Sprite and Spunkie

Both are, in general, spirits of the air, with or without wings and display both benevolent and malevolent characteristics.

Sprite is a small spirit of the air or fairie-being, generally harmless, sometimes a trickster, but also a type of ‘guardian angel’. In the South of Scotland every person is attended by a Sprite named Thrumpin at birth, but who rather oddly, also has the power of taking away that life.

Tales of Cowlug Sprites occur in the Border villages of Bowden and Gateside. In local legend there was a strange belief that on a certain night of the year, called ‘Cowlug e’en’ a number of these Sprite would appear, sporting ears resembling those of cows.

Spunkie is a Will o’ the Wisp common is both Highland and Lowland folk tales. A malevolent nature spirit or fairie-being with the sole purpose of causing death to travellers on both land and sea.

“An’ aft your moss-traversin Spunkies. Decoy the wight that late an’ drunk is: The bleezin, curst, mischievous monkies. Delude his eyes, Till in some miry slough he sunk is, Ne’er mair to rise.”