A FAIRY ENCHANTMENT
by Unknown · from Irish Fairy Tales
Adapted Version
I was very tired. I walked a long way. My legs were sore. I wanted to rest. I walked with my friends. We walked and walked. I felt very tired. I wanted to stop.
We saw some girls. They milked a cow. We stopped to look. The Girls spoke to us. They said, "Come in. Have milk." We went inside.
My friends went away. I stayed by the fire. It was warm. I was still tired. I asked for food.
The Girls gave me food. I ate the food. Then the Girls went out. They did not come back.
It got dark outside. I sat by the fire. The room was quiet. Two men came inside. They carried a big wooden man. The wooden man was stiff. I felt scared. I hid behind the door.
The Tall Man saw me. He said, "Come out!" I came out. I trembled. The men put the wooden man by fire. Tall Man said, "Turn slowly. Do not burn!" I turned the man.
I sat there. I felt very scared. I turned the wooden man. It was a long time. It got very late. The men came back. They looked at the wooden man. The Tall Man spoke. The Short Man spoke. They talked about the wooden man. Then the Tall Man looked at me. He said, "Can you tell a story?"
I said, "No story." Tall Man was angry. He pushed me outside. It was a cold night. It was very dark. I felt cold. I was alone.
I did not know where I was. It was so dark. Then the Tall Man came. He touched my arm. He said, "Tell a story now?" I was scared. I thought fast. I said, "Yes, I can."
He brought me back inside. He put me by the fire. He said, "Begin." I said, "I sat here. I was alone. You two men came. You carried a big wooden man. You put it over the fire. You told me to turn it."
Tall Man said, "Good story. Go to bed." I went to a bed. I fell asleep.
I woke up. It was morning. The sun was bright. I was in a green field. The house was gone. The men were gone. I felt safe and happy.
Original Story
A FAIRY ENCHANTMENT
Story-teller—Michael Hart
Recorder—W. B. Yeats
n the times when we used to travel by canal I was coming down from Dublin. When we came to Mullingar the canal ended, and I began to walk, and stiff and fatigued I was after the slowness. I had some friends with me, and now and then we walked, now and then we rode in a cart. So on till we saw some girls milking a cow, and stopped to joke with them. After a while we asked them for a drink of milk. 'We have nothing to put it in here,' they said, 'but come to the house with us.' We went home with them and sat round the fire talking. After a while the others went, and left me, loath to stir from the good fire. I asked the girls for something to eat. There was a pot on the fire, and they took the meat out and put it on a plate and told me to eat only the meat that came from the head. When I had eaten, the girls went out and I did not see them again.
It grew darker and darker, and there I still sat, loath as ever to leave the good fire; and after a while two men came in, carrying between them a corpse. When I saw them I hid behind the door. Says one to the other, 'Who'll turn the spit?' Says the other, 'Michael Hart, come out of that and turn the meat!' I came out in a tremble and began turning the spit. 'Michael Hart,' says the one who spoke first, 'if you let it burn we will have to put you on the spit instead,' and on that they went out. I sat there trembling and turning the corpse until midnight. The men came again, and the one said it was burnt, and the other said it was done right, but having fallen out over it, they both said they would do me no harm that time; and sitting by the fire one of them cried out, 'Michael Hart, can you tell a story?' 'Never a one,' said I. On that he caught me by the shoulders and put me out like a shot.
It was a wild, blowing night; never in all my born days did I see such a night—the darkest night that ever came out of the heavens. I did not know where I was for the life of me. So when one of the men came after me and touched me on the shoulder with a 'Michael Hart, can you tell a story now?'—'I can,' says I. In he brought me, and, putting me by the fire, says 'Begin.' 'I have no story but the one,' says I, 'that I was sitting here, and that you two men brought in a corpse and put it on the spit and set me turning it.' 'That will do,' says he; 'you may go in there and lie down on the bed.' And in I went, nothing loath, and in the morning where was I but in the middle of a green field.
Story DNA
Plot Summary
Michael Hart, tired from a journey, seeks shelter and food at a house after meeting some girls. After the girls leave, two mysterious men enter with a corpse and force Michael to turn it on a spit, threatening him with the same fate. When they demand a story and he has none, they throw him out into a terrible storm. Brought back in, Michael, now resourceful, tells the story of his own terrifying experience to appease them. He is allowed to rest and wakes up safely in a green field, having escaped the enchantment.
Themes
Emotional Arc
discomfort to terror to relief
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Collected by W. B. Yeats, indicating its roots in Irish oral tradition and folklore, often involving encounters with the 'otherworld' or mischievous beings.
Plot Beats (12)
- Michael Hart travels by canal and then walks with friends, feeling fatigued.
- They stop to joke with girls milking a cow and are invited to their house for milk.
- Michael's friends leave, but he stays by the fire, asking the girls for food.
- The girls serve him meat, instructing him to eat only from the head, then leave and don't return.
- As it gets dark, two men enter carrying a corpse, and Michael hides.
- The men discover Michael and force him to turn the corpse on a spit, threatening to put him on it if he fails.
- Michael trembles and turns the corpse until midnight when the men return, argue about the cooking, and then demand a story.
- Michael claims he has no story and is violently thrown out into a wild, dark, stormy night.
- One of the men follows Michael, asks if he can tell a story now, and Michael, desperate, says he can.
- Michael is brought back in, told to begin his story, and recounts the events of the night: sitting there, the men bringing the corpse, and him turning it.
- The man accepts this as a story, allows Michael to lie down on a bed, and Michael falls asleep.
- Michael wakes up in the morning in the middle of a green field, the house and men gone.
