The Good Neighbors

by Eryn

The Good Neighbors

Aabatwa - Said to be the tiniest creatures of human form in existence, these little people coexist peacefully with the ants in the anthills of Southern Africa and live on their foragings from the roots of grasses and other plants. They are very shy and so are elusive, however tend to reveal themselves to very young children, wizards, and pregnant women. Aeval - A Faery Queen of southwestern Munster. In her district a debate was launched on whether the men were satisfying the woman's sexual needs. In a midnight court, Aeval heard both sides and then decreed the men wrong and sentenced them to overcome their prudishness and accede to the woman's needs. (Kisma) Aine - She is a faerie goddess, sister to Fennine, daughter to Egogabal who was a king of the Tuatha de Danann. The Earl of Desmond fell in love with her when he saw her sitting by Lough Gur. He captured and married her. Their son was Earl Fitzgerald. The Earl of Desmond's taboo was that he could never show that he was surprised by anything his sone did. Unfortunately he couldn't hold to it when he saw his son jump in and out of a bottle. His son fled in the form of a wild goose and AIne disappeared into Knock Aine. Angiaks - children of the living dead of Eskimo lore. In hard times, unwanted babies were taken out into the snow by tribal elders to die of exposure. Unless the tribe would move to a new hunting ground, they would often find themselves haunted by this small, miserable ghost. Ankou - the faerie version of the grim reaper. Sometimes he's portrayed as a benevolent, comforting figure. Anthropophagi - a cannibal faerie. He has no head, but his eyes sit atop his shoulders and a mouth may be found in his torso. His lack of a nose allows him to eat human flesh without gagging. Arkan Sonney - Fairy pigs on the Isle of Man, they're also known as "Lucky Piggy." Fairy pigs are supposed to bring good luck if one is to capture it. Asparas - Usually female, also known as sky-dancers. They bless humans at important stages in their lives, and are often seen at weddings. They live in fig trees and sometimes appear to scholars or scientists, seduce and exhaust them, making sure they don't venture into areas that the spirit world deems unfit. Asrai - are small and delicate female faeries who melt away into a pool of water when captured or exposed to sunlight. Aughisky- (Agh-iski) They are the Irish version of the Each-Uisge.

The Good Neighbors

Awd Goggie - A type of Bogie (see this page ). He haunts forests and orchards, and kidnap children. Wise children will stay away from orchards when unsupervised lest Awd Goggie get them. Banshee - actually should be spelled Bean Si . The Scots call her Bean-Nighe (see below ). She's an Irish death spirit. Their keening fortells a death. They have very long, flowing hair and wear green dresses with grey cloaks. Their eyes are bright red because of their continuous weeping. Bean-Nighe - (ben-neeya) Similiar to that of the Banshee. The Washing women is the type of Banshee who haunts the lonely streams of Scotland and Ireland. Washing the blood-stained garments of those about to die. It is said that these spirits are the ghosts of women who died in childbirth and that they are fated to perform their task until the day when they would have normally died. Barguest - A kind of Bogie. It has horns, dangerous teeth and claws, and fiery eyes. It can take many forms, but usually is a shaggy black dog. Upon the death of a prominent figure, it rounds up all the dogs in the community and leads them on a procession through the streets, howling. Bauchan - also Bogan. A type of Hobgoblin. Like most faeries, they are fond of tricks, sometimes are dangerous, and sometimes are helpful. Bendith y Mamau (ben-dith uh momay) - Mother's Blessing, which was the name of the fairies of the Carmarthenshire country in Wales; this saying became a prayer spoken to ward-off harm. Black Annis - She is a Hag; however she is unique in that she is a cannibal. Blue Men of the Minch - They dwell in the strait between Long Island and the Shiant Islands. They are responsible for sudden thunderstorms and shipwrecks, but their ship-sinking attempts may be thwarted if you are an adept rhymer. Some think they may be fallen angels. Bodach - also Bugbear or Bug-A-Boo. They slide down chimneys to kidnap naughty children. Boggart - Brownies that have turned evil. Bogie - This is the generic name for some different types of Goblins. Their temperments range the spectrum from benign to malevolent. Bogles - Generally evil-natured Goblins although they are more disposed to do harm to liars and murderers.

