Photo removed by author
Statue of a Spriggan in Crouch End,
London by Marilyn Collins
This statue was the inspiration
behind Stephen King’s short story, Crouch
End. I haven’t read the story so I
have no way of confirming if this is true, but it says so on Wikipedia. So it must be true. Right?
This month’s
Friday Faerie posts were supposed to be about creatures associated with luck
and treasure. It’s my homage to St.
Patrick’s Day’s without being all St. Patrick’s Day/Irish Pride/Leprechaun
about it. I know I am really late
getting this month going but between computer problems (it died), work stress (it
sucks) and general laziness (I suck), I have found myself woefully behind. I have, however, secured a special guest for
the last blog post of the month. I think
you guys will love her.
So without
further ado, I present the Spriggan.
Applause would be nice, but not required.
Spriggans
are dwarf like creatures from Cornish Faerie Lore. (Is everything small in Cornwall—Piskies, game
hens and now Spriggans?) They have a squat
build with rough, bumpy skin and abnormally large heads. Considering their skin problems and unpleasant
(some would say evil) dispositions, it isn’t hard to believe they are beyond
repugnant. They wear filthy, roughhewn
clothes and usually sport some sort of weapon.
Their favorite implements of destruction are slings, knives and spears.
I presume they stink as well though I have no confirmation of this fact.
They are
sometimes referred to as Ghost-giants as they are believed to be ghosts of the
Old Giants. Very clever name! In fact, if provoked, Spriggans can shift to a
staggering height to intimidate their opponents.
They haunt
old forts and deserted country dwellings where they guard treasures and act as
Faerie bodyguards. They are known to
bring storms and blights to crops and they derive a great amount of amusement
by switching out human babies with their own changeling babies. I can image that is not fun for the human
parents involved. They are also thieving bastards. On a more positive note, they play beautiful
music.
I have a
band of Spriggans in my current WIP. Here’s
a section of the book where the Brothers Spriggan drag our heroine out of a bar
and deposit her on in the street.
Alicia lay on the street and stared
up at her kidnappers. Four of the ugliest
faces she had ever seen stared back at her.
She had lost her knit cap when they
pulled her from the pub. Strands of her
hair stuck to the ice and tampered down snow.
Cold and wetness seeped around her head sending radiating pains to the
base of her skull. Her elbows and
tailbone throbbed from being dragged across the floor and then down the steps. She couldn’t sit up. She couldn’t even move her
arms. All she could do was gape at them.
“Where’s the Dark Man?” one of them
asked. His voice was low and deep. He, like the rest of them, stood about four
feet tall. Patches of black hair
sprouted over his enormous gray head though he appeared to have tried to comb
them down unlike his brothers who let their tufts stick straight out. A large gold hoop about the size of a silver
dollar hung in this left ear. His dress
was newer than the others, but that by no means made him attractive. He must be Boult, the leader of the
spriggans. The notorious Breaker.
She looked over his shoulder at the
street light avoiding his yellow eyes. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
He leaned in closer, his face only
inches from hers. His breath stunk of rotten
teeth and fish. “The Dark Man, Dr. Cox. I want to know where the Dark Man is.”
She turned her head away from him sucking
in frantically for fresh air. He grabbed
her face with his coarse hands bringing it closer to his.
She breathed through her mouth. “I don’t know the Dark Man,” His nails dug
into the flesh of her cheeks. It would
no doubt leave a mark.
“Jago,” he said, standing back, “Show
Dr. Cox what we do to liars.”
A smile broke out on the face of the
spriggan to her left. He reached into
his thread bare coat and produced a short knife. “My pleasure, Boult. I’ve wanted to cut something all night. Which finger is your least favorite, Dr. Cox?”
Boult is
turning out to be one of my favorite characters. He’s really charming once you are
able to see beyond his homicidal tendencies and bad breath.
And the Dark Man is as interesting as he sounds. Stay tuned!
*The title
of this week’s blog post alludes to a new band that I found from Iceland called
Of Monsters and Men. I love their song “Little
Talks.” Check them out if you get a
chance. The video is on YouTube and it’s
awesome!
