Spriggans

[sigefrid]

spriggans were apparently related to the trolls. Spriggans were depicted as grotesquely ugly, wizened old men or women with large child-like heads all made of plant matter or wood with a spirit inside them. They were said to be found at old ruins, cairns, andbarrows guarding buried treasure. Although small, they were usually considered to be the ghosts of giants, with the ability to swell to enormous size. They were also said to act as fairy bodyguards.

Spriggans were notorious for their unpleasant dispositions, and delighted in working mischief against those who offended them. They raised sudden whirlwinds to terrify travellers, sent storms to blight crops, and sometimes stole away mortal children, leaving their ugly changelings in their place.They were blamed if a house was robbed or a building collapsed, or if cattle were stolen.In one story, an old woman got the better of a band of spriggans by turning her clothing inside-out (turning clothing supposedly being as effective as holy water or iron in repelling fairies) to gain their loot. They were sometimes associated with the underground spirits called knockers who could often be heard working in tin mines.