The Good Neighbors

Bokwus - A fearsome spirit in the great northwestern American spruce forests. He is only seen in glimpses, but has been seen wearing totemic face paints. Hunters are very aware of his presence. He likes to push fishermen off the banks to drown, taking the victim's soul to his home in the forest Brown Man of the Muirs - Protector of wild beasts. Brownie - His territory extends over the Lowlands of Scotland and up into the Highlands and Islands all over the north and east of England and into the Midlands. With a natural linguistic variation, he becomes the BWCA of Wales, the Highland Bodach and the Manx Fenodoree. In the West Country, Pixies or Pisgies occassionally perform the offices of a brownie and show some of the same characteristics, though they are essentially different. Border brownies are most characteristic. They are small men, about three feet in height, very raggedly dressed in brown clothes, with brown faces and shaggy heads, who come out at night to do the work that has been left undone by the servants. They make themselves responsible for the farm or house in which they live: reap, mow, her the sheep, prevent the hens from laying away, run errands, and give good counsel at need. A brownie can become personally attached to one member of the family. They are typically a tiny, shaggy-looking man with wrinkled brown skin. They are approximately 25 inches tall. They are usually either naked or their brown clothing is in extremely bad condition. Brownies like to adopt houses which they look after. They come out at night to finish small chores, look over the cattle. If there is a lazy servant in the home, he might choose to plague him for it. All Brownies expect in return is a bowl of cream or good milk and a honey cake. Never leave clothes and never leave too much food. They find this offensive and will leave. Care should be taken not to criticize their work. When one farmer criticized the mowing job, the Brownie responsible threw the entire crop over a cliff. Bugul-Noz - He's a forest dweller, a shepherd. He's very unattractive and he knows it, but he yearns for human companionship. Bwca - The Welsh name for the Brownie. They have slightly nastier tempers and are prone to tantrums if their work is criticized. They also despise tattletales and people with long noses. Cannered-Noz - Breton version of the Bean-Sidhe. Cluricaun - After his day's labors the Leprechaun enjoys a night's revelry and then becomes known as the Cluricaun (kloor-a-kawn). He raids wine cellars and is known to take wild drunken rides through the moonlight on the backs of sheep or shepherds dogs. Coblynau - Welsh Mine Goblin. Cousins to the Cornish Knockers. These creatures using mining tools, are seen working industriously at the seam faces. The knocking of their picks and hammers is lucky, a sign of heavy ore content.

The Good Neighbors

Corrigan - Malignant nature spirits found in Brittany, often associated with phantoms of the dead. Cururipur - A powerful South American spirit who owned the jungle and tortures tortoise hunters since the tortoises are his friends Daoine Maithe - "The Good People"; Similar to the Gentry, they were said to be next to heaven at the Fall, but did not fall; Some think they are a people expecting salvation. This is the name assumed by the Tuatha de Danann when the Milesians drove them underground. Their King is Finvarra, who to this day hold court in his palace beneath the faerie hill of Knockma. They are skilled chess players, and no human has ever beaten Finvarra in a game. Finvarra is a womanizer, frequently kidnapping human women. The Daoine Sidhe are also quite fond of hurling. (Hurling is an odd cross between field hockey and lacrosse, as many of you have told me. Thanks!) Disir - these are spirits who attach themselves to a particular place, usually man made, like houses. Especially old houses. They are generally feminine ancestral spirits. Duergar - These are a malicious form of Dwarf from Northern England. They revel in tricking people into dying. Dwarfs - Germany/Isle of Rugen/Swiss mountains. Short but powerfully built, they are generally bearded and aged in appearance, this is because they reach maturity when only three years old and are grey bearded by the age of seven. Their homes aree the mountains of Scandinavia and Germany where they mine for precious metals to work into arms and armour and other artifacts which are often endowed with magic. They cannot appear above ground tho one ray of sunlight and they will turn to stone. Other accounts say they spend daylight hours as toads. Dybbuk - a Jewish demonic spirit capable of possessing humans. Each-Uisge - (Ech-ooshkya) They are similar to the Kelpie, but far more dangerous. They inhabit lochs and seas and will eat their victims after tearing them into pieces, except for the liver, which they leave. If they are ridden inland, they are safe to ride, but if they catch the slightest whiff of the sea air... Ekimmu - One of the uttuku, evil or vengeful spirits of the ancient Assyrians, the ekimmu appeared wailing and crying outside a home to signal an impending death, much like a Banshee. Ellyllon - The name given to the Welsh elves. They are tiny, diaphanous fairies whose food is toadstools and fairy butter, a fungoid substance found in the roots of old trees and in limstone crevices. Their queen is Mab.

