The Fairies of Newfoundland

A folklore student at Memorial University set out to document the supernatural tales of her home province, expecting to collect quaint stories from elderly residents. She returned with a wound that would not stop producing splinters, bark, and insects—and a debt she is still paying.

The assignment was straightforward: interview people about a folklore topic of her choosing. Growing up in Newfoundland, a region steeped in fairy lore, she decided to collect firsthand accounts of the mischievous and malevolent creatures said to lurk in the forests and fields. She borrowed recording equipment from the folklore archive and listened to older recordings—tales of "wee people," lights in the forest, and strange music carried on the wind. Then she traveled to her hometown, a rural area over 400 years old, to interview the older residents who still remembered the old ways.

The Stories She Collected

One woman told of her uncle who was wounded by a fairy and spent the rest of the month picking fish bones and wool out of the stinking cut before it finally healed. A gentleman claimed he went into the woods to set rabbit snares and came home three weeks later with no memory of where he had been or that any time had passed.