Fairy ointment
Encyclopedia
Fairy Ointment or The Fairy Nurse is an English fairy tale
collected by Joseph Jacobs
in his English Fairy Tales. It has been told in many variants. Andrew Lang
included one in The Lilac Fairy Book.
The ointment itself, as a substance allowing a human to see fairies, occasionally appears in fantasy
literature. Folk-tales about such an ointment are found in Scandinavia
, France
and the British Isles
In the variant Andrew Lang included, the woman saw a neighbor of hers, kept prisoner as a nurse, and was able to tell her husband how to rescue her, pulling her down from riding fairies as in Tam Lin
.
Soon, the midwife sees a fairy
and admits it. The fairy invariably blinds her in the eye that can see him, or both if she put the ointment in both eyes.
's The Moorchild
, the protagonists enter a fairy hill in search of a stolen child, but are confused and hypnotized by the fairies' glamour until they smear their eyes with stolen fairy ointment. These tales, of the fairy or magic ointment, come under type: ML 5070 "Midwife to the fairies" (see also The Queen of Elfan's Nourice
) It is Aarne-Thompson type 476*.
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
collected by Joseph Jacobs
Joseph Jacobs
Joseph Jacobs was a folklorist, literary critic and historian. His works included contributions to the Jewish Encyclopaedia, translations of European works, and critical editions of early English literature...
in his English Fairy Tales. It has been told in many variants. Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang was a Scots poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University of St Andrews are named after him.- Biography :Lang was born in Selkirk...
included one in The Lilac Fairy Book.
The ointment itself, as a substance allowing a human to see fairies, occasionally appears in fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
literature. Folk-tales about such an ointment are found in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
Synopsis
A midwife is summoned to attend a childbed. The baby is born, and she is given an ointment to rub in its eyes. Accidentally, or through curiosity, she rubs one or both her own eyes with it. This enables her to see the actual house to which she has been summoned. Sometimes a simple cottage becomes a castle, but most often, a grand castle becomes a wretched cave.In the variant Andrew Lang included, the woman saw a neighbor of hers, kept prisoner as a nurse, and was able to tell her husband how to rescue her, pulling her down from riding fairies as in Tam Lin
Tam Lin
Tam Lin is the hero of a legendary ballad originating from the Scottish Borders. The story revolves around the rescue of Tam Lin by his true love from the Queen of the Fairies...
.
Soon, the midwife sees a fairy
Fairy
A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
and admits it. The fairy invariably blinds her in the eye that can see him, or both if she put the ointment in both eyes.
Other uses
Fairy ointment also appears in many other fairy tales and books of fantasy, usually as a method for seeing through a fairy's magic. For example, in Eloise McGrawEloise McGraw
Eloise Jarvis McGraw was an author of children's books and young adult novels. She was awarded the Newbery Honor three times in three different decades, for her novels Moccasin Trail , The Golden Goblet , and The Moorchild...
's The Moorchild
The Moorchild
The Moorchild is a novel by Eloise McGraw that centers on the life of a changeling girl. The novel draws heavily on Irish and European folklore about changelings, leprechauns, and fairies.-Characters:...
, the protagonists enter a fairy hill in search of a stolen child, but are confused and hypnotized by the fairies' glamour until they smear their eyes with stolen fairy ointment. These tales, of the fairy or magic ointment, come under type: ML 5070 "Midwife to the fairies" (see also The Queen of Elfan's Nourice
The Queen of Elfan's Nourice
"The Queen of Elfan's Nourice" or "The Queen of Elfland's Nourice" is Child ballad number 40, although fragmentary in form.-Synopsis:A mortal woman laments being taken from her four-day-old son. The Queen of Elfland promises that if she nurses the queen's child, she will be returned...
) It is Aarne-Thompson type 476*.