The Fairy Boy of Leith

Subject: The Fairy Boy of Leith Fri 11 Apr 2008, 12:41 pm

The Fairy Boy of Leith is now up on the main site and can be found http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/folklore/scots_folk/fb_of_leith.html.
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"Sometimes I just sit and think, and sometimes I just sit".

Age : 31 Joined : 12 Oct 2007 Posts : 253

Really a good article Ian, really enjoyed reading it.
It reminds me a more recent (1825) story from the Vale of Neath in Wales. The sources are Wentz's The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries and Keightley' The Fairy Mythology.
Two men, named Rhys and Llewellyn, were riding home from work later than usual one evening, when Rhys told his friend to stop and listen to the music. Of course Lllewellyn didn't hear anything, but Rhys begged his workmate to go ahead with the horses saying he would soon overtake him: he "had to dance to the tune he had heard a hundred times".
But Rhys didn't get home that night or the day after, so poor Llewellyn was suspected of murdering him to steal his horse and thrown in jail. But an old farmer "skilled in fairy matters" guessed the truth. He had Llewellyn brought to the place where he left Rhys.
There Llewellyn heard the music and "sweet harps" and saw Rhys dancing among the Little Folks. But the others didn't hear or see anything. The farmer again guessed the truth: Rhys' foot was on the outer hedge of a fairy ring. So the farmer bid everyone to take turns to put their own feet on Llewellyn's to hear and see for themselves. After a number of witnesses had done so, Llewellyn had enough and he grabbed Rhys by his smock-frock as he passed close to him. Of course everyone was stunned to see the missing man reappear.
"Where are the horses?" asked Rhys and then asked to let him finish the dance, which had lasted not more than five minutes. He could not be persuaded that he had been gone for a whole week.
A little later Rhys became melachonic, fell ill and died.
I have always been fascinated the tme-space relativity of fairy stories, predating Einstein and Langevin by centuries.
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Fas: Ite, Maledicti, In Ignem Aeternum.

Subject: Re: The Fairy Boy of Leith Fri 11 Apr 2008, 10:24 pm

Thanks Mauro but I should point out that it was not me who wrote it. Credit should go to Agricola Smile

. I agree though it is a great article.
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"Sometimes I just sit and think, and sometimes I just sit".

Subject: Re: The Fairy Boy of Leith Sun 13 Apr 2008, 1:17 pm

Aw shucks. Thanks guys.

There are some similarities in the story that Mauro recounts with a couple of Scottish tales. There must be some sort of common origin in such 'celtic' tales - anyone ever undertaken research into this?

Age : 31 Joined : 12 Oct 2007 Posts : 253

It was good reading, compliments are never wasted.
As for research into the fairy matter Jacques Valle's Passport to Magonia is still probably one of the best books on the subject IF you can find a copy and provided you are willing to pay the outrageous prices I've seen around (before you ask, no I am not selling my copy).
Wentz's The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries is still one of the best texts available despite its age, particulary because the author actually met and talked to the last persons alive who claimed to have met the Good People in Brittany, Scotland, Ireland etc. The book is commonly available in both paperback and hardcover (though this later edition is getting difficult to source) at reasonable prices.
Another good text is Reverend Kirk's The Secret Commonwealth. The book is over two centuries old, of course, and the author was biased in his belief of Fairies and Elves, yet it gives an outstanding insight of a time when belief in the Good People was still widespread and encounters with them still happened on a regular basis by an author which had the privilege of being able to interview the witnesses in first person with the authority of a clergyman. This book is also commonly available at reasonable prices.
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Fas: Ite, Maledicti, In Ignem Aeternum.

Joined : 05 Sep 2007 Posts : 101 Location : West Scotland

Great article, didn't need any editing either.

I first read about it in the Readers Digest FM&Lof the Briish Isles you mentioned in another post which is - by the way - one of the most inspiring books of british mythology I have ever read. I rememeber getting my first copy a teenager (it may be the route of inspiration for this site).

I have just had another copy passed to me if anybody is interested, I would like it to go to a good home.

There are some great source books out there, but I keep coming back to Katherine Briggs who did a great deal to collect and preserve British folklore. Her 4 volume work: A Dictionary of British Folklore covers a huge range and is well worth tracking down, although hard to find and expensive, I have only the first 2 volumes but they are comprehensive for the catagories they cover. I also find the Rev Robert Kirk fascinating, when I visited Doon Hill (Aberfoyle), took photos and wrote the article on the main MB site, there were a few odd coincidences that I found disturbing, and, as a sceptic quite odd.

Anyway, enjoyed the article.

DJP.

Subject: Re: The Fairy Boy of Leith Mon 14 Apr 2008, 5:17 pm

I always find that Readers Digest book and the Strange Stories, Amazing Facts volume good inspiration. Such a shame that no one has compiled a more recent version. It would be good to do a follow up of some of the traditions to see if any of them are still going on.