Folklore

Some folk call them "fairies" others call them "wights". Whatever you name them, it is useful to be armed with knowledge of their ways, if you intend to venture into the countryside of the British Isles or the fantastic world called Aia. Fortunately, over the course of human history this information has been thoroughly catalogued.

Seelie wights are those who wish mortals well, and even give them supernatural help, or who merely use them as targets for their harmless mischief. The intent of unseelie wights, however, is to harm humankind.

Although they can prevaricate and trick, wights cannot lie. By the same token, if you make a promise or give your word to a wight you are bound by gramarye to keep it.

Household wights, best exemplified by bruneys (brownies), do not necessarily react adversely to the touch of cold iron. All others do.

Trooping wights wear green coats and red caps, while Solitaries wear red coats.

To steal a swanmaiden, take her cloak of feathers so that she cannot fly. To abduct a mermaid or merrow, take her comb. To kidnap a silkie (selkie), take his or her seal-skin, without which these wights cannot travel underwater. Be aware, it is unkind to do any of these things!

Silkies will not harm you unless you harm them. If you do them a good turn they will return it to you.

Most unseelie and seelie land wights cannot cross running water, especially if it flows south.

The high-tide mark is the boundary between the territories of land wights and sea wights.

An 'awe band" can be put on mortals to stop them telling what they have seen of wights.

Giving helpful wights a gift or verbal thanks means "goodbye" to them - ie, they have been paid therefore their services are no longer required. Some wights take offence at being thanked in any form, and permanently withdraw their services out of sheer indignation. Therefore, thanking wights is taboo.

Holding Fast, a Steady Look and Silence are three powerful charms against malignant wights.

Conversely (and confusingly), acknowledging their presence by looking at them can be detrimental to them. (Perhaps this is only true outdoors, as The Steady Look has been recorded as being used indoors.)

Having The Last Word is effective in certain cases; also, Rhyme has power over wights.

Many wights are powerless after cock-crow.

To show fear is to give them power over you, to allow them to strike.

The ringing of bells is anathema to them. So is whistling, and wearing your clothes turned inside-out.

Charms against unseelie wights include ash keys, ground-ivy ("athair luss"), amber, red verbena, salt, hypericum, cold iron, ash-wood, rowan and daisies.

Swanmaidens, redcaps, waterhorses, spriggans and urisks are just a few of the interesting creatures belonging to the folklore of the British Isles. Some quotes from THE BITTERBYNDE throw light on three of these entities.

She came in those ephemeral pre-dawn moments on the borders of day and night when the world swings around and odd things may easily occur. They knew her first by a clap of wings and a rush of air. Presently a feminine manifestation emerged out of grey dewdrop stillness, forming as though she gathered shape to herself from the sky, the clouds, the last fading star. The black cloak of feathers dripped from delicate shoulders to her bare feet. Like a wondrous girl she appeared, yet imbued with an inhuman wildness and a strangeness that evoked glimmering meres glimpsed through mist. Afar off she stood - unspeaking, remote.