The Good Neighbors

Elves - In Scandinavian mythology the fairy people were elves and were divided into two classes, the light elves and the dark elves, like the Seelie and Unseelie Court. In Scotland the fairy people of human size were often called elves and Faeryland was Elfame; in England it was the smaller Trooping Fay who were called elves, and the name was particularly applied to small fairy boys. Elves of Light - A tiny people of Algonquin legend. They live in the forest and enjoy dancing. Their Queen is Summer, a tiny but beautiful creature who was once captured by the gof Glooskap who kept her in a moosehide as he eneterd the wigwam of the giant, Winer. Her very presence caused Winter to melt away and spring to come, and woke the elves who had been hibernating. ErlKonig - he is the "Elf King" in Germany. He's been known to warn people of their pending deaths. How he appears will relay to that person how he or she is going to die. Fachan, The - From the West Highlands of Scotland. I have not found any other information, but the artist's rendition in the Froud and Lee book shows a creature with only one eye, hand, and leg. (Two ears, though.) Fae - European and Magickal dialect name for fairies. Fays - The dialect name in Northumberland. Fair Family or Fair Folk - The euphemistic name used by the Welsh for the fairies. (See Tylwyth Teg.) Farisees, or Pharisees - The Suffolk name for fairies. The Suffolk children used to be confused between the farisees and the biblical mentions of the Pharises. Fary - The dialect name in Northumberland. Feeorin - A small fairy that is indicated as being, green-coated, generally red-capped, and with the usual fairy traits of love of dancing and music. This word can be used as a collective word for faeries. It usually indicates small green faeries, almost always with red caps. They love dancing and music. They are thought to be more or less friendly to humans, and have given warnings to them. Fees - The fairiers of Upper Brittany. Fenoderee - A type of Brownie from the Isle of Man. A willing worker of prodigious strength, the Fenoderee performs many labours for the farmers of Man. The Fenoderee was a member of the Ferrishyn - the faerie tribe of Man, until he made the mistake of absenting himself from their

The Good Neighbors

Autumn festival to court a mortal girl. His good looks were taken from him and he became the solitary, ugly creature he is now. Feriers, or Ferishers - Another Suffolk name for the fairies. Ferries - The usual name for the Shetland and Ocadian fairies. Ferrishyn (Ferrishin) - A Manx name for the fairie tribe; the singular is "ferrish". They are the Trooping Fairies of Man, though there does not seem to be any distinction between them and the Sleih Beggey. They are less aristocratic than the fairies of Ireland and Wales, and they have no named fairy king or queen. They were small, generally described as three feet in height, though sometimes as one foot. They could hear whatever was said out of doors. Every wind stirring carried the sound to their ears, and this made people very careful to speak of them favorably. Fetes - The Fates of Upper Brittany. Fir Darrig - (Fear dearg) delights in practical joking of a rather gruesome nature and therefore it is probably safer to humor him. Be nice to them or you may be on the receiving end of one. Foawr (fooar) - Manx equivalent of Highland Fomorians/giants, stone-throwing. They often ravish cattle. Nasty beings, they are... Frairies - The Norfolk and Suffolk, local version of the word "fairy". Fyglia - a sort of personal spirit. They often take an animal form. The Native Americans call them "fetches" and use them as totems. They serve mostly as personal guardians. Gans - Apache Indian shamen offer prayers to the Gans, asking them to drive evil spirits away and to attract good fortune. Gentry, the - The most noble tribe of all the fairies in Ireland. A big race who came from the planets and usually appear in white. The Irish used to bless the Gentry for fear of harm otherwise. Ghillie Dhu - A Scottish solitary faerie who inhabits certain birch hickets. His clothing is made of leaves and moss. Glaistig, The - is a water faerie and is part seductive woman, part goat. The goat-like attributes she tries to hide under a long flowing green dress. The Glaistig lures men to dance with her before she feeds, vampire-like, on their blood. Her nature is typically faerie-perverse for she can also be benign and gently tend children or old people. She will also sometimes herd cattle for farmers.

The Good Neighbors

Goblins - A breed of small, swarthy, malicious beings-although 'goblin' as a term is often used as a general name for thee uglier inhabitants of Faerie. They sometimes appear in the shape of animals which appropriately reflects their bestial nature. They are the thieves and villains of Faerie, companions to the Dead, especially on Halloween. Golem - a Jewish zombie-like spirit who is to avenge a wrongful death -or- a man-made creature; of earth, fire, water or air, which has had a spirit summoned into it to do one's biding. Good Neighbors - One of the most common Scottish and Irish names for the fairies. Good People - The Irish often referred to their Sidhe in this manner. (See Daoine Maithe) Grant - a small horse which stands upright; each Grant is attached to a particular place and when he senses danger will tun through the town shouting warnings. Green Children, The - The fairy are recorded in the medieval chronicles under such a name. Green Lady of Caerphilly, The - Takes on the appearance of Ivy when she is not walking through the ruined castles she haunts. Greencoaties - The name for the fairies that dwell in Lincolnshire Fen country. Greenies - The euphemistic name used for the fairies in Lancashire, associated with the Jacobean Fairies. Grey Neighbours, the - One of the euphemistic names for the fairies given by the Shetlanders to the Trows, the small gray-clad goblins whom the Shetlanders used to propitiate and fear, using against them many of the means used all over the islands as protection against fairies. Guillyn Veggey - The Little Boys is a Manx term for the fairies who dwell on the Isle of Man. Gwragedd Annwn, The - are Welsh water faeries, beautiful Lake Maidens who occassionally take mortals to be their husbands. One well-known legend tells of a young man who used to graze his cattle by a small lake near the Black Mountains. One day he saw a most enchanting creature rowing gently to and fro in a golden boat on the surface of the lake. He fell deeply in love with her and offered her some of the bread he had brought from home for his midday meal. She answered that the bread was too hard and disappeared into the depths. The young man's mother gave him some unbaked dough to take with him the next day and he offered this to the faerie but she answered that it was too soft and again disappeared. On the third day he took some lightly baked bread, which passed. Three figures rose from the lake, and old man with a beautiful daughter on either side of him. The girls were identical and the father told the young farmer that he was willing to offer him the daughter with whom he was in love if he could point

