Fairy-Butter, s. a species of tremella, of yellowish colour and gelatinous substance, not very rarely found on furze and broom. Brockett’s Glossary describes it as growing about the roots of old trees. This must be some other species; probably what is called in some places witch’s-butter; of coarser texture and colour, and by no means so suitable to those delicate beings the fairies, as that which we name after them. “Vocab. of E. Anglia,” vol. i, p. 108. [Gurdon 35]
Fairy-Rings, s. circles or parts of circles in the grass (due to a kind of fungus); … in which, as many believed of old, and some believe still, the fairies are wont to dance. Forby. “Vocab. of E. Anglia,” vol. i, p. 108. [Guderon 35]
A belief in the existence of ‘Pharisees’ or ‘Fairies,’ prevails; they ride young horses about in the night, so that the grooms on going into the stables in the morning &id the horses all in a foam. But a hag stone, with a hole through, tied to the key of the stable door, protects the horses. The New Suffolk Garland, p. 179.
Frairy is given as the Suffolk form of fairy… Pharisee is the form with which I am myself familiar. Pharisees’ ring was the name applied in my childhood to the ‘sour green ringlets’ of Shakespeare’s Tempest, while the star-marked fossils — I forget their scientific title — that occasionally turn up in stone droppings, were known as Pharisees’ loaves, Olim Agrestis, Suffolk Notes and Queries, Ipswich Journal circa May, 1877. [Gurdon, Suffolk 33]
In the heroic days of pagan Ireland, as tradition tells, the ancient earthworks, now called the Navan Rings, just outside Armagh, were the stronghold of Cuchulainn and the Red Branch Knights; and, later, under Patrick, Armagh itself, one of the old mystic centres of Erin, became the ecclesiastical capital of the Gaels. And from this romantic country, one of its best informed native sons, a graduate civil engineer of Dublin University, offers the following important evidence . The Fairies are the Dead. When I was a youngster near Armagh, I was kept good by being told that the fairies could take bad boys away. The sane belief about the fairies, however, is different, as I discovered when I grew up. The old people in County Armagh seriously believe that the fairies are the spirits of the dead; and they say that if you have many friends deceased you have many friendly fairies, or if you have many enemies deceased you have many fairies looking out to do you harm.’ 75-76
Editor’s note: Evans-Wentz relates this to a graduate civil engineer. He comes from Co. Armagh.
It was very usual formerly, and the practice is not yet given up, to place a bed, some other furniture, and plenty of food in a newly-constructed dwelling the night before the time fixed for moving into it; and if the food is not consumed, and the crumbs swept up by the door in the morning, the house cannot safely be occupied. I know of two houses now that have never been occupied, because the fairies did not show their willingness and goodwill by taking food so offered to them. 75
‘A Gospel,’… is a text of scripture written in a particular manner, and which has been blessed by a priest. It is sewed in red cbth, and hung round the neck as a cure or preventive against various diseases, &c Few Irish peasants will be found without ‘a gospel’; or, as in the vicinity of Holy Cross, a blessed string, a blessed stone, or a blessed bit of wood, about their persons, which they consider to be an infallible safeguard against evil. Crofton-Croker, II, 163
Fir Darrig, correctly written,fear dearg, means the red man, and is a member of the fairy tribe of Ireland, who bears a great resemblance to the Puck or Robin Goodfellow of Shakspeare’s days. Like that merry goblin, his delight is in mischief and mockery; and numberless are the wild and whimsical stories in which he figures. Although the German Kobolds partake of the good-natured character of the people, yet the celebrated Hinzelman occasionally amused himself with playing tricks somewhat similar to those of master Fir darrig. The red dress and strange flexibility of voice possessed by the Fir darrig form his peculiar characteristics; the latter is said, by Irish tale-tellers, to be as Fuaim na dtonn ‘the sound of the wave’ and again it is compared to ‘Ceol na naingeal, ‘the music of angels’ Ceileahhar na nèan, ‘the warbling of birds’. The usual address to this fairy is, Na dean fochmoid fùinn, do not mock us. His entire dress, when he is seen, is invariably described as crimson; whereas the fairies generally appear in Hata dubh, culaigh ghlas, stocaigh bana, agus brogan dearga; a black hat, a green suit, white stockings, and red shoes. Crofton-Croker, II, 162
I never heard of a more familiar goblin than Teigue. His visit generally commenced with a civil salutation to the master of the house, which was quickly followed by an application for a glass of whiskey; but no human creature could be seen or found in the quarter from whence the voice proceeded. These visits were usually repeated once a week; sometimes, however, a month or more elapsed between them. If any friend came to dine or to stay at the house for a few days, Teigue was sure to be heard in the evening accosting them in a very courteous manner, inquiring after the different members of their family, and often mentioning domestic occurrences with a surprising intimacy. If a stranger happened to excel in music, this could not escape the penetration of Teigue, who seemed to be familiar with every person’s acquirements and habits; and he invariably re-quested the musician to play or sing. A young lady from Youghall was once called on by Teigue to favour him with a tune: she sat down to the pianoforte all fear and trembling. When she had concluded, Teigue applauded her performance, and said in return, he would treat her to a song to the best of his ability. He accordingly sung, with a most tremendous voice ‘My name is Teigue, and I lives in state’; a composition well known in the south of Ireland. Several cleverly concerted plans have been formed for the discovery of this strange being, yet they all failed of their object. Two different and contradictory opinions prevail respecting Teigue: some people report him to be a giant, others a dwarf; the former opinion is founded on the following circumstance: Amongst the ingenious methods devised for deciding whether the voice might be that of a mortal man or a goblin was the plan of strewing carefully some fine ashes at twilight before the windows. That night Teigue was unusually noisy without; and the next morning early, when the place was inspected, the print of one foot only of superhuman dimensions, was found. The notion of his being a dwarf rests on no less an Authority than Teigue himself. He frequently styled himself Teigueen or little Teigue; yet this diminutive may be nothing more than a pet name. But on one occasion, when some guests expressed their surprise that master Teigue had never been caught, this curious, being replied ‘’Tis to no use at all, gentlemen, you’re thinking of catching poor Teigueen, for he is no bigger than your thumb!’ All those who have heard him speak agree in this, that the sound of his voice was not in the least like that of ordinary mortals; it resembled, they said, that hollow hoarse kind of voice emitted by a man speaking with his head (as a gallant English officer has described it) inside an empty cask. Crofton-Croker, II, 176
The flint arrow-heads of the primitive inhabitants, and the axes termed by antiquaries stone celts, are frequently found in turning up the ground in Ireland, as well as Scotland, and other countries. By the peasantry they are termed elf-stones, and believed to have been maliciously shot at cattle by ‘the wandering people’. Crofton-Croker, II, 217