireland that are reputed for their fairies.  This website is really good for detailing places that fairies have been said to dwell.  If you do go, I'd love to hear about your experiences.

Next time I'll tell you about fairy changelings and the fairy realm, the Otherworld.  If there are any subjects you would like me to cover in the future, I'd love to hear from you.