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BRITISH ELF - PORTUNE
Portune's are queer little wrinkled creatures with faces
like old men. They wear long green coats covered with darns
and patches, and are only found now in the depths of the
country. If anything is to be carried into the house, or any
laborious work needs to be done, they lend a hand, and
finish it sooner than any man could. It is their nature to
have the power to serve, but not to injure.
They are of a
very small stature, not being quite half-an-inch high. They like to live on prosperous farms, and though
some of them are barely an inch high, they can lift heavier
weights than the strongest laborer.
Some consider Portunes to be demons or figures of a
secret and unknown generation. They are known to the French
as Neptunes.
It is their nature to embrace the simple life
of comfortable farmers, and when, on account of their
domestic work, they are sitting up at night, when the work
is done and they're safely hidden away, they warm themselves
at the fire, and take little frogs out of their pockets,
roast them on the coals for their dinner.
They have, however, one annoying habit, in the middle of the
night, they will often sneak up on unsuspecting horse riders and
steal the reins so they can steer the horse into a ditch.
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ELF CLIPART
ELF (TINY) CLIPART
BRITISH ELVES |
The Portune gets great joy out of pranks like this
and can be heard emitting a loud laugh as they disappear into
the night.
Like the Brownies, they can be mischievous as well as
helpful. A farmer once offended a Portune by speaking
disrespectfully of his demeanor, and the next time that the
good man rode home from market in the dusk, the little
fellow sprang on to the horse's reins, and guided him into
the bog. Both horse and man had to flounder out as best they
could, and the farmer was careful from that point on to mind
his tongue.
Portunes have not been spotted in several centuries
and are thought to be extinct. Portunes were the oldest of all the
English elves and brought good luck to the farmhouses they resided
in. It is said that Portunes came to England by way of France.
Playing harmless tricks on travelers was one of their favorite
pastimes.
In old wives dates that in
old time did live,
To whose odde tales much credit men did give,
Great store of goblins, fairies, bugs, nightmares,
Urchins and elves to many a house repaires.
Old English Poem
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