May 1, 1888.] 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



157 



have learned the hulJreslaut by listening carefully, and a 

 few can play the elf-king's tune, which is so magical in its 

 power that all who hear it, and even inanimate objects, are 

 compelled to dance. The unfortunate fiddler must continue 

 playing uotil he can play the air backwards, or someone 

 comes behind and cuts the strings of his fiddle.* The 

 Stromkarls are so musical that trees dance and waterfolls cease 

 flowing, to listen to the enchanting strains of their music. 



The nisses, who also belong to the dwarf family, resemble 

 the German koholds and the Scotch brownies. The}' render 

 great services to thrifty housewives, who often find all their 

 work done for them in the morning. Unlucky is the house 

 which is not favoured by their presence. They usually dress 

 in grey, and wear a pointed cap. 



Sometimes the Northern dwarfs called on their neighboui-s 

 in Denmark. We read about the old goblin king of the 

 Dovrefeld, who visited the Danish elfin king, and in whose 

 honour a grand banquet was given. The most select were 

 invited, and the will-of-the-wisps lighted them on their way. 

 Some mi.schievous little imps led them into bogs, but those 

 were principally the church-dwarfs [I trust nothing incon- 

 sistent with due respect for the Church is here intended. — 

 R.P.] or the night ravens, who were not very welcome at 

 any time. Grand preparations were made for the reception 

 of the king, and the palace was gorgeously decorated with 

 gold and silver, which glistened in the moonlight with which 

 the floor was bathed. The fairy elves were clad in gauzy 

 raiment of moonshine and mist, and they shivered, as the 

 king from the North, with his ice crown, and the icicles 

 hanging from his beard, drew near. We are told that ho 

 was enchanted with the dancing of the Danish king's 

 youngest daughter, and returned with her to Norway.t 



The Russian dwarfs are not quite so pleasant to deal with, 

 being malicious and spiteful. They are called l^'uhij, or 

 wood-demons, which does not sound promising. The follow- 

 ing legend is an instance of their evil habit of stealing. Once 

 upon a time a fair maiden went for a stroll in the woods, 

 without her father's permission, and lost her way. She was 

 not seen again for three years, when a hunter passing 

 through the forest, also lost his way. He looked around 

 him to discover where he was, when he spied a little 

 moujik sitting on a log, plaiting a shoe. The strange little 

 being kept looking at the moon, saying — 

 " Shine, shine, O bright moon I " 



The hunter gazed in wonder at the little mortal, who, 

 though only two or three spans high, was as grey as an old 

 man. But the dwarf read his thoughts. 



" Grey am I," said he, " being the devil's grandfather." 

 The hunter then recognised in him a wood-demon, .and 

 taking aim, he shot at him. The moujik was wounded, but 

 managed to crawl home. The huntei- followed him till he 

 came to a hut in the fissure of a rock. Opening the door 

 he .saw a maiden standing beside the Jeahy, who was now 

 dead. He persuaded her to return home with him to his 

 village, where she was recognised as the lost one.j 



A German dwarf would have fared much better than the 

 unfortunate little moujik, for he would have put on his 

 little invisible cap, and vanished before the hunter could 

 take aim. These elfish goblins wear a pointed red 

 cap, which makes them invisible whenever the}- wish. 

 They are very full of mi.schief, and have been known 

 to rob a neighbour's pea-field, using tlie peas at night 

 to pelt the windows of a house belonging to someone 

 who had annoyed them They have also been known to 

 st&al fair ni.aidens, and one was kept for ne,arly eight years by 

 an elfin king. Some of the dwarfs are very ill-shaped and 



* Anderson, " Norse Mytholosy," p, 202. 

 t Anderson's " Fairy Tales: The Elfin Hill," 

 ^ Ralston, " Russian folk Tales," p. 213. 



ugly, and have duck's feet. In fact, this was proved by the 

 good people of the little village of Arlisbach. One very 

 severe winter the dwarfs would come every night to a house 

 anil sleep on the oven, but would vanish at dawn. They 

 wore scarlet cloaks reaching to the ground, so that their 

 feet were never seen. Some prying people sprinkled ashes 

 in front of the house, and next morning, sure enough, the 

 marks of duck's feet were to be seen. The little dwarfs 

 were so angry at being discovered that they never came 

 .again, " and never will while men are so spiteful." * 



The peculiarities of these dwarfs resemble the Norse. 

 Like them, they live in rocks and woods, are great smiths, 

 and forge iron and jewels. These smiths wear light gi'ey 

 coats and blue caps, and are often heard at night working at 

 the forge. The elves are also very industrious, and spin and 

 weave under the direction of Dame Holda. If one passes 

 by an elfin-hill at night, and listens carefulU', he can hear 

 the elves spinning and the wheels humming, and it is 

 supposed that the flying gossamer is spun by them. Then 

 there are elvas who are fond of music and dancing, and they 

 can be seen on the moonlit meadows, but they vanish at 

 dawn, leaving their footprints in the dew. They have been 

 known to teach people to play on the fiddle in exchange for 

 a grey sheep. It appears that the pupil has no chance 

 unless he is fat ; if he is thin he never gets bej'ond learning 

 to tune the fiddle. If he is fat he must practise till the 

 blood flows from his finger-tips ; then he can pLay such 

 enchanting strains that " the trees shall dance, and torrents 

 in their fall stand still." This melodious stromkarl loves to 

 linger by mills and waterfiills, and is to be seen on calm 

 dark evenings, when he entices people by his music, like the 

 Norwegian fosspfirim . t 



Some of the dwarfs are supposed to have made the knot- 

 holes in the trees, and in Smiiland it is said an elfmeid 

 came into a house through a knot-hole in the wall, floating 

 in on a sunbeam. She was married, stayed awhile, but four 

 years later suddenly vanished the way she had come. 



In South-East Germany many legends are told about 

 wild-folk, moss-folk, and wood-folk. They scamper over 

 mossy dales, and climb steep precipices inaccessible to 

 human beings. These little mannikins are old and greyish- 

 looking, and clothed in moss. Some are not good-natured, 

 .and live in the denser pai-ts of the forest. They wear 

 " green garments faced with red, and black three-cornered 

 hats," an elf-like combination. The little wood-wives often 

 come to woodcutters and ask them for something to eat and 

 drink, and in return they will render them any service in 

 their power. 



The following is an example of the numerous legends told 

 about these interesting beings. It refers to the belief that 

 good luck would befall any one who could obtain a drinking- 

 horn belonging to the fairies, even apparently though the 

 horn were stolen. One hot summer's day Count Otho of 

 Oldenberg, fatigued with hunting and overcome with thirst, 

 threw him.self on the ground, exclaiming, " Oh, for that I 

 could have a drink of clear water 1 " To his surprise a 

 beautiful maiden stood before him, holding in her hand a 

 silver goblet filled to the brim with w.ater. Count Otho 

 drank it, but was so ungrateful as to run away with the 

 goblet. However, he saved himself from the evil con- 

 sequences which might have followed this rash act by 

 giving it to the Church, As the goblet was of solid silver, 

 and handsomely carved with delicate tracery in the Gothic 

 style, it was a valuable gift. Perhaps the Count's account 

 of the way in which he came into pos,ses^ion of this piece of 

 silver was not so strictly truthful as might be wished. 



* Grimm's "Teutonic Mythology," p, 451, vol, ii, 

 f Ibid., p. 493, vol. ii. 



