yn sleih beggey

"Little people." The Manx name for fairies, also called ferrishyn (from the English word fairies). They kidnap babies, unless they had been baptized, in which case they were less liable to be taken. The fairies may take possession of the hearth after the family has gone to bed, and people would sometimes find them making a big fire in the kitchen. Occasionally they would take a man with them, and allow him to eat with them at the expense of others. He may be detained for years, and when he returns from his absence, he can not tell how he returned.

The Manx fairies had horses to ride, as well as dogs. They cannot stand salt or baptism, and also a twig of cuirn (rowan) was effective against them.

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