|
SCOTTISH GHILLIE DHU
Solitary faeries with black hair who live in trees and wear
clothing made of leaves and moss. A benevolent fairy who is said to
haunt a birch grove at the end of Loch Druing near
Gairloch.
Ghillie Dhu are about 7" tall, have light green skin
and wild black hair, and are thin beings with long arms and
fingers. They wear clothing made from sewn together leaves and
knitted grass and mosses. The ghillie dhu were once
very shy, docile creatures that lived alone in birch trees
protecting the woods around them from destruction by man or
nature. They lived upon berries and nuts and created warm
round nests from plant fiber, however, as their habitat in the
Scottish forest dwindled, the ghillie dhu not only
became more accustomed to man - though remaining terribly shy
and silent - but also began sending emigrants to other parts
of the world. A key contingent of these mobile ghillie dhu
followed Scottish fur trappers and voyageurs to French Canada
in the late 1700's and established a vibrant community in the
forests of North America. While some of these ghillie dhu
were only too happy to return to their solitary ways in this
new wide open territory, others chose a lifestyle in closer
association with man. Those who stayed behind in Scotland
either died out or intermarried with other more domestic
varieties of fairies and ceased to be ghillie dhu
within a few generations. |
|
Those who stayed in the forest have lost almost all contact with
the both the natural and supernatural worlds, continually moving to
areas of greater isolation and only occasionally contacted by lost
humans whom they comfort and redirect. However those who picked the
path of human contact have become some of the most well-known and
loved fairies in the English-speaking world. Choosing a role that
allowed them to exercise their love and wish to care for human
children, while still maintaining a shy distance, these ghillie
dhu as a group perform the services ascribed to the singular
"Tooth Fairy." Living in back yards and parks, these ghillie dhu
only visit children by night, in order to collect their teeth
(which they use to cast protective magic for that child). Given the
blessings they provide for these children, the ghillie dhu
are somewhat perplexed that human parents feel compelled to leave
money as well, but they for the most part do not question the
curious nature of human beings.
Variants: ghillie dhu (Scottish).
|
