Scotland: The Fairy Hill
A long time ago, a farmer’s wife in Kintraw fell ill and passed away, leaving behind two or three children. The Sunday after her funeral, the farmer and his servants went to church, leaving the children at home under the care of the eldest, a girl of just ten years old. Upon the farmer’s return, the children told him that their mother had come to visit them, combed their hair, and dressed them neatly.
The farmer, of course, thought they had made it all up, but when the children insisted it was the absolute truth, he punished them. The same thing happened again the following Sunday. This time, the farmer told the children that if their mother appeared again, they should ask her why she had returned.
The next Sunday, when the mother reappeared, the eldest child asked the question suggested by their father. The mother replied that she had been taken by the Little People and was only allowed to return for an hour or two every Sunday. She also told them that if they opened her coffin, they would find only a withered leaf.
Confused, the farmer sought advice from the local minister. However, the minister scoffed at the story, ridiculing the existence of the Little People, and refused to grant permission to open the woman’s coffin. The matter was thus left unresolved.
Not long after, the minister, who had traveled to Lochgilphead for a day, was found dead beside the Faerie Hill. The locals believed he had fallen victim to the wrath of the fairies, whom he had mocked.
