Household Tales and Traditional Remains (Part Two)

Fields of fire, witchcraft and a fortune found in the fairy realm! It's part two of Sidney Oldall Addy's 1895 folk tale collection, Household Tales and Traditional Remains.

'Now when the weaver came back from Newark the children told him about the cat. So he watched all night in an old lumber-room, for the cat came in and went out through a broken pane in the window. One night the cat came in as the weaver was sitting by the fire, so he picked up a fork and struck her on the cheek. He then threw her out of doors, believing that she was dead. But in the morning, when he went to look for the cat's body, he could not find it. But ever after that the witch had her face tied up, and she had no more power to do harm to the weaver or to his family.'

Tales From Antiquaria is a podcast dedicated to exploring the legacy of work published regarding folklore and local history during the golden age of antiquarian writing in the nineteenth century.

For show notes and links, visit the episodes page at thelocalmythstorian.com

Episode written, produced and presented by Eli Lewis-Lycett. All source material taken directly from the stated publication. Main theme music by Humanoid Media. Incidental music from Restum-Anoush. 

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Transcript

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Fields of Fire, Witchcraft and a Fortune Found in the Fairy Realm. My name is Eli and this is Tales from Antiquaria Household Tales and Traditional Remains Part II. As we continue to explore this incredibly unique collection filled with obscure tales from Derbyshire and its surrounding counties. So let's jump straight into part two The girl who went through the fire, water and the Golden Gate from Eckington in Derbyshire. A certain man and his wife had an only child and she was a girl. This girl was beloved by her father but hated by her mother. When the girl was about eight years old, her father died, and the mother thought she would revenge herself upon the girl. So she made her do all the hard work in the house and give her many cruel tasks. One day the mother sent the child to fetch something which lay beyond three fields that were now bewitched. When the child drew near to the first field she saw that it was covered with fire. As she stood there trembling with fear and weeping, a beautiful fairy appeared to her and said, Fear not, for I will help thee. And the fairy carried a wand in her hand, which she waved across the field of fire so it ceased to burn, and the child went over. So after she gone a further way, she came to a field which was covered with water and could not get across. Then the beautiful fairy came near to her again as she wept and waved a wand over the water, which then rolled back on either side, so that she walked straight through the mist. So she went on away again until she came to a house with a golden gate, which she could not open nor get through. As before the fairy came with the wand and opened the gate, and when she had opened the gate she said to the child, Wilt thou leave thy cruel mother and come and live with me? The child answered ye I will live with you, for you are so good and beautiful. So she left her cruel mother and went to live with the good fairy in the house with the golden gate. The Woodman and the Hatchet from Sheffield One day a woodman was told by his master to cut down some trees that stood near a very deep river. The woodman, however, had lost his hatchet, so he went and borrowed one from a neighbour. He began to chop at the first tree. Before he'd struck many blows the head of the hatchet flew off and fell into the deep water. The woodman was very much troubled about this because the hatchet was not his own. As he stood there fretting over his loss by the side of the river, a little fairy man appeared on the top of the water and walked up to him and asked him what he was fretting about. The woodman said, I've lost my neighbour's hatchet head in this water and I can't get it out. The fairy said, Where did it fall in? The woodman showed him the place. The fairyman said, Give me the shaft. So the woodman gave him the shaft, and he threw it into the water in the place where the head had fallen in. Keep your eyes fixed on the spot where the shaft fell in, said the fairy. And the hatchet will rise up out of the water with the head on just as you borrowed it. So the woodman did as he was told and kept his eyes fixed on the spot when shortly he heard a rumbling noise in the water, and when the rumbling ceased the hatchet appeared in the very place where the fairy had thrown the shaft in. Then the woodman took the hatchet out of the water, but on looking up to thank the little fairy he found that he had gone. The Wizard of Lincoln from Lincolnshire At a farm in Lincolnshire there had once been a great robbery, and nobody could find out who the thief was. Alas the farmer's wife said to her husband, If you will send for the wizard of Lincoln, he will tell you. So the farmer did as his wife had told him, and sent for the wizard who came in the form of a blackbird. He flew into the yard and so frightened the cattle there that a man who was threshing wheat in the barn could hardly keep them out. Then the blackbird spoke to the farmer and said Shall I bring the thieves to thy house or make their shadows appear on the wall? The farmer answered, Do as thou thinkest right. He had hardly spoken when one of the farmer's men's servants, who had only been that very moment working in the fields, walked into the room and at once passed out. As he slept the blackbird said, That is one of them. Then he pointed to a shadow on the wall, and the farmer saw that it was the shadow of another of his servants. That is the other thief, said the blackbird and flew away. Soon after the two men were arrested, and the money which they had stolen was found. The sons who salted their father's corpse from Calvert in Derbyshire. A farmer who had two sons died in harvest time, and because the weather was fine and the sons were very busy with the harvest, they couldn't spare time to bury him. So one of the sons said to the other, I'll tell thee what we'll do. We'll take him down into the cellar and lay him on the milk bank and salt him. The other son agreed, so they took their father's body into the cellar and salted him, stopping up his ear roles and nostrils to keep the flies out. About