The Good Neighbors

her out. The farmer would have given up in despair but one slightly moved her foot and he, recognizing her slipper, won her hand. The young farmer was warned that he would lose his wife if he ever should strike her three times causelessly. The Gwragedd Annwn had somme curious faerie ways; would weep at weddings and laugh at funerals, which led her husband to strike her, and she was forced to leave him. Though her sons she had left behind with all of their faery teachings they became great physicians. Gwyllion (gwithleeon) - The evil mountain fairies of Wales. They are hideous female spirits who waylay and mislead travelers by night on the mountain roads. They were friends and patrons of the goats, and might indeed take goat form. Hags - inhabiting the British Isles, who seem to personify winter, are probably survivals of the oldest goddesses. Some turn, like winter into Spring, from hideously ugly old wommen into beautiful young maidens, and others like Black Annis are cannibalistic. Hathors - Nature spirits of Egyptian mythology. When a child is born, seven Hathors gather to plan the life of the child. The Hathors are often portrayed as the sky-goddess Hathor, goddess of beauty, love, marriage, and childbirth. She often takes the form of a gigantic cow. Henkies - One of the names given to the Trows of Orkney and Shetland. Hobgoblin - Used by the Puritans and in later times for wicked goblin spirits, but its more correct use is for the friendly spirits of the Brownie type. Hobgoblin was considered an ill omened word. "Hob" and "Lob" are words meaning the same kind of creature as the Hobgoblin. They are on the whole good-humored and ready to be helpful, but fond of practical joking. Host, The - See Unseelie Court. Huacas - Incan myth speaks of Huacas, stone forms of sprits or divine beings who watched over fields. Huldafolk - the huldafolk are fairly reclusive Scandinavian faeriefolk. Hyster-sprites - Lincolnshire and East Anglian fairies/small and sandy-colored, with green eyes. Jack-In-Irons - A Yorkshire giant who haunts lonely roads. Jenny Greenteeth - Yorkshire River Hag who drowns children. Jimmy Squarefoot - Frightening appearance but reletively harmless. Kachina - Ancestor spirits of the Pueblo Indians in North America. The Hopi also believed in kachinas, believing them to be the souls of virtuous dead people.

The Good Neighbors

10

Kelpie, The - is a Scottish water faerie. Although sometimes appearing in the guise of a hairy man, this is more often seen in the form of a young horse. The Kelpie haunts rivers and streams and, after letting unsuspecting humans mount him, will dash into the water and give them a dunking. Each-Uisge (ech-ooshkya) or Aughisky (agh-iski) as he is known in Ireland, inhabits seas and lochs and is far more dangerous. Killmoulis, The - particularly ugly Brownie who haunts mills. He is characterized by an enormous nose and no mouth. To eat he presumably stuffs the food up his nose. Although a Killmoulis works hard for the miller, he delights in practical jokes and can therefore be a hindrance rather than a help. Klaboutermannikin - they inhabit the figureheads of ships, giving them guidance and protection. Klippe - The Forfarshire name for a fairy. Kobolds - These are the German version of Knockers. They are known for causing problems for the miners and undoing their progress. To keep the miners guessing, they occasionally help them. Korred - bizarre-looking and capricious but generally good-natured guardians of Brittany's standing stones. Kubera - King of the Yakshas, the god of wealth. Usually depicted as a dwarfish figure with a paunch, bearng a money bag or pomegranate and seated on a man. Kul - A water spirit of the Eskimos in the Arctic, Kul may be malevolent but generally helps the Northern peoples with their fishing. As a show of gratitude, it is customary to offer him some of the fish caughts at the beginning of the season. Leanan Sidhe - The Lhiannan-Shee (lannan-shee), or Leanan Sidhe (lan-awn shee), "The Faerie Lover", has received a great amount of attention by the poet W. B. Yeats. Perhaps this is because of her main function as a Dark Muse.While she is radiantly beautiful to the man she enchants, she is invisable to all other mortals. As with all things Faerie, once the poet has known the Leanan Sidhe's carress, all mortal women, however comely, seem lifeless and dull to him.So the poet, living in an all encompassing yearning for his immortal lover, is inspired to great writings. This happens because the Leanan Sidhe has the power to make the creativity of an entire lifetime burn though the poet in a short time. Having taken her fill of his quickened lifeforce, he then must go to an early death.

