Imps in Folklore | The Faeries and Folklore Podcast

Episode 4: Small, Everyday Fae: Imps

The folklore of imps in a nutshell, how I reimagined them for my writing, and the faery translated into Afrikaans.

Written and narrated by Ronel Janse van Vuuren.

Copyright 2021 Ronel Janse van Vuuren — All rights reserved.

Learn more about imps here.

Get the transcript here.

Music: Secrets by David Fesliyan (FesliyanStudios.com) and Dramatic Heartbeat by FesliyanStudios.com

Transcript

You’re listening to the Faeries and Folklore podcast by Ronel.

I’m dark fantasy author Ronel Janse van Vuuren. With nearly a decade of digging around in dusty folklore books, researching creatures of imagination that ignited my curiosity, I’m here to share the folklore in a nutshell and how I reimagined it for my writing in an origin of the fae.

This is the Faeries and Folklore podcast.

Hi, I’m your host Ronel Janse van Vuuren. You can just call me Ronel. In today’s episode, we’re continuing our exploration of the fae realm.

We’re continuing our exploration of small every day fae.

Today’s faery: Imps

Folklore in a Nutshell by Ronel

Imps, such as Bogeys, are tiny and evanescent when you actually encounter them. They are usually pitch black and live in dark spaces such as cupboards, closets, attics, and basements. Their choice of dwelling helps Bogeys in their favourite exploit against humans: popping out of their hiding places and scaring people. This is where the term “bogeyman” or “boogieman” came from.

In Germanic folklore, imps are small, ugly, often be-winged and horned. They excel at playing tricks. These wild and mischievous creatures tend to assist witches. There are stories of them getting trapped inside objects such as swords and crystals, in need of rescuing.

It is believed that Puck from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is also an imp. He’s certainly mischievous enough to be one.

Imps are usually shown as being small in stature and unattractive. They always play pranks and are in search of human companionship. Even when they secure the friendship they sought, they’ll still play pranks on their friend as it is in their nature – this is where the term “impish” to describe someone who loves pranks and practical jokes came from.

Clearly, imps appear in different sizes and shapes, and their magical abilities vary from nation to nation. In fiction, they have been twisted to fit the story they have to play in. Just remember: real imps are tricky, mischievous and sometimes malicious.

And now for my interpretation of the fae in an

Origin of the Fae: Imps

Imps are the caretakers of the forests.

They can easily be mistaken for leaves or twigs. They have big glowing eyes that are as light green as plant sap; sharp, pointy teeth; pointy ears. The older they get, the more bark grows on them. While they’re young, they look more like green leaves. You can tell their relative age by their colouring: the greener the younger, and how browner they get the older they are. They live in trees.

They tend the Faery Rings growing in the forests. Faery Rings are made up of rocks, moss and white flowers. The Imps use these to change the size of their guests.

Imps have powerful magic. Not only do they use the Faery Rings to change the size of their guests in the forest, they also have the power to change Summoning Spells in such a way that not even Faery Dogs can break it.

Imps also have power over the forest itself. They can make ferns move in such a way that it’s almost like riding on waves. Tree branches move to accommodate them. They even have houses inside plants without harming the host.

Imps travel all over the forest every day, taking care of every plant. It’s what they do.

Being the caretakers of the forests, they have their own greenhouses to grow new trees and other plants. That allows them to plant new trees and other plants in the forest faster. They have various creatures of the forest work for them. Slugs help seeds germinate by keeping them moist. Spiders make sure that the saplings aren’t eaten by hungry critters. Earthworms do all the composting. And in the Knysna forest, the Imps have trained the Knysna louries to fly them wherever they wish to go.

Imps are extremely happy. When they wish to show support, they’ll cheer loudly. They love mischief like most Fae. They enjoy their lives, their work and see only the good in the world. Even when humans destroy their forest, they do not become dark and vindictive. They leave revenge to the other Fae living there while they regrow the forest.

Unfortunately, being plant Faeries, they get eaten by animals by mistake. A lot.

Though they have an elder who leads their group, they take the words of the oldest tree inhabited by a Tree Nymph in their forest very seriously. They believe that this old Tree Nymph isn’t just wise, but knows a lot about the past and the future.

Imps are the size of an adult’s thumb. Though they can be any size they need to be to protect their forest.

Part of keeping the forest clean is to eat whatever dies there. Imps only eat what’s already dead. Whether animal or plant doesn’t really matter to them. They’ll even eat the corpses of other Fae or humans.

As a little bonus, let’s look at the translation of Imps into Afrikaans: Woudkabouters. This is of my own making.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this episode of the faeries and folklore podcast and that you’ve learned something new about faeries.

Remember that you can get a transcript of this episode in the description. If you’re new to the podcast, why not go and grab your free copy of Unseen, the second book in the Faery Tales series, on my website ronelthemythmaker.com? Loads of folklore, magic and danger await! Take care!

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