Fairy-locks
Sign in to savethumb|A fairy-lock in the mane of a horse.In folklore, fairy-locks (or elflocks) are the result of fairies tangling and knotting the hairs of sleeping children and the manes of beasts as the fairies play in and out of their hair at night.
~2 min read
Article
6 sectionsContents
- English tradition
- German tradition
- French tradition
- Eastern European tradition
- References
- Works cited
thumb|A fairy-lock in the mane of a horse.In folklore, fairy-locks (or elflocks) are the result of fairies tangling and knotting the hairs of sleeping children and the manes of beasts as the fairies play in and out of their hair at night.
==English tradition== The concept is first attested in English in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in Mercutio's speech of the many exploits of Queen Mab, where he seems to imply the locks are only unlucky if combed out: "She is the fairies’ midwife, and she comes In shape no bigger than an agate stone....... That plaits the manes of horses in the night And bakes the elflocks in foul sluttish hairs, Which once untangled, much misfortune bodes."