Forest spirit or Pure EVIL? • The ancient horror behind Skyrim's Spriggans

What really is a spriggan? What are they like? And are they really Guardians of the forest?

Hi everybody, I'm Nick and this is Beasts of the Olde World: a channel that explores ancient folklore and mythical creatures from across the globe. If that sounds like something you'd like then subscribe and ring the bell for more of this content.

Join us as we take a look at the Entish Spriggan of the Elder Scrolls video game series and discuss its origins in Traditional Cornish folklore. We will look at the Spriggan’s supposed association with twigs, trees and plant growth, and its reputation as a forest guardian.

We will consult the famous folklorist’s handbook, A Dictionary of Fairies, to find out what Katherine Briggs has to say about these fairy bodyguards and their protective yet punitive roles within the fairy kingdom.

We will look at their surprising physical descriptions as small, wizened old gnomes, as well as their fearsome ability to shift their shape and grow to giant proportions.

We will look at Robert Hunt’s Popular Romances of the West of England in order to place spriggans within the Cornish tradition of the fairy family alongside the other classes of fairies such as the small people, the piskies, the buccas, and the brownies. We will examine the Spriggan myth’s relationship to the Scandinavian tradition of trolls, and the Cornish belief that spriggans were the ghosts of giants who were said to roam Cornwall long ago in an earlier age of the Earth.

We will look at what makes these supernatural creatures so scary, discussing their innate dislike for humans, their malice and ill-will and their inclination to cause people misfortune by conjuring storms and whirlwinds, blighting crops, and cursing people. We will also examine the dark reasons behind their infamy - namely their reputation for stealing mortal children and leaving ugly changelings in their place.

We will look at the Cornish folktale, The Spriggan's Child, which tells the story of Janie Tregeer and her infant son, who she believed to have been swapped by a Spriggan for a changeling while she was out at work.

We will discuss their behavioural similarities with other mythical creatures within English folklore, namely boggarts, lantern men, and will of the wisps. Like these mischievous entities, spriggans are also said to lead lost and lonely travelers into swamps, close to crumbling cliffsides, or even into the very ruins of the castles they inhabit.

We will look at the habitats of the spriggan, especially old ruins, old tombs like barrows, cairns, and the giant Cornish tombs known as dolmans. We will also discuss their roles in guarding mystical sites such as Standing Stones, ancient tombs and buried giants’ treasure, as well as how these sorts of locations are believed to mark the entrances to the fairy world.

We will look at another story examining a Spriggan's wrath, centring on the Spriggans of Trencrom Hill. This is the story of a man who goes looking for a trove of giant’s treasure at the hill, which was said to be an enchanted place rumored to be thick with magic and mystery. The man finds something else altogether, something for which he was not prepared.

I hope you enjoy this deep dive into Cornwall's mythic past, examining the rich and complex mythology behind these beasts of the olde world. Please join us again for more mythical creature features!


00:26 PART ONE - Not what you think
04:40 STORY SECTION - The Spriggan's Child
06:20 PART TWO - Grim Guardians and Wrathful Thieves
08:32 PART THREE (STORY SECTION) The Spriggans of Trencrom Hill


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