LL-L "Folklore" 2004.08.13 (07) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 13.AUG.2004 (07) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Ruth & Mark Dreyer <mrdreyer at lantic.net>
Subject: LL-L "Folklore" 2004.08.13 (02) [E]

Dear Pat,

Subject: LL-L "Folklore"

Pat, I second you.

Even ignoring Tolkien, the sources of the myths ancestal to the Faery Folk
refer plainly to creatures greater, stronger, wiser, & singularly dangerous
to associate with. I would refer to this observation directly, from the
mouth of King Arthur, in the Dream of Rhonabwy, from the Mabinogion:

'Iddawg & his companions went before Arthur & greeted him. "God be good to
you, Iddawg," said Arthur. "Where did you find these little men?" "Lord, I
found them up the road." Then Arthur smiled grimly, & Iddawg asked, "Lord,
what are you laughing at?" "I am laughing out of the sadness I feel at this
island's being in the care of such puny men as these, after the sort that
held it before." '

This sort of material was at the disposal all, young & old, that read books
or had books read to them, throughout the Victorian period. it was never
lost.
But some Victorians aesthetes, taking an edited & purified model from the
French Perroult, made a sort of namby-pamby cute commodity of childhood &
children (not always with ignoble or contemptible motivation), which so
annoyed Tolkien, myself, & I dare say all Victorian children & most adults,
though some grown-ups were suckered by it, like A C Doyle. The tales of H C
Andersen give a real picture of what the ordinary child enjoyed. Take the
Ice-Queen for example.

Yrs Sincerely,
Mark

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From: Bill Wigham <redbilly2 at earthlink.net>
Subject: LL-L "Folklore" 2004.08.13 (04) [E]

Folkloricists,
      Thee has left out the Krasnoludki (singular: krasnoludek) who inhabit
the Gory and Lasy of Southern Poland.
I do not know if they are malevolvent or the other kind but they will pour
sugar into your gas tank just for laughs.
Then there are the Butzemaenchen (Sp?) as in, "Es tantzt ein Butzemann, in
unserem Haus Herum di-dum".
Japanese Kappa ought to be on the list, somewhere.  Redcaps are
interesting...never saw one while sober,though.
I suppose all this is cultural.

Cheers,
Bill

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Folklore

Bill:

>       Thee has left out the Krasnoludki (singular: krasnoludek) who
inhabit the
> Gory and Lasy of Southern Poland.

I suppose these are intimately related with both the Sorbian (Lusatian)
_lutki_ (singular _lutk_) I mentioned before and the German
_Heinzelmännchen_.  (Slavonic *_kras(n)-_ 'red', 'beautiful', _lut-_ 'folk')
There is a definite theme of red going on, red caps or red suits, red
toadstool caps, etc., also occurring in the Father Christmas and Santa Claus
tradition (considering the Scandinavian _nisse_ being of this ilk as well as
being featured on Christmas).

> Japanese Kappa ought to be on the list, somewhere.

> Then there are the Butzemaenchen (Sp?)

That would be _Butzemännchen_, but I've never before come across the
diminutive form of the name of this scary ogre called _Butzemann_, related
to the Lowlands Saxon (Low German) _buman_ (<Bumann> ['bu:ma.n]), the Dutch
_boeman _, the W. Frisian _bûzeman_, the Limburgish _bóddeman_, the Danish
and Jutish _bøhmand_,  the Scots _tattie-bogle_, the English bogeyman,
boogieman, etc.

If you feel up to it, you might like to meet this guy and his relations at
this sight of mine (and contribute a version while you're at it):
http://www.sassisch.net/rhahn/low-saxon/ls-story.html

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

P.S.: Talking about folklore, I hope that everyone is having a safe Friday
the 13th.  :-)  I had a narrow escape coming home this afternoon, being
about to cross a street.  A daredevil in a convertible sports car intended
to run the red light but had to break to avoid a car he hadn't expected.
Tires screaching, his little pride spun and spun across the intersection
toward me.  I had just enough time to jump down a bushy embankment ...  His
car did end up in my now vacated spot, and he drove off as though nothing
had happened, while two youngsters in another convertible laughed and
laughed ... possibly at my most elegant jumps through the bushes.  Talking
about imps and bogeys ...


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