The Fairies Revenge.

You may believe in fairies, you may not. Here follows a story about the consequences of refusing to give a little charity.

 

The Fairies Revenge.

The Fairie folk don’t like it when mortal men build on or interfere with their raths or mounds. Once upon a time there was an old farmer called Byrnes, he had loads of money and loads of land. He decided to build a new house and chose a beautiful spot on top of a hill where there stood a lone hawthorn tree. It had a grand view of the surrounding countryside and from this spot he could see all his land and cattle, it was perfect. Unfortunately for Byrnes it was the very spot that was loved by the fairies.

Of course his neighbours tried to warn him that if he built on the fairy rath it would only result in heartache for himself and his family but he just laughed. He refused to listen you see he was from the north east and had turned his back on the old ways, as far as he was concerned that sort of thing was for the old people and a load of auld rubbish. He built his house, it was certainly beautiful for Byrnes may have been short of sense but he wasn’t short of money. A rumour began to circulate that Byrnes must have found a pot of gold while digging up the fairy rath.

The Fairies began to plot their revenge on the farmer for taking away their dancing grounds and for cutting down the hawthorn tree where they held their parties when the moon was full. One day when Mrs Byrnes was milking the cows a little old woman in a blue cloak came up to her and asked her if she could have a small jug of milk.

“Get away from here” said the farmer’s wife, “you’ll get nothing here, I’ll have no beggars coming on my land” and she told the farm hands to chase her away.

Shortly afterwards, the best and finest of the cows became sick, and very soon after that they layed down in the field and died.

It was a couple of weeks after this had happened and Mrs Byrnes was sitting in her house spinning wool when the same little old woman in the blue cloak suddenly appeared in front of her,

“Your maids are baking cakes in the kitchen” she said, “Will you give me one to carry away with me”

“Get away from here” screamed the farmer’s wife, “You’re a wicked old hag, the last time I saw you some of my best cows died. I wouldn’t be surprised if you had poisoned them. Now I’ve warned you before I’ll have no beggars on my land” and with that the farmer’s wife told her farm hands to drive the old woman away with sticks.

The Byrnes had only one child, a handsome. clever little boy. He was as strong as a young colt, full of life and as happy as any young child should be but soon after this episode with the old women he began to grow a little strange and distant, he began to complain that he couldn’t sleep. He said that the fairies came to him every night and pinched and hit him, some of them sat on his chest and he said he couldn’t breathe or move. The fairies told him that they would not leave him in peace unless he promised to give them a supper every night of a cake and a small jug of milk. In order to settle the child his mother had a cake and a small jug of milk placed on his bedside table every night and every morning they were gone.

However, the young boy still grew sickly and his eyes took on a strange  wild look. It was if he saw nothing around him only something far, far away and he seemed to be very troubled. His parents asked him what was the matter and he told them that every night the fairies came to his room and carried him away to the hills where he was forced to dance with them until the morning and then they would bring him back and lay him in his bed.

Eventually the farmer and his wife were at their wits end with grief and despair because their only child was fading away before their eyes and they seemed unable to do anything about it. One night he cried out in great agony,

“Mother, mother, send for the priest to take away the fairies for they are killing me. They are sat on my chest crushing me to death” and his eyes were wild with terror.

Now as we know the farmer and his wife didn’t believe in fairies and they didn’t believe in priests either but in order to soothe the child they did as he asked and sent for the priest who prayed over him and sprinkled him with holy water. This seemed to calm the little boy down and he said the fairies were leaving him and going away and then he sank into a deep sleep. When he woke up in the morning he told his parents that he had a beautiful dream and was walking in a lovely garden with the angels. He said he knew it was heaven and that he would be there before nightfall as the angels told him they would come for him.

The farmer and his wife watched over the sick child all through the night, they knew he still had the fever on him but hoped that a change would come before morning. The child slept peacefully and calmly and had a little smile on his lips as if he was having a happy dream. Suddenly the clock struck midnight, the little boy awoke and sat up. His mother put her arms around him and began to cry as he whispered,

“The angels are here mother” and then he sank back and died.

Afterwards the farmer was a broken man, he never held his head up in public. He stopped looking after the farm and his crops went to ruin, the cattle all died and his workers left. It was just about a year after the death of his little boy that the farmer died, he was laid in a grave by his child’s side and the farm passed into other hands. No one would live in the house so it was pulled down. No one would plant on the rath so the grass began to grow again and it was soon covered once more in a beautiful green colour. It is said that the fairies dance there once more in the moonlight as they used to do in the old times, free and happy and so the evil spell cast by the old woman in a blue cloak was broken for evermore.

As for the child’s mother, well people refused to have anything to do with her and she eventually returned to her own people, a broken hearted and miserable woman. This story serves as a warning to all who would arouse the vengeance of the fairies by interfering with their ancient rights.