three weeks afterwards it began to rain, and the sons thought they could spare time to bury him. So they went to the parson and told him that their father was dead. The parson was astonished to hear the news and asked how long he'd been dead. Three weeks, said the sons. Why, he'll stink, said the parson. Nay, said the brothers, he's as sweet as a pea, for we've salted him. The parson was so taken aback at these words that he could not speak and walked away. The Weaver's wife and the witch from Nottinghamshire Once upon a time a weaver and his wife lived at Sutton on Trent in Nottinghamshire. One day the weaver went to Newark to sell his linen, leaving his children in the house and his wife who lay ill in bed. Now that time there lived at Sutton a witch who had some spite against the weaver's wife. A short time after the weaver had gone one of the children heard a noise as of something pattering up and downstairs. The children opened the door of the bottom stairs, and there they saw a great ugly cat, which they could not catch, try as they would. While they were trying to catch the cat, it ran upstairs, sprang up on the bed where the poor woman lay, and clawed at her. But the woman roused herself and knocked the cat down. Now when the weaver came back from Newark, the children told him about the cat. So he watched all night in an old lumber room, for the cat came in and went out through a broken pane in the window. One night the cat came in as the weaver was sitting by the fire, so he picked up a fork and struck it on the cheek. He then threw her out of doors, believing that she was dead. But in the morning when he went to look for the cat's body he could not find it. But ever after that the witch had her face tied up, and she had no more power to do harm to the weaver or his family. The Witch and the Ploughman from Nottinghamshire. There was once a farmer who lived in Nottinghamshire and kept many servants in his house. Near to this house there lived a witch, and the farmer often told his servants that if she asked them to give her anything they should never refuse. One day the farmer hired a ploughman and said to him, If the old witch up yonder asks thee for out, thou must give it. I shall give the old lass an out, said the ploughman. One day he met the witch, and she asked him to give her something, and he would not. So the next day when he began to plough, his horses would not go, but at last he coaxed her and persuaded her to let them go. Now this old witch lived by herself in a lonely cabin, and one day the ploughman said he would go up and see her. So he knocked on the cabin door and said, Mother, I've come to take thee for a ride. The witch replied, Wait till I have suckled my cubs and buckled my shoes, and then I will be with thee. So she suckled her cubs, unbuckled her shoes, and followed him out. But as soon as the plierman had mounted the horse she turned herself into a hare, and sprang with her claws upon the horse's back. The horse was very frightened and jumped many feet, but the plierman killed the hare on the spot. The Bewitched Horses from Nottinghamshire. One day, as a carter was leading his horses along the high road, an old woman came up to him and said Please give me a pipe of tobacco. But the carter said, Nay, thou must buy the tobacco like me. The old woman left him, but after this the horses had not gone many yards before they stood quite still and couldn't move an inch. So the carter laid him down by the roadside and wondered what he was to do. As he was lay thinking, a stranger came by and said, What's the matter? Why doesn't thou get on? The carter said my horses are bewitched. About an hour ago an old woman passed by me on the road and asked me for a pipe of tobacco, and I wouldn't give it to her, so she's bewitched them. The stranger replied, You ought to have given her what she asked for. You were very foolish to refuse. But do as I tell thee. Go to the old woman's cottage, and either beg, borrow or steal something, and when she comes near thee, scratch her arm with a needle and fetch blood. So the carter did as the stranger told him, and he called her to house on the road and borrowed a stocking needle. When he got to the old woman's cottage, he said to her, I've come to buy a penether thread, mother. So the old woman fetched him the thread, and as she was giving it to him, he took the stocking needle and scratched her arm from the elbow to the wrist. When he had done for this he paid for the thread and took the stocking needle back to the woman who had lent it to him. Then he ran after his horses and found that they had started at the very moment when he drew blood from the old woman's arm. The old woman and the fairy, North Derbyshire. There was once an old woman who lived in the ruins of a castle that stood in the midst of a great forest. This old woman used to kidnap girls to help her in many ways, and she would teach them witchcraft. These girls feared the old woman, but one of them who was very conceited and vain, said to the other girls that she could do anything the old woman might set her to do, no matter how hard it was. So the other girls told the old woman what the vain girl had said. Oh we'll see about that, said the old woman. So she called the vain girl to her and said You must make twenty one shirts today, and be clammed if you can't finish them. The girl knew she couldn't make so many shirts in one day, so she sat crying in the house. But she'd not been crying long before she heard a noise in the room, and turning around she saw a sweet faced lady, who said, Why dost thou cry? Because I have to make twenty one shirts today, said the girl, and I know I can't get them done. We will have them done, said the sweet faced lady, before the day is over. So she helped the girl, and the shirts were done before the old woman came back. So the other girls told the old woman what the vain girl had done. No matter, said the old woman, I'll set her a job to do that I know she can't get done. The next day she called the vain girl to her again and said, You must dress five feather beds today, and be kind if you can't get them done. As the girl sat crying the sweet faced lady appeared to her again and said, Don't cry, I'm a fairy, and I will always be near thee. So the beds were dressed that day by the kind lady's help. After this the old woman gave the girl harder and harder tasks every day, but she failed never to get them done. Then the