Bluecap: Difference between revisions

Bluecap
Grouping	Mythological creature ; Fairy
Country	United Kingdom
Region	England
Habitat	Mines

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A bluecap is a mythical fairy or ghost in English folklore. They inhabit mines and appear as small blue flames. If miners treat them with respect, the bluecaps lead them to rich deposits of minerals.^[1] Like knockers or kobolds, bluecaps can also forewarn miners of cave-ins. They are mostly associated with the Anglo-Scottish borders.^[2] They were hard workers and expected to be paid a working man's wages, equal to those of an average putter (a mine worker who pushes the wagons). Their payment was left in a solitary corner of the mine, and they would not accept any more or less than what they were owed. The miners would sometimes see the flickering bluecap settle on a full tub of coal, transporting it as though "impelled by the sturdiest sinews".^[3] Another being of the same type (though less helpful in nature) was called Cutty Soames^[4] or Old Cutty Soames^[5] who was known to cut the rope-traces or soams by which the assistant putter was yoked to the tub.^[4]

References

Citations

^ Allen (2005), p. 24
^ Katherine Mary Briggs, The Fairies in English Tradition and Literature
^ Briggs (1976), pp. 27–28
^ ^a ^b Labour and the Poor in England and Wales, 1849-1851: Northumberland and Durham, Staffordshire, the Midlands, Jules Ginswick, Routledge, 1983, ISBN 0-7146-2960-X, 9780714629605, pp. 65-66
^ Character Sketches Of Romance, Fiction And The Drama, Ebenezer Cobham Brewer, Marion Harland, The Minerva Group, Inc., 2004, ISBN 1-4102-1335-8, ISBN 978-1-4102-1335-8, page. 119

Bibliography

Allen, J. (2005), Fantasy Encyclopedia, Kingfisher Publications
Briggs, Katharine (1976), An Encyclopedia of Fairies, Pantheon Books, ISBN 0394409183

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 |caption  =
-|Grouping       = [[Mythological creature]] <br/> [[Fairy]]
+|Grouping       = [[Mythological creature]] <br /> [[Fairy]]
 |Possibilities   =
 |AKA            =
-|Country        = [[United Kingdom]]
+|Country        = United Kingdom
-|Region         = [[England]]
+|Region         = England
 |Habitat        = Mines
 |First_Reported = In folklore
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 }}
-A '''bluecap''' or '''blue cap''' is a mythical [[fairy]] or [[ghost]] in [[English folklore]]. They inhabit mines and appear as small blue flames. If miners treat them with respect, the bluecaps lead them to rich deposits of minerals.<ref>J. Allen, ''Fantasy Encyclopedia'', p 24 Kingfisher Publications Plc, London, 2005</ref> Like [[Knocker (folklore)|knockers]] or [[kobolds]], bluecaps can also forewarn miners of cave-ins. They are mostly associated with the [[Anglo-Scottish]] [[borders]].<ref>[[Katherine Mary Briggs]], ''The Fairies in English Tradition and Literature''</ref> They were hard workers and expected to be paid a working man's wages, equal to those of an average putter (a mine worker who pushes the wagons). Their payment was left in a solitary corner of the mine, and they would not accept any more or less than what they were owed. The miners would sometimes see the flickering bluecap settle on a full tub of coal, transporting it as though "impelled by the sturdiest sinews".<ref>Briggs, Katharine (1976). ''An Encyclopedia of Fairies''. Pantheon Books. pp. 27-28. ISBN 0394409183.</ref> Another being of the same type (though less helpful in nature) was called ''Cutty Soames''<ref name=poorlabour>''Labour and the Poor in England and Wales, 1849-1851: Northumberland and Durham, Staffordshire, the Midlands'', Jules Ginswick, Routledge, 1983, ISBN 0-7146-2960-X, 9780714629605, pp. 65-66</ref> or ''Old Cutty Soames''<ref>''Character Sketches Of Romance, Fiction And The Drama'', Ebenezer Cobham Brewer, Marion Harland, The Minerva Group, Inc., 2004, ISBN 1-4102-1335-8, ISBN 978-1-4102-1335-8, page. 119</ref> who was known to cut the rope-traces or soams by which the assistant putter was yoked to the tub.<ref name=poorlabour/>
+A '''bluecap''' is a mythical [[fairy]] or [[ghost]] in [[English folklore]]. They inhabit mines and appear as small blue flames. If miners treat them with respect, the bluecaps lead them to rich deposits of minerals.{{sfnp|Allen|2005|p=24|ps=}} Like [[Knocker (folklore)|knockers]] or [[kobolds]], bluecaps can also forewarn miners of cave-ins. They are mostly associated with the [[Anglo-Scottish]] [[borders]].<ref>[[Katherine Mary Briggs]], ''The Fairies in English Tradition and Literature''</ref> They were hard workers and expected to be paid a working man's wages, equal to those of an average putter (a mine worker who pushes the wagons). Their payment was left in a solitary corner of the mine, and they would not accept any more or less than what they were owed. The miners would sometimes see the flickering bluecap settle on a full tub of coal, transporting it as though "impelled by the sturdiest sinews".{{sfnp|Briggs|1976|pp=27–28|ps=}} Another being of the same type (though less helpful in nature) was called ''Cutty Soames''<ref name=poorlabour>''Labour and the Poor in England and Wales, 1849-1851: Northumberland and Durham, Staffordshire, the Midlands'', Jules Ginswick, Routledge, 1983, ISBN 0-7146-2960-X, 9780714629605, pp. 65-66</ref> or ''Old Cutty Soames''<ref>''Character Sketches Of Romance, Fiction And The Drama'', Ebenezer Cobham Brewer, Marion Harland, The Minerva Group, Inc., 2004, ISBN 1-4102-1335-8, ISBN 978-1-4102-1335-8, page. 119</ref> who was known to cut the rope-traces or soams by which the assistant putter was yoked to the tub.<ref name=poorlabour/>
 ==References==
+'''Citations'''
 {{reflist|30em}}
+'''Bibliography'''
+{{refbegin}}
+*{{citation |last=Allen |first=J. |title=Fantasy Encyclopedia |year=2005 |publisher=Kingfisher Publications}}
+*{{citation |last=Briggs |first=Katharine |title=An Encyclopedia of Fairies |year=1976 |publisher=Pantheon Books |isbn=0394409183}}
+{{refend}}
 ==See also==