In Breton

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

, a Korrigan () is a fairy or

dwarf Dwarf or dwarves may refer to: Common uses *Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore * Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...

-like spirit. The word ''korrigan'' means in Breton "small-dwarf" (''korr'' means dwarf, ''ig'' is a diminutive and the suffix ''an'' is a

hypocoristic A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek: (), from (), 'to call by pet names', sometimes also ''hypocoristic'') or pet name is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as '' Izzy'' for ...

). It is closely related to the Cornish word ''korrik'' which means '' gnome''. The name changes according to the place. Among the other names, there are ''korrig'', ''korred'', ''korrs'', ''kores'', ''couril'', ''crion'', ''goric'',Theresa Bane, ''Encyclopedia of Fairies in World Folklore and Mythology'', p205, 2013, McFarland & Company, ''kornandon'', ''ozigan'', ''nozigan'', ''teuz'', ''torrigan'', ''viltañs'', ''poulpikan'', ''poulpiquet'', and ''paotred ar sabad''.

As fairies and dwarves

The term is used variously by writers on Breton folklore. Théodore de Villemarqué in ''

Barzaz Breiz ''Barzaz Breiz'' (in modern spelling ''Barzhaz Breizh'', meaning "Ballads of Brittany": ''barzh'' is the equivalent of "bard" and ''Breizh'' means "Brittany") is a collection of Breton popular songs collected by Théodore Hersart de la Villemar ...

'' uses the term interchangeably with "fairy" and distinguishes them from dwarves ("nains"). In contrast

Walter Evans-Wentz Walter Yeeling Evans-Wentz (February 2, 1878 – July 17, 1965) was an American anthropologist and writer who was a pioneer in the study of Tibetan Buddhism, and in transmission of Tibetan Buddhism to the Western world, most known for publishin ...

in ''The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries'' argued that in the mythology of

Morbihan Morbihan ( , ; br, Mor-Bihan ) is a department in the administrative region of Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan (''small sea'' in Breton), the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastl ...

there is no clear distinction between korrigans and nains: "Very often corrigans regarded as nains, equally with all kinds of ''lutins'', are believed to be evil spirits or demons condemned to live here on earth in a penitential state for an indefinite time." They like to dance around fountains. However, they give themselves away when they cannot enumerate the full list of the days of the week (because of the sacredness of the full week).

As siren water-sprites

Other authors use the term only to refer to siren-like female fairies who inhabit springs and rivers, "lovely lustful golden-haired women who tried to lure men into their beds – and into a watery death".Patricia Monaghan, ''The encyclopedia of Celtic mythology and folklore'', Infobase Publishing, 2004, p.275. These creatures are very beautiful when seen at dusk or night, but by day their eyes are red, their hair white, and their skin wrinkled; thus they try to avoid being seen by day. Korrigans have beautiful hair and red flashing eyes. They are sometimes described as important princesses or druidesses who were opposed to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

when the Apostles came to convert

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

. They hate priests, churches, and especially the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

. They can predict the future, change shape, and move at lightning speed. Like

siren Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology Places * Siren (town), Wisconsin * Siren, Wisc ...

s and

mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are sometimes ass ...

s, they sing and comb their long hair, and they haunt

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were ori ...

s and

water well A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. T ...

s. They have the power of making men fall in love with them, but they then kill the ones who do. In many popular tales, they are eager to deceive the imprudent mortals who see them dancing or looking after a treasure, and fond of stealing human children, substituting them with

changeling A changeling, also historically referred to as an auf or oaf, is a human-like creature found in folklore throughout Europe. A changeling was believed to be a fairy that had been left in place of a human (typically a child) stolen by other fairi ...

s. On the night of 31 October (

Samhain Samhain ( , , , ; gv, Sauin ) is a Gaelic festival on 1 NovemberÓ hÓgáin, Dáithí. ''Myth Legend and Romance: An Encyclopaedia of the Irish Folk Tradition''. Prentice Hall Press, 1991. p. 402. Quote: "The basic Irish division of the year ...

), they are said to be lurking near dolmens, waiting for victims. According to the Breton poem, "

Ar rannoù "Ar rannoù" ("The Series", published as "The Series, or the Druid and the Child"), also known as "Gousperoù ar raned" ("The Frogs' Vespers"), is a traditional Breton folksong, composed in twelve parts or "series". Origin and significance of th ...

", there are 9 korrigans, "who dance, with flowers in their hair, and robes of white wool, around the fountain, by the light of the full moon."Keightley, 2000, pp. 420–422.

References

* Keightley, Thomas (1870).
The Fairy Mythology, Illustrative of the Romance and Superstition of Various Countries
', chapter "Lord Nann and the Korrigan". * Keightley, Thomas (reprint edition 2000) ''The World of Fairies, Elves, and Other Little People'', pp 420–422.

Songs

*Korrigan, CD "Tu es la" by the breton band STETRICE, www.stetrice.com {{Fairies Breton legendary creatures French folklore Female legendary creatures Water spirits

As fairies and dwarves

As siren water-sprites

See also

References

Songs