Fairies 7

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Like the Fates, fairies love to visit the newborn babies of mortals and will not hesitate to steal those that are unbaptized, or “little pagans,” substituting in their place changelings—wizened fairy children.

Fairies particularly desire fair-haired children, to improve their own hairy stock.

To protect infants against kidnapping by fairies, an open pair of iron scissors traditionally was hung over them in the cradle—for iron is believed to repel fairies— or an iron pin was stuck in their clothes.

Other measures included laying the trousers of the child’s father across the cradle; drawing a circle of fire around the cradle; making a sign of the cross over the child; sprinkling it and the cradle with holy water; and giving it a nickname.

The latter relates to beliefs in the magic power of names .

If fairies do not know the true name of a child, they will not be able to cast a magical spell over it.

In lore, witches were said to collude with fairies to steal babies or children for money, and infants who were ugly, retarded, or unruly were written off as changelings.

It was believed that the changelings could be induced to confess if they were set afire, and many babies may have died that way.

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