old woman and the other girls asked her how she managed to get so much work done. But the sweet faced lady had told the girl not to make it known, because she was going to help to get her away from the castle to her own home. So the girl would not tell, and in the course of time the kind lady helped her to escape to her own home, where she was received as if one from the dead. The little red man from Wesley in Derbyshire. Once upon a time there was a lead miner in Derbyshire who had three sons and he was very poor. One day the eldest son said he will go and seek his fortune, so he packed up his kit, took something to eat, and off he set. After he had walked a long way he came to a wood, and being very tired he sat down upon a large stone by the wayside. Then he began to eat the bread and cheese he had brought with him. Whilst he was eating he thought he heard a voice, so he looked about him and saw a little red man coming out of the wood covered with hair, about the height of nine penetrather copper. He came up close to the eldest son and asked him for something to eat. But instead of giving him food the eldest son told him to be off and kicked his foot out at the little man and hurt him, so he went limping back into the wood. Then the eldest son went on his way, and after a long time came home again as poor as he had left. After the eldest son had returned, the second son said that he would go out and seek his fortune. When he came to the wood he sat down to rest and eat, and whilst he was eating the little red hairy man came out and begged for some food. But the second son went on eating until he had done and threw the little man the crumbs and bits that were left. Then the little man told the second son to go and try his luck at a mine that he would find in the middle of the wood. So the second son went to look for the mine, and when he found it he said to himself, Why? It's only an old worn out mine. I'm not going to waste my time over that. So he set off on his way, and after a long time came home again as poor as when he left. Now by this time Jack, the youngest son, had grown up, and when the second son came home he said to his father, I will go now and seek my fortune. So when he was ready he left home in the same way that his brothers had. In a few minutes he heard somebody say Jack, Jack. So he looked about him and saw the same little red hairy man that his brothers had seen. The little man said that he was hungry and asked Jack to give him some of his bread and cheese. Jack said he would, and welcome. Then the little man came close up to Jack and told him that he only wanted to try him and see what sort he was. And now said the little man, I will help thee get thy fortune. But thou must do as I tell thee. So then he told Jack to go and find the old mine in the middle of the wood. Away Jack went. And when he got to the mine he found the little man had got there before him. The opening of the mine was inside an old hut, and over the pit in the middle of the floor was a windlass. So the little man told Jack to get into the bucket and began to let him down the shaft. Jack went down until at last he came to the bottom, where he got out and found himself in a beautiful country. Whilst he was looking around him, the little man came and gave him a sword and armor, and told him to go and set free a princess who was imprisoned in a copper castle in that country. And then the little man threw a small copper ball onto the ground, and it rolled away, and Jack followed it until he came to a castle made of copper, and flew against the door. A giant came out of the castle, and Jack fought with him and killed him, set the princess free, and saw her back to her own home. When Jack came back the little man told him that he must go to a silver castle now and set another princess free. So the little man threw down a silver ball, and Jack followed it till he came to a splendid silver castle, and struck against the door so loudly that the giant who lived there came out to see what it was. Again Jack fought the knight and killed him and set the princess free. Now sometime after Jack had set free the princess and the silver castle, the little man said that he must go now and set another princess free who lived in a golden castle. Jack said he would. And the little man threw down a golden ball, and it began to roll away, and Jack followed it until he came in sight of a magnificent golden castle. The little ball rolled faster and faster until it struck the castle door, and made the giant who lived there come out to see what was the matter. Jack again fought the giant, and the giant nearly killed Jack, but just at the last Jack killed the giant, went into the castle, and found a beautiful lady there. Jack fell in love with her and brought her to the little man, and he married them, and then helped Jack to get as much gold from the gold castle as he wanted. Then he helped Jack and his wife up the mine, and they went back to Jack's home. Jack built a fine house for himself and another for his father and mother, but his two brothers were envious, and went off to the mine to see if they could not get some gold as well as Jack. When they got into the hut, they quarrelled as to who should go down first, and as they were struggling to get into the bucket, the rope broke, and they both fell into the bottom of the pit. As they did not come back, Jack and his father went to seek them. When they got to the mine they saw that the sides of the pit had given away and blocked it up. The hut had fallen down, and the place was covered up forever. There's something really special happening in this collection. Although the tales are presented, as I said in episode one of the two parter, as though they were local gossip, those stories about witchcraft and bewitching, of the fairies being very active around the house, and that last one in particular, which is essentially a version of the fairy realm, the underworld being accessed by a human, well they're all really ancient themes when it comes to folklore, going back hundreds and hundreds of years. So while it's not one of the more spectacular collections in terms of the narrative, it might just be the household tales and traditional remains is one of the most important that we've covered so far. We'll be back soon with our first collection from Over the Sea from here in England when we're going to Ireland. But until then, take care, and may God go with you.