Folklore-question

[lady.nymphaea at faerielands.com]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., pengolodh_sc at y... wrote:
> Can any of you guys explain a bit about the following folkloristic 
> vermin and critters:
> 
> Poltersprites

? If meaning poltergeist, those are German household spirits, known 
for making noise and moving objects. Poltergeists are usually found 
in houses with children and teenagers.

> House lutins

French elves. Horse-related tricksters.

> Duende

Spanish household spirits. I've also heard them called ghosts, but 
I'm not clear on that one.

> Nisken

Norwegian, right? Nisse? More household spirits, like brownies, but 
also guardians and protectors of the home.

> Servan
Haven't heard of this one.

> Follets

Italian incubi. (male spirits...demons, couple with unknowing women 
at night...)
OR
air spirits.

> Psikies

Piskeys are Cornish household spirits. Like the lutins, they ride 
horses at night.

> Kobolds

Either mine spirits or brownieish household spirits.

> Linchetto

(source: http://www.fabrisia.com/faery.htm) Nightmare-causing elves 
who dislike disorder.

> Opinicus
?

> And can a brownie turn into a boggart (not in HP; in folklore-
> tradition)?

They certainly can; if not treated well, the brownie damages the home 
or plays pranks on surrounding humans. Boggarts are shapechangers but 
I don't think the part about responding to human fear is folkloric. 
Brownies must never be given clothes or they will go away; if 
criticized, brownies will destroy their work.

If you can find a copy of _Encyclopedia of Fairies_ by Katherine 
Briggs, do so; it's a fabulous book for this sort of reference. A bit 
easier to find and a bit more worldly, Carol Rose's _Spirits, 
Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins_ is also a good resource. I don't 
like it as much as Briggs, but it has a variety of entries from 
cultures other than of the British Isles.

http://www.faerielands.com/fairylinks/folklore.html has a whole bunch 
of folklore links, but it's a bit dead.

Meril
who is addicted to fairies even more than HP