The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-02-14
The Fairies of the North.

The Fairies of the North.
The Overland Monthly for November
has an article on Norwegian super
stitions, comprising a very curious ac-
| count of the tabled elves and spirits of
Northern Europe:
| According to the northern mythology
and popular conviction, the under
| ground people are divided into various
classes, such rs Thusser, Duerge, and
Elves. The Duerge (dwarfs,) particu-
| larly, seemed to have played a con-
spicuous part in the cid mythology,
| according to which they first made their
| appearance as worms i'll the rotten car
cass of Jette Ymer; they received from
| the gods human aspect and sense, and
leave to dwell in the earth and in the
| stones. A curious old legend gives
! another account of their origin: When
Eve, one day, was washing her children
in brook, she heard the voice of the
Lord suddenly calling her. In her
trepidation, she tried to hide those of
her children who were not yet clean.
When then the Lord asked her If all
her children were there, she answered,
yes. But God said, "What thou hast
tried to hide from me shall henceforth
be unseen to thy sight" These chill
dren became at once invisible and
separated from the rest. While the
waters of the flood covered the earth,
the Lord hid them in a cave. From
them descended the underground
people. According to another account,
they are thought to be the children of
Adam by his second wife, Lileth, or the
embodied ghosts of wicked and heather
people
In Iceland, the large island discover
ed and settled by the Norwegians, the
underground people dwell, as i'll the
parent country, in the mountains and
hills. They are neat and cleanly in
their persons, handsome and gay, and
fond of the society of Christian people,
with whom they formerly begat chill
dren. These they are ever anxious to
exchange for unchristened human chill
dren, In order that their own might
have the benefit of Christian baptism.
Such changelings are called Umskiptin-
gar, and are commonly misshaped in
body, and of n dull, stolid aspect
They are sometimes seen disporting
themselves in the sunshine, in which
they greatly rejoice, because they are
naturally without it in their own proper
homes. Thei undergroundlings change
their places of abode occasionally, but
only on New-Year's night-whence the
custom in the island, formerly, to leave
the table, upon retiring to bed, plenti-
fully supplied with eatables, and all the
doors open, to welcome the coming and
to speed the departing guests. The
underground colony in Iceland is under
the sway of two chiefs, who annually
make n voyage to the mother country,
Norway, to offer homage to their liege
lord and king. and render an account of
their stewardship. If satisfactory, the
chiefs are reinstated in their offices and
dignity; for these elves appear to have
been a law-abiding race, and TO have
delighted in justice and fair play.
The common people of Sweden rter-
tain similar notions of the underground
people TLOguOlket,) According to fht
legend that is current among the
Swedes, the underground people orig
mated thus: When God expelled Iuci-
fer and his angels from Heaven, they
were not all hurled to the bottom eas
pit, but some fell on the earth AMI in
the water Those who fell down in tAc
forests became Forest Trolds THE
Danish Trold Is anxious to obtain tI;ture
happiness but, with the exception of
the Huldras-beautifu female Trolds,
hunting the outskirts OF toreSts-whO
wished to be baptized, i'll order to get
rid of their cowtnils, the Norwegian
Trold was Indifferent to the happiness
of another life)
In Denmark the underground people
(the Nisser) dwell in the hills, where
they frequently carouse merrily; they
both bake and brew, ard are addicted
to steal beer from the farmers If they
neglect to mark the cask with the cross;
they cannot abide the sound of church.
bells, thunder, drums, and running
water; they are of jealous disposition
and can change themselves into cats |
Steel, needles, keys, and scissors, either |
in the cradle or croSswise above the !
floor, will baulk their attempt of chang |
ing their own progeny for human chill !
dren. But if the change has been eff I.
fected, recourse is has to whipping the |
changeling numerically, in order to |
induce its mother to take it away again. |
The underground people in Germany |
are called Die Zwerge, and have very |
much the same habits and proclivities |
as their Scandinavian relatives they |
are always ready to render service |
are good-natured, patient, and wear
cine NebeLkappe Ga cloak of MIST |
which renders them invisible. They |
are, of course, fond of changing chill
dren but if the changing (der Wech-
seLbaLg) is ill-used, its mother will soon |
fetch the stolen child back. Pomerania
in former days. with Erdqis-
ter, or dwarfs, who strove constantly /
to substantiate their ugly WechseL6algs
for well formed Christian children. In |
the daytime they crawled about in the
of frogs or other vermin, but |
assumed their own shape again at night,
when they danced merrily in the moon
light. In some localities they are call |
ed die UnterirdiShe1l, who, like their |
southern cousins, dwell under the |
stable, and like to have christian god
fathers for their children.