FAIRIES AND THEIR FLOWER LORE 127 



always much concerned with, and interested in, 

 the plant life of stream, pond, and bog. 



" Say, knowest thou the Elfin people gay ? 

 They dwell on the rivers' strand; 

 They spin from the moonbeams their festive garb, 

 With their small and lily hand." 



A belief in the existence of good spirits who 

 watched and guarded wells, springs, and streams 

 was very common in former times. 



On October 13, the Romans celebrated at the 

 Porta Fontinalis a festival in honour of the nymphs 

 who presided over fountains and wells; this was 

 called the Fontinalia, and during the ceremonies 

 wells and fountains were ornamented with garlands. 



The saints and martyrs have long since taken the 

 place of nymphs and fairies as patrons of these wells, 

 and pilgrimages are made to many holy wells and 

 springs in the United Kingdom, for the purpose 

 of curing certain diseases, by the virtues contained 

 in their waters. It should not be surprising that 

 even in these days the fairies are fond of assembling 

 round these wells, and dancing their rounds, lighted 

 by the soft rays of the moon: 



" By wells and rills, in meadows green. 

 We nightly dance our hey-day guise. 

 And to our Fairy King and Queen 



We chant our moonlight minstrelsies." 



In the historic fairy tales of Grimm, we are told 

 that the elves are fond of inhabiting oak trees, the 

 holes in the trunks being utilised by the fairies as a 

 means of entry and exit. 



The Esthonians believed that during a thunder- 

 storm, and in order to escape from the lightning. 