Characters
Michael Hart
Average height and build for a working man in 19th-century rural Ireland, likely with a weathered complexion from travel and outdoor exposure. Not explicitly described, but implied to be sturdy enough for walking long distances.
Attire: Practical, durable clothing suitable for travel in 19th-century Ireland. Likely a tweed or wool jacket, a linen or cotton shirt, sturdy trousers, and leather boots, possibly a cap or hat.
Wants: To find warmth, food, and safety. Later, his primary motivation is self-preservation.
Flaw: Fear and a tendency to be easily intimidated. He is initially passive and reluctant to act.
He transforms from a passive, fearful traveler into someone who can use his wits (storytelling) to escape a perilous situation, learning to speak up when necessary.
Cautious, easily frightened, observant, resourceful (when pressed), and a bit lazy (loath to leave the fire). He is a survivor who adapts to strange circumstances.
First Man (Fairy)
Unspecified, but implied to be strong enough to carry a corpse with another man. As a fairy, he might have an unsettling or unnaturally still quality about him, perhaps a lean build.
Attire: Likely simple, dark, and rustic clothing, perhaps resembling a farmer's or laborer's attire of 19th-century Ireland, but with an otherworldly quality – perhaps made of rough, dark wool or linen, possibly with a hint of green or earth tones. No specific details are given, so inferring a common, slightly archaic rural Irish style.
Wants: To fulfill some unknown ritual involving the corpse and to amuse himself by frightening and testing Michael Hart.
Flaw: His capricious nature; he can be swayed or appeased by a good story.
Remains largely unchanged, serving as a force of the supernatural. He acts as a catalyst for Michael's transformation.
Dominant, menacing, demanding, and capricious. He enjoys tormenting Michael Hart and holds power over him.
Second Man (Fairy)
Unspecified, but strong enough to carry a corpse with the First Man. As a fairy, he might have an unsettling or unnaturally still quality about him, perhaps a stockier build than the first.
Attire: Likely simple, dark, and rustic clothing, perhaps resembling a farmer's or laborer's attire of 19th-century Ireland, but with an otherworldly quality – perhaps made of rough, dark wool or linen, possibly with a hint of green or earth tones. No specific details are given, so inferring a common, slightly archaic rural Irish style.
Wants: To participate in the unknown ritual and to amuse himself by frightening and testing Michael Hart.
Flaw: His capricious nature and willingness to argue, which momentarily distracts him from harming Michael.
Remains largely unchanged, serving as a force of the supernatural. He acts as a catalyst for Michael's transformation.
Equally menacing and demanding as the First Man, but perhaps slightly more prone to disagreement (over the corpse being burnt). He is also capricious and enjoys tormenting Michael.
The Girls
Unspecified, but likely appear as typical young Irish peasant women of the 19th century, perhaps with an unusual grace or stillness that hints at their true nature. They would have healthy, rosy complexions from outdoor work.
Attire: Simple, practical 19th-century Irish peasant dresses. Likely long, dark skirts made of wool or linen, plain linen blouses, and aprons (perhaps blue or white). They might wear shawls over their shoulders and sturdy, low-heeled shoes or clogs. Their clothing would be clean but well-worn.
Wants: To lure Michael Hart into their dwelling for unknown purposes, possibly as part of a fairy ritual or simply for amusement.
Flaw: Their mysterious nature makes it hard to pinpoint a weakness, but their adherence to specific rules (like the meat) might be a vulnerability.
They serve as the initial lure and remain static, representing the deceptive hospitality of the fairy world.
Initially hospitable and helpful, but also mysterious and somewhat detached. They give specific, unusual instructions (eat only the head meat) which hints at their non-human nature.
The Corpse
A deceased human body, likely pale and stiff. The story implies it is large enough to be carried by two men and roasted on a spit, suggesting an adult human. No specific features are given, so it would appear as a generic, unidentifiable cadaver.
Attire: Unspecified, but likely stripped or in simple burial shrouds, or perhaps the clothes they died in, now soiled and torn. The focus is on it being meat for the spit, so clothing would be minimal or absent.
Wants: N/A (deceased)
Flaw: N/A (deceased)
Remains a static object, a symbol of the danger and horror of the fairy realm.
N/A (deceased)
Locations
Canal Bank near Mullingar
A rural Irish landscape where the canal journey ends, leading to walking paths and fields. The air is fresh after travel.
Mood: Tired but social, with a sense of transition from travel to land.
The protagonist's journey by canal ends, and he encounters girls milking a cow, leading to an invitation to their house.
Mysterious Irish Cottage Interior
A rustic, dimly lit Irish cottage interior with a central hearth. The fire provides the main source of light and warmth, casting shadows. The space feels isolated and becomes increasingly eerie as night falls.
Mood: Initially warm and inviting, transitioning to eerie, terrifying, and supernatural.
The protagonist is left alone by the fire, witnesses two men bringing in a corpse, and is forced to turn it on a spit. He is later brought back in to tell a story.
Wild, Dark Irish Night
An extremely dark, wild, and blowing night in the Irish countryside. The protagonist is completely disoriented, unable to see anything. The wind is a dominant sensory detail.
Mood: Terrifying, disorienting, desolate, supernatural.
The protagonist is thrown out of the cottage into the terrifying darkness, completely lost and disoriented, until one of the men returns.
Green Field at Dawn
A vibrant, open green field, bathed in the light of morning. It's a stark contrast to the previous night's darkness and the eerie cottage.
Mood: Relief, confusion, a sense of wonder and escape.
The protagonist wakes up miraculously in the middle of a green field, having escaped the supernatural encounter.