Of course, people are always blaming the
fairies for all sorts of accidents and
unexpected occurrences: 'I cannot find the
broom anywhere; the fairies must have taken
it!' 'Who ate the pie I had a-cooling on the
window-ledge? It must have been the Good
Neighbors, Ma.' 'The milking-stool seemed to
be pulled right out from under just as I was
about to sit on it; fairy mischief, to be sure!'
In truth, the Good People, no matter how numerous
or magical, could not have done all these things.
But it is generally agreed that the Fair Family
do come and borrow of mortals when they're in
need, and this may account for a certain amount
of the things that seem misplaced and can never
be found.
If they must find and take for themselves
whatever they may need, they do not always
return it, alas! But a friendly loan freely
given with a generous and open heart is often
repaid by them in their kind of riches: good
fortune, good health, sometimes even a special
talent or skill (especially in music or dancing)
or a bag of flour or seed that is never emptied
no matter how much is taken out. Sometimes
they make payment with our sort of riches,
great valuables such as gold or jewels, but
these often vanish or turn into something
worthless shortly afterwards. They are not
the true fairy gift.
It is important not to boast to other mortals
of a fairy-gift, or it will almost surely be
taken back. Indeed, they scarcely like it to
be mentioned at all, even in saying "thank you"
in a direct way (although they are happy to
see their gift is appreciated!) Sometimes the
enchantment can be undone by just a foolish
word. The bottomless bag of seed, or in one
tale a plough that had been changed to a
flying horse that allowed a mortal to ride
over land and sea with the fairies, changed
back to its original form when the mortal simply
named it in its ordinary, un-enchanted condition.
One little-known method of dealing with fairies
is that they can be compelled to a trade. If a
human offers the fairies a swap, the fairies
must accept. One formula to accomplish this is
to shout "Mine be yours and yours be mine," and
immediately give them something of yours before
they can refuse it.
It is said that a man of
Scotland once heard them flying by, and saw them
carrying something, but he had not time to see
what it was. He threw his hat into their midst
and shouted "Mine be yours and yours be mine,"
and found that by exchange he'd rescued a
beautiful young woman who had been carried off
by them. (As you may well imagine, the fairy
host was not happy about this!)
