Bluecap: Difference between revisions
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A '''bluecap''' is a mythical [[fairy]] or [[ghost]] in [[English folklore]] that inhabits mines and appears as a small blue flame. 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 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/> |
A '''bluecap''' is a mythical [[fairy]] or [[ghost]] in [[English folklore]] that inhabits mines and appears as a small blue flame. 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]] [[border country|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 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/> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 10:55, 16 October 2021
| Grouping | Mythological creature Fairy |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Region | England |
| Habitat | Mines |
A bluecap is a mythical fairy or ghost in English folklore that inhabits mines and appears as a small blue flame. 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 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]
See also
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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