the Moon, flew high and swift (by deeper magic still) the Fairy spirits of Africa. The shy in-dwellers of every ashorin, baobab, and mahogany, winged-friend of each river, of ev- ery bird, beast and insect, were wafted away on the Southern Trades, and fluttered down, like a windfall of butterflies, far from the tribal warfare and slave traders, upon the islands of the Carribees and the New World’s eastern shore. And from Hellas itself, then vanished at last the few surviving Centaurs, Satyrs, and Nymphs, sad scattered remnants of the glory that was Greece. They were transported, willed away to the Islands of the Blest-the Hesperides-by the final act of their dying patron, Pan. Thus, we are told, did the First Age of the Old World come to its end: with the departure of Twelve Nations of Fairy. (The Hill Folk of Scotland and Ireland were, in fact, near cousins and of a single nation). And no sooner had the Twelve established them- selves in the New World, than they were joined there by a Thirteenth. On the first morning of the first spring day, appeared, shining in the air, slender, golden people. Their garments were of richest silk, filigreed with serpents and flowering vines of silver. A tall, laugh- ing archer was among them-Prince Yi, the
にとどまったのはコウバルドだけだった。 こ
の誇りたかき木の精たちは、 新大陸への冒険
を恐れたがために、ついには人間によって、
子どもたちの玩具として永遠に木のなかに封
じこめられてしまったのである。
ドイツ帝国からは、ライン河に棲む水の精
に導かれて大艦隊が新世界への航海にでた。
乗りこんでいたのは、マインツ鉱山に棲む筋
骨たくましいドゥワーフたちだ。 この妖精は
大槌やうるはしをかついで地下に埋蔵された
財宝を掘り起こし、 神々の武器や女神の装身
具をつくるのがとてもじょうずだった。 ほか
にも、丸々とふとって全身を毛がおおってい
るヴィチトルンや、大森林地帯からは赤い帽
子をかぶった陽気な妖精ヒューチュンらが、
故郷のドイツを見捨てて船に乗りこんでいた。
つぎにつづいたのは東欧の妖精の一団だ。
雪におおわれたロシアの草原地帯、 無限に広
e
25
…only the Kobolds remained behind in their Scandinavian homeland. These proud tree spirits, having feared the adventure to the New World, were ultimately sealed forever inside wood by humans — turned into children’s toys for eternity.
From the German empire, guided by the water spirits of the Rhine, a great fleet set out on the voyage to the New World. Aboard were the powerfully built Dwarves from the mines of Mainz — sprites skilled at shouldering great hammers and chisels to dig up buried treasures, and at crafting weapons for gods and jewelry for goddesses. Also aboard were the plump, hair-covered Witchl, and from the great forest regions the cheerful red-hatted Hütchen — all abandoning their German homeland and boarding the ships.
Next to follow was a group of Eastern European sprites. From the snow-covered Russian steppes, boundless and fertile…
25
