Tattoo: "Changeling"

Bríd Mhór · **Joined:** Sun 28 Aug 2011 8:29 pm **Posts:** 3001

An Cionnfhaolach wrote:

The fairies were also used to prevent taboos or to warn people against certain dangers such as being out to late at night or going into the forest by yourself- so stories were created of fairies playing tricks on people rather than warning people against realistic dangers such as falling and banging your head in a field as you were coming home in the dark. Sometimes supernatural dangers can be more scary than the realistic ones.

And very effective it was too. :darklaugh:

I remember being told that eating sugar caused worms in your stomach. (that stopped kids stealing from the sugar bowl)

There was a pool at the back of our house. My cousins and I were told it was very deep and there was a monster living in it.

There was another one about some púca behind the school.

And yes I believed all of them.

It was common back then to make up stories for children to get them to do what you wanted.

WeeFalorieMan · **Posted:** Fri 04 Jan 2013 10:44 pm

An Cionnfhaolach wrote:

Aoireacht/ Aeracht is another option. Although síofra does mean "changeling", I think it is also one of the many terms for the "Irish fairies" in general

That's right, síofra usually means "fairy" rather than a changeling specifically. Of course, na daoine maithe is the more usual way to refer to fairies on a day to day basis, rather than síofraí.

An Cionnfhaolach wrote:

These fairies were believed to have been banished from Heaven after the battle with Lucifer; the fallen angel. Although, these fairies were meant to be evil, they wished to be accepted back into Heaven and sometimes did a good turn in the hope they would be.

I've read a slightly different version where the ones that immediately followed Lucifer out of heaven went to hell with him and the ones that didn't follow him as closely, stayed in the hidden places of the Earth - being not good enough for heaven but not bad enough for hell.

An Cionnfhaolach wrote:

They hated water and fire and due to this there has been some harrowing stories associated with the fairies; of children, who didn't develop in the right way e.g talking, walking etc... as a usual child would, being burned, beaten, scalded or drowned to death; as people thought they had been replaced by a cranky changeling. For example Dr. Wilde (father of Oscar Wilde) tells the story of a Kerry women who roasted her child to death or in Tra Lee a women drowned her child or the story of Philip Dillon of Clonmel who was roasted on a spade by his two neighbours Anastatia O' Rourke and Ellen Cushion when his mother was out of the house. Sadly, they were roasted or drowned as the fairies hated water or fire. The law took a light view to these crimes, as it viewed them as superstitious lunacy; this may have led to the death of the only one adult Bridget Cleary (The Burning of Bridget Cleary), question is, was it a belief in fairies or just murder?

The burning of Bridget Cleary was a case of outright murder, but Philip Dillon was in all likelihood, accidentally killed because they believed him to be a changeling. A sure-fire method (no pun intended) for getting rid of a changeling was to put it on a shovel and stick the shovel into the fire of a fireplace. If the infant was indeed a changeling, it would fly up the lum and the real child would be returned to the mother. If the infant was not a changeling, the shovel had to be immediately removed from the fire before the child was injured! As far as I know, there haven't been any reports of actual changelings since the 1950's.

Mick · **Joined:** Fri 18 Nov 2011 2:27 pm **Posts:** 622

Bríd Mhór wrote:

I remember being told that eating sugar caused worms in your stomach. (that stopped kids stealing from the sugar bowl)

There was a pool at the back of our house. My cousins and I were told it was very deep and there was a monster living in it.

There was another one about some púca behind the school.

And yes I believed all of them.

It was common back then to make up stories for children to get them to do what you wanted.

I love these stories. I was also told that eating sugar gives you worms.

The travellers in our estate had a "wicked mare" that kicked a few young lads to death (great way to stop us chasing and riding their ponies).

I've personally used the "bad luck to walk under a ladder" routine with children. Yeah, it's bad luck for the person ON the ladder.

An Cionnfhaolach · **Joined:** Fri 09 Mar 2012 6:16 pm **Posts:** 1527

Bríd Mhór wrote:

And very effective it was too. :darklaugh:

I remember being told that eating sugar caused worms in your stomach. (that stopped kids stealing from the sugar bowl)

There was a pool at the back of our house. My cousins and I were told it was very deep and there was a monster living in it.

There was another one about some púca behind the school.

And yes I believed all of them.

It was common back then to make up stories for children to get them to do what you wanted.

What you don't mean there's no such thing as worms after eating to much sugar :!:

, we didn't have them in our stomachs we were suppose to get them a little further down the digestive cycle! :darklaugh:

Mick wrote:

I've personally used the "bad luck to walk under a ladder" routine with children. Yeah, it's bad luck for the person ON the ladder.

WeeFalorieMan wrote:

I've read a slightly different version where the ones that immediately followed Lucifer out of heaven went to hell with him and the ones that didn't follow him as closely, stayed in the hidden places of the Earth - being not good enough for heaven but not bad enough for hell.

