No storybook of Scottish tales would be complete without a story about
fairies. Changeling stories in particular are very common
throughout Scotland,
where folklore and beliefs about fairies are deep-rooted and
widespread. Some tales portray fairies as being good-natured,
though perhaps a
little fond of trickery; however, in other tales, such as this and most
other changeling stories, the fairies are anything but benign. In
a later story I will retell a tale about the sea fairies.
However, the sea fairies are very different from their land
counterparts, and are perhaps not quite as central in Scottish folklore
as a whole, or at least in the folklore of the southern Lowlands.
In this case, a changeling story seemed like it would be the most
fitting as an example of the kinds of fairy myths found in Dumfries and
Galloway.
This particular changeling story was originally set either in or near
Caerlaverock, a castle several miles away from Dumfries. To me,
however, the imagery in the story suggests a cottage such as the one
pictured above. I did not change the original story in my
retelling, save for a few minor details: The original story
describes in greater detail the remarkably quick and otherworldly
manner in which the changeling goes about the servant girl's
work. It also credits the servant girl with coming up with the
plan to retrieve the real baby. When the changeling is thrown on
the fire, in the original story it starts to scream, whereas in my
version there is a minute of silence.
Additionally, instead of the changeling simply disappearing without a
trace, in the original story its screams turn into laughs and everyone
watches as it escapes through the chimney.
Bibliography: "The Changeling" by Thomas Keightley, from The
Fairy Mythology (1870). Web Source:
Sacred Texts
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