The Good Neighbors

11

As a vampire, she uses this lifeforce to keep herself beautiful and to weave her spells upon yet another mortal. Though seduction is deadly, it is nothing but Otherworld ecstacy for the human soul she feeds from. The Leanan Sidhe is said to reside under the Irish Sea off the eastern coast of Ireland, and roams the Isle of Man at night, seeking a lonely young man to bring her Dark Inspiration.
***
I am a creature of the Fey Prepare to give your soul away My spell is passion and it is art My song can bind a human heart And if you chance to know my face My hold shall be your last embrace. I shall be thy lover... I am unlike a mortal lass From dreams of longing I have passed I came upon your lonely cries Revealed beauty to your eyes So shun the world that you have known And spend your nights within my own. I shall be thy lover... You shall be known by other men For your great works of voice and pen Yet inspiration has a cost For with me know your soul is lost I'll take your passion and your skill I'll take your young life quicker still. I shall be thy lover...

The Good Neighbors

12

Through the kisses that I give I draw from you that I will live And though you think this weakness grand The touch of death, your lover's hand Your will to live has come too late Come to my arms, and love this fate! I shall be thy lover... I am a creature of the Fey Prepare to give your soul away My spell is passion and it is art My song can bind a human heart And if you chance to know my face My hold shall be your last embrace.

***

--BrennaGwyn of the Children of Twilight, Based on Heather Alexander's "Creature of the Wood" Leprechaun - Generally described as a fairy shoemaker, this creature is a red-capped fellow whostays around pure springs and is known to haunt cellars. He spends his time drinking and smoking. One branch of the Leprechaun is known as the Fir Darrig, who is a practical joker; both are of the Solitary Fairies. Leprechauns have also been associated with the Earth-elemental Gnome, and when so done, is described as being a merry little fellow dressed all in green, instead of wearing a red cap, a leather apron, drab clothes and buckled shoes, and the boy, who has fairy blood in him, succeeds in winning a wealth of treasure from an underground cave, keeps his gain secret, and is the founder of a prosperous familiy. Li'l Fellas, the - Another Manx euphemistic name for The Good Neightbours. Little Folk - See Sleight Beggey. Little People of the Passamaquoddy Indians, the - There are two kinds of Little People among the Passamaquoddy Indians, the Nagumwa-suck and Mekumwasuck. Both kinds are two and a half to three feet in height, and both are grotesquely ugly. The Passamaquoddy Indians,

The Good Neighbors

13

wholived close to the Canadian border, used to migrate to the ocean in the summer and move inland in the winter. When they moved, their fairies moved with them. The little People can only be seen by the Indians. They live in the woods and are fantastically and individually dressed. Their faces are covered with hair, which strikes an alien note to the Indians. Oral tradition has it that they were made of stone. Lunantishess - The tribes that guard the blackthorn trees or sloes in Ireland; they let you cut no stick on the eleventh of November (the original November Day), or on the eleventh of May (the original May Day). Ly Erg - This faerie yearns to be a soldier. He dresses like one and cannot be distinguished from human soldiers except by his red-stained hands, red from the blood he has shed. Mab - She is the traditional queen of the faeries. I have a poem about her. Mazikeen - also known as the shideem or shehireem, these Jewish faeries know much of magic and enchantment. They were born when Adam and Eve were excommunicated for 130 years for eating of the tree of knowledge. Female spirits lay with Adam, and male spirits with Eve, and of these unions were born the Mazikeen. They are a rank betweenmen and angels. They have wings and can fly, tell the future, and like to feast and drink, marry and have children. They can also shapeshift. Mermaids - entice human lovers with their songs of enchantment. They cause ship-wrecking storms and are most frequently seen combing their long hair whilst admiring themselves in mirrors. Merrows - The Irish Merpeople are called Merrows and they can be distinguished from other sea-dwelling faeries in that they wear red feather caps to propel themselves down to their homes in the depths. Should their caps be stolen, they can no longer return to their watery homes. The female Merrow are very beautiful and, like other mermaids, appear before storms as an omen, but they are gentle by nature and often fall in love with mortal fishermen. This can partly be explained by the extreme ugliness of the male Merrows. Despite their alaming aspect, the males too have their redeeming features as they are generally jovial in character. Mooinjer Veggey (moo-in-jer vegar) - The Little People is a familiar Manxman term for the faeries who dwell on the Isle of Man; see Sleigh Beggey. Mother Holle - A crone who lives at the bottom of old wells. She dispenses justice and might aid you with guidance and divination if she likes you.