WeeFalorieMan wrote:

The burning of Bridget Cleary was a case of outright murder, but Philip Dillon was in all likelihood, accidentally killed because they believed him to be a changeling.

I agree

WeeFalorieMan wrote:

A sure-fire method (no pun intended) for getting rid of a changeling was to put it on a shovel and stick the shovel into the fire of a fireplace. If the infant was indeed a changeling, it would fly up the lum and the real child would be returned to the mother. If the infant was not a changeling, the shovel had to be immediately removed from the fire before the child was injured! As far as I know, there haven't been any reports of actual changelings since the 1950's.

, where did you hear or learn of the iarlais tales?

WeeFalorieMan · **Posted:** Sat 05 Jan 2013 2:49 am

An Cionnfhaolach wrote:

, where did you hear or learn of the iarlais tales?

Folklore is my specialty. :mrgreen:

Tales, an ea? Are you saying it's possible that fairies may not exist?

An Cionnfhaolach · **Joined:** Fri 09 Mar 2012 6:16 pm **Posts:** 1527

WeeFalorieMan wrote:

An Cionnfhaolach wrote:

, where did you hear or learn of the iarlais tales?

Folklore is my specialty. :mrgreen:

Tales, an ea? Are you saying it's possible that fairies may not exist?

Taithníonn an béaloideas is seanchas go mór liomsa chón maith.

Ní raghadsa comh fada a rá ná fuil aon tsidhe sa tsaoghal so ach ní bhainid siad liom agus ní bhainimse leobhtha ach an oiread- agus is maith san é má's fíoghar na sgéalta a ngabhann leobhtha!

Ach nín aon amhras orm mar gheall air Dhaidí na Nodlag óir do bhí sé go maith domhsa i mbliadhna agus thá na féiríní insa tseomra agam mar fhianaise dhe!

WeeFalorieMan · **Posted:** Sat 05 Jan 2013 7:15 am

An Cionnfhaolach wrote:

Taithníonn an béaloideas is seanchas go mór liomsa chón maith.

Do léighinn leabhair béaloideasa nuair a bhíos óg, agus is breá liom an béaloideas fós – go mór mór béaloideas na hÉireann agus na hAlban. Ar léighis Scéalta Fiannaíochta riamh? :reading:

An Cionnfhaolach wrote:

Ní raghadsa comh fada a rá ná fuil aon tsidhe sa tsaoghal so ach ní bhainid siad liom agus ní bhainimse leobhtha ach an oiread- agus is maith san é má's fíoghar na sgéalta a ngabhann leobhtha!

Fear ana-chliste is ea tú! :good:

An Cionnfhaolach wrote:

Ach nín aon amhras orm mar gheall air Dhaidí na Nodlag óir do bhí sé go maith domhsa i mbliadhna agus thá na féiríní insa tseomra agam mar fhianaise dhe!

heh, heh

An Cionnfhaolach · **Joined:** Fri 09 Mar 2012 6:16 pm **Posts:** 1527

WeeFalorieMan wrote:

An Cionnfhaolach wrote:

Taithníonn an béaloideas is seanchas go mór liomsa chón maith.

Do léighinn leabhair béaloideasa nuair a bhíos óg, agus is breá liom an béaloideas fós – go mór mór béaloideas na hÉireann agus na hAlban. Ar léighis Scéalta Fiannaíochta riamh? :reading:

Níor Léigheas, is truagh san, ach beimíd ag tosnughadh ortha d'éis na Nodlag

, 'Sé Seán Ua Suilleabháin an leachtóir a bheidh againne, 'sé an duine céadna do sgríobh an aiste air Chanmhaint na Mumhan i "Stair na Gaeilge", eagraithe le Kim McCone, tháim ag súil go mór leis.

An Lon Dubh · **Joined:** Fri 30 Sep 2011 10:08 pm **Posts:** 1313

Quote:

Níor Léigheas, is truagh san, ach beimíd ag tosnughadh ortha d'éis na Nodlag

, 'Sé Seán Ua Suilleabháin an leachtóir a bheidh againne, 'sé an duine céadna do sgríobh an aiste air Chanmhaint na Mumhan i "Stair na Gaeilge", eagraithe le Kim McCone, tháim ag súil go mór leis.

Do chuir sé an eagrán nua de "Scéal Mo Bheatha" i n-eagar agus scríobh sé a lán aistí ar Ghaelainn Mhúscraí. Ba mhaith liom é a bheith agam mar leachtóir!

WeeFalorieMan · **Posted:** Sat 05 Jan 2013 4:50 pm

An Lon Dubh wrote:

Do chuir sé an eagrán nua de "Scéal Mo Bheatha" i n-eagar agus scríobh sé a lán aistí ar Ghaelainn Mhúscraí. Ba mhaith liom é a bheith agam mar leachtóir!

Agus "Pobal na Gaeltachta" chomh maith.
It is way out of my league (for now), but that's the sort of thing that inspires learners to forge ahead, I think. :ninja:

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Tattoo: "Changeling"

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