Changelings Fairies, The Darker Side of Irish Fairy Lore. The word faery conjures up images of kindly small spirits, in tune with nature and practising benevolent enchantments.

Noted Swedish author and Nobel Prize winner, Selma Lagerlöf, wrote of many Faerie accounts in her 1915 book, Trolls and Humans (a non-fiction collection of local folklore). Her husband claimed he was merely trying to get rid of a changeling. Pinterest.

Facebook. 2969. However, throughout Ireland and many other lands there are many tales in folklore that refer to a rather darker side of the Faery Folk.. Capricious, wild and sometimes cruel, faeries were also capable of casting a more unwelcome enchantment upon humans – that of the changeling. Fairy Folklore: The Unchanging Appeal of Changelings By Alison Littlewood .

It is quite possible that Bridget’s husband had more earthly reasons for wanting to be rid of her. Why would a fairy steal a human child? While tales of Changelings run rampant in Ireland, stories of the Fae swaps abound in almost all countries.

Twitter. December 18, 2016 October 11, 2019 ~ Ireland's Folklore and Traditions ~ 1 Comment Ireland’s rich and vibrant oral tradition of storytelling captured the hearts and minds of generation upon generation of Irish people going back centuries, who passed the long cold nights by the fire absorbed in these tales. BY Johnny Brayson • March 17, 2017. By.

The 13 Scariest Creatures From Irish Folklore . The most notorious Irish changeling story happened in 1895, when a man named Michael Cleary murdered his wife, Bridget, claiming that she was a changeling and that his real wife had been abducted by fairies. Changelings are creatures spoken of in many folklore, fantasy and fairy tales from across the world - they are regarded as creatures that are placed into mortal homes by fairies or demons, who proceed to kidnap the original child of the home. Ann Massey-27 July 2013. The idea of the changeling- that fairies could steal a child away, possibly forever, and leave a horribly altered substitute in its place- is one of the most sinister traditions in Irish folklore. Irish folklore (Irish: béaloideas) refers to the folktales, balladry, music, dance, and so forth, ultimately, all of folk culture.. Irish folklore, when mentioned to many people, conjures up images of banshees, fairy stories, leprechauns and people gathering around, sharing stories.