The Good Neighbors

14

Mumiai - best known for persecuting peasants, especially those of the lowest castes, who had stolen from their neighbors or demonstrated their dirty habits. The Mumiai toss their belongings in the air, break their pottery and trample on their gardens, finally forcing them to moveout of their villages. Muryans - Muryan is the Cornish word for ant. The Cornish belief about the fairies was that they were the souls of ancient heathen people, too good for Hell and too bad for Heaven, who had gradually declined from their natural size, and were dwindling down until they became the size of ants, after which they vanished from this state and no one knew what became of them. Nagas - Nagas are human from the waist up and snake from the waist down and are often seen wearing hooded canopies or with seven or more heads. Both sexes are extraordinarily beautiful and several royal Indian families claim to be descended from them. They bite humans who are evil or destined to die prematurely. Buddhists regard them as minor deities and door guardians. They are viewed by some as Fae and by some as Dragon-kind. Nuckelavee - is surely the most awful of the Scottish sea fairies. A monstrous horse with legs that are part flipper, a huge mouth and one fiery eye and, rising from its back joined to it at the waist, a hideous torso with arms that nearly reach the ground, topped by a massive head that rolls from side to side as though its neck was too weak to hold it upright. Worse than this tho is the horrible appearance of the creatures flesh, for it has no skin. Black blood coursing through yellow veins, white sinews and powerful red muscles are exposed. The Nuckelavee has an aversion to fresh running water and the pursued have only to cross it to escape. Nunnehi - Cherokee version of elves. They live in towns beneath the ground. Nunnehi are saddened by the suffering incurred by the Cherokee and occasionally offer assistance. Nunnehi led the Cherokee to Pilot Knob, North Carolina, where they passed t00hrough the realm of the Nunnhei and were safe. Oannes - Fish-headed beings from another world, these were considered to be sea-gods by the ancient Chaldeans. Oannes lived among men by day, building the great Sumerian civilization and teaching art, science, and religion, while at night they returned to the Persian Gulf to swim in the ocean. Ohdows - a race of small, well-formed people with the features of the Native Americans who live underground in North America. They use their magic to subdue the earth spirits who cause earthquakes. Old People, the - Another Cornish name for the fairies.

The Good Neighbors

15

Pechs, or Pehts - The Scottish Lowland names for fairies and are confused in tradition with the Picts, the mysterious people of Scotland who built the Pictish brughs and possibly also the round stone towers. The Pechs were considered tremendous castle builders and were credited with the construction of many of the ancient castles. They could not bear the light of day and so only worked at night, when they took refuge in their brughs or "sitheans" at sunrise. It seems likely that some historic memory of an aboriginal race contributed one strand to the twisted cord of fairy tradition. Peg Powler - One of the many Green Hags with sharp teeth who drag their victims down to watery graves. She inhabits the River Tees. She is a green water Hag with long hair and sharp teeth. She is fond of grabbing the ankles of those who stand too close to or wade into the water and pulling them underwater to drown. Fear of her was written into a popular Mother Goose rhyme:"Mother, may I go out to swim?""Yes, my darling daughter.Hang your clothes on an alder limbAnd don't go near the water." (Alder treesare considered a sort of charm against evil faeries.) See also Jenny Greenteeth. People of Peace - The Irish often refered to the Sidhe in this manner. The word sidhe means peace. See Daoine Sidhe in Faery Lineage. People in the Hills, the - Fairies who live under the green mounds, or tumuli, all over England. Phooka - an Irish Goblin with a variety of rough beast-like forms. He appears sometimes as a dog or a horse, or even a bull, but is generally jet-black with blazing eyes. As seemingly friendly, shaggy, sway-backed pony Phooka offers the unwary traveller a welcome lift; but once astride he is taken for a wild and terrifying gallop across the wettest and most thorny country, eventually to be dumped headlong into the mire or deposited in a ditch. The chuckle is that of the Phooka as he gallops away. Picts - The original peoples who dwelled in the northeastern coast of Ireland. They were called the "Cruithne" and migrated down from Gaul or Galia (France). As the conquering waves of invaders arrived in Ireland, eventually the Picts retreated to the woods and lived in caves and underground forts. They were a small, dark people and became known as the classic Faerypeople. See Pechs. Pigsies - See Pixies. Pixies, or Pigsies, or Piskies - These are the West Country fairies belonging to Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. There are varing traditions about the size, appearance and origin of the Pixies, but all accounts agree about their being dressed in green and about their habit of misleading travelers. Green faeries who often take the form of hedgehogs. They are also known as urchins, pisgies, piskies, and pigseys. They originated in Cornwall. They like to dance in the shadows of

