Page:The Allies Fairy Book.djvu/19

 Fairy-tales, therefore, must be understood as dealing with irresponsible beings and imaginary adventures which do not rest on any basis of experience or reason or physical possibility whatever. In a story of real life it is important that what is narrated should appear probable, however strange, and should not be in plain contradiction with the laws of nature. But the whole essence of a fairy-tale rests in its impossibility, in its dependence on a mysterious power above all mundane forces, which we call enchantment. We must resign the pride of intellect, and become as little children, before we are capable of accepting a fairy-tale. One thing, for instance, which we are very frequently called upon to believe is that the words which drop from the lips of nice girls turn to diamonds and those from the lips of nasty girls to toads. This cannot be said to be founded upon experience in any country, and yet it is accepted by Norwegians and Kaffirs, and by all the populations between them. That is an example of the attitude of mind which is demanded from those who tell fairy-tales; they must implicitly believe what they report, not in spite of, but because it is impossible. The ancient legend of Cupid and Psyche is a typical fairy-story in this sense.

Modern investigation of the exact meaning of the word “fairy” has considerably modified the views of folk-lorists as to the source of the main branch of these legends, which are found all over the world. It used to be held that fairies were the tradition of an ancient and perhaps pigmy race of human beings. This Sir Walter Scott believed. Andrew Lang perceived that this theory was untenable, and he was divided in his allegiance between the Wizard of the North and truth. Truth prevailed, but he exposes the errors of Scott as politely as if he were explaining to an elderly lady of quality that she had taken his pew in church. Lang also had his theory, which seems to be that Fairyland is a kind of Hades, home of the buried dead, who are permitted to