Spriggan
 Sculpture by Marilyn Collins |
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| Creature | |
|---|---|
| Grouping | Mythological creature Fairy Sprite |
| Data | |
| First reported | In folklore |
| Country | England |
| Region | Cornwall |
Spriggans are legendary creatures known from Cornish faery lore. They are particular to West Penwith in Cornwall.[1]
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[edit] Spriggans in folklore
Spriggans were depicted as grotesquely ugly, and were said to be found at old ruins and barrows guarding buried treasure and generally acting as fairy bodyguards. They were also said to be busy thieves. Though usually small, they had the ability to swell to enormous size (they were sometimes speculated to be the ghosts of the old giants).
Certainly their disposition was poor, and they caused mischief to those who offended them. They sent storms to blight crops, and sometimes stole away mortal children, leaving their ugly changelings in their place. 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.
[edit] Spriggan sculpture
A sculpture of a spriggan by Marilyn Collins can be seen in Crouch End, London, in some arches lining a section of the Parkland Walk (a disused railway line). This sculpture was the inspiration for Stephen King's short story "Crouch End", where a stylised rendition of the sculpture is described. The sculpture is sometimes mistaken for the Green Man or Pan.
[edit] Spriggans in Popular Culture
Spriggans appear as a creature in several of The Elder Scrolls role-playing video game series, developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. Spriggans generally appear in wooded ares, guarding hidden glades or forest ruins. They are hostile and will attack on sight. They also possess the ability to command woodland creatures to fight alongside them.
[edit] References
- Briggs, Katharine; A Dictionary of Fairies; Penguin; 1976
- Underground History: The Northern Heights, Hywel Williams. Accessed 8 July 2007
- Hunt, Robert; Popular Romances of the West of England, 1865
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