The Good Neighbors

16

stones. Their bells are often heard on the moor. They like to steal horses and torture them to get them to run faster. They delight in throwingpots and pans at kitchen girls. They usually mean no harm, however. Beware of doing pixies favors, for they have a tendency to backfire. Plant Rhys Dwfen (plant hree thoovn) - The family name of a tribe of fairy people who inhabited a small land which was invisible because of certain herb that grew on it. They were handsome people, rather below the average in height, and it was their custom to attend the market in Cardigan and pay such high prices for the goods there that the ordinary buyer could not compete with them. They were honest and resolute in their dealings, and grateful to people who treated them kindly. Polevik - a Polish faerie, he appears as a two-footed goat and helps to bring in the harvest. Portunes - Small agricultural fairies. It was their habit to labor on farms, and at night when the doors were shut they would blow up the fire, and, taking frogs from their bosoms, they would roast them 0on the coals and eat them. They were like very old men with wrinkled faces and wore patched coats. Puck - Thanks to Shakespeare, the most famous of the mischievous shape-shifting hobgoblins. He is closely related to the Welsh Pwca and the Irish Phooka. Rakshasas - shapeshifting demon-goblins. They can appear as mosters, animals, or beautiful women to seduce holy men and then eat them. They have side tusks, ugly eyes, curling awkward brows, bull's heads, bloated bellies, tangled hair, and nackward pointing hands. They can cause leprosy, raise the dead, and regenerate severed limbs. Redcap - is one of the most evil of the old Border Goblins. He lives in old ruined towers and castles, particularly those with a history of wickedness. He re-dyes his cap in human blood. Roane - Irish name for the Selkie. Seelie Court - Blessed Court; Name of the kindly fairy host, or benovolent Faery of the positive polarity, and is generally used to describe the Scottish fairies. The malignant fairies were sometimes called the Unseelie Court. Selkies - The seas around Orkney and Shetland harbor the Selkies or Seal-Faeries (known as Roane in Ireland). A female Selkie is able to discard her seal-skin and come ashore as a beautiful maiden. If a human can capture this skin, the Selkie can be forced to become a fine, if wistful, wife. However, should she ever find her skin she immediately returns to the sea, leaving the husband to pine and die. The males raise storms and upturn boats to avenge the indiscriminate slaughter of seals.

The Good Neighbors

17

Shellycoat - A Scottish bogie who haunts fresh water streams and is festooned with shells which clatter when he moves. He takes pleasure in tricking and bewildering travelers and leading them astray. Sidhe, Sith, or Si (shee) - The Gaelic name for fairie, both in Ireland and the Highlands of Scotland. Very tall beings that seem to either shine or appear opalescent. The shining beings belong to the earthly realm; while the opalescent beings belong to the heavenly world. As with any shamanic practice there are three great worlds which we can see while we are still in the body: the heavenly, the earthly, and underworldly realms. Silent Moving Folk - The Scottish fairies who live in green knolls and in the mountain fastnesses of the Highlands. See Still-folk. Sleigh Beggey (sleigh beargar) - The Little Folk. A name given to fairies in the Manx tongue. Sluagh (slooa) - The most formidable of the Highland fairy people; The host of the Unforgiven Dead. By some scholars, they are regarded as the fallen angels, not the dead, but on the whole their accounts correspond closely to that given by Alexander Carmichael in 'Carmina Gadelica' Small People of Cornwall, the - Fairies were sometimes spoken of this way in Cornwall. Solitary Fairies - The fairies who are chiefly malignant or ominous creatures, comprise this group, although there may be a few nature spirits or dwindled gods among them. An exception is the Brownie and its variants - though there are few family groups among the Brownies - some think that they were unacceptable in Faeryland because of their ragged, unkept appearance, and that they went off to the Seelie Court when they were properly dressed. However, this is only one school of thought on the subject. Other creatures, such as the Lepracaun, Pooka, and Bean Si, also comprise this group. Spriggans - Grotesque and ugly in shape. Although quite small, they have the ability to inflate themselves into monstrous forms which has led humans to believe them to 0be the ghosts of old giants. Apart from their useful function as guardians of hill treasure, Spriggans are an infamous band of villains, skilled thieves, thoroughly destructive and often dangerous. They are capable of robbing human houses, kidnapping children (and leaving a repulsive baby Spriggan in exhange) causing whirlwinds to destroy fields of corn, blighting crops and all manner of other unpleasant mischief. Sprites - A general name for fairies and other spirits such as Sylphs and nerieds. Still-Folk - The Scottish name for the Highland fairies. See Silent Moving Folk.

The Good Neighbors

18

Themselves, They, or Them that's in it - The most common Manx names used in place of the word "fairy", which was generally considered an unlucky word to use. It is sometimes said that "themselves" are the souls of those drowned in Noah's flood. Tiddy Ones, Tiddy Men, or Tiddy People - The Lincolnshire fenman's nature spirits, which are also referred to as the Yarthkins or Strangers. Most of them were undifferentiated, a drifting mass of influenced and powers rather than individuals. The one among them personally known and almost beloved was the Tiddy Mun, who was invoked in times of flood to withdraw the waters. Tokolosh - A South African faerie; Tokolosh is a sullen spirit who lives beside streams, throwing stones into the water on still nights. He is famous for frightening lone travelers, usually by jumping on a small animal or bird and strangling it so that the poor animal's panicked cry alarms the traveler. He is described as being something like a baboon, but smaller and without a tail, and covered with black hair. Trolls - Huge Cave Dwellers, Scandinavian faeries who hate sunlight. Trooping Fae or Faery - The Faery have been divided into two main classes: trooping and Solitary. It is a distinction that hold good throughout the British Isles, and is indeed valid wherever fairy beliefs are held. The trooping fay can be large or small, friendly or sinister. They tend to wear green jackets, while the Solitary Faery wear red jackets. They can range from the Heroic Faery to the dangerrous and malevolent Sluagh, or tose Diminutive Fairies who include the tiny nature spirits that make the fairy rings with their dancing and speed the growth of flowers. Trows - Live on the Shetland Islands, similiar to the Scandinavian Trolls and like them, have an aversion to daylight. They are frequently observed performing a curious lop-sided dance called 'Henking' Tylwyth Teg (terlooeth teig) - The Fair Family. The most unusual name for Welsh fairies, though they are sometimes called Bendith Y Mammau, in an attempt to avert their kidnapping activities by invoking a euphemistic name. They are fair-haired, and love golden hair. They dance and make fairy rings. They are like the Daoine Sidhe, and dwell underground or underwater. The fairy maidens are easily won as wives and will live with human husbands for a time. The danger of visiting them in their own country lies in the miraculous passage of time in Faeryland. They give riches totheir favourites, but these gifts vanish if they are spoken of.

The Good Neighbors

19

Unseelie Court - Unblessed Court; They are never under any circumstances favorable to mankind. They comprise the Slaugh, or The Host, that is, the band of the unsanctified dead. The Unseelie Court are the malignant Faery of the negative polarity, made up of Solitary Faery. Urisk - is a scttish solitary faerie who haunts lonely pools. He will often seek out human company but his peculiar appearance terrifies those he approaches. Verry Volk - The name of the fairies in Gower of Wales; little people dressed in scarlet and green. Virikas - Never more than eighteen inches tall, these unpleasant spectral entities can be recognized by their flaming red color and their horribly pointed, bloodstained teeth. They gather outside the homes of men soon to die and jabber excitedly. To prevent this, people can erect a small shrine in their honor and burn daily gifts of flowers and spices for them. Water Leaper - Preys on Welsh Fishermen. Wee Folk - One of the Scottish and Irish names for the fairies. White Ladies, the - The use of White Ladies for both ghosts and fairies is an indication of the close connection between fairies and the dead. The White Ladies were direct descendants of the Tuatha De Danann. Wichtlein - from Southern Germany behave in much the same way as goblins. They announce the death of a miner by tapping three times. When a disaster is about to happen they are heard digging, pounding and imitating miners work. Will O' the Wisp - No one is quite sure what these distant floating balls of flame are, but they are generally associated with and are sometimes thought of as faeries in the British Isles. They are sometimes thought to be the souls of children who have died and like to cause mischief. Yakshas - Benevolent nature spirits; they are the guardians of tresures hidden in the earth and the roots of trees. Their ruler is Kubera, who lives on a mountain in the Himalayas. They are deities of cities, districts, lakes, and wells, and are thought to have originated from a cult of the ancient Dravidians. Yann-an-Od - Kindly old shepherd who tends sheep. He might have once been a faerie king. He's rather shy of humans. Yumboes - Located on Goree Island, south of the Cape Verde Peninsula in Senegal, West Africa. They are two feet tall with pearly skin and silver hair. They are also called the "Bakhna Rakhna" which translates to "The Good People." They enjoy dancing and feasting by moonlight

The Good Neighbors

20

and live in magnificent subterranean dwellings in the Paps, groups of hills about three miles from the coast. Guests to their homes report lavishly decorated tables and servants invisible except for their hands and feet. They like to eat fish.