GALLICENAE
Nine priestesses of Brittany, holy in perpetual virginity. They lived at an oracle for the Gallic god, and could raise the winds and seas, turn themselves into animals, cure wounds and diseases incurable by others, and see into the future.

GANCONER
Handsome, dashing, and totally unprincipled, the Ganconer truly lives up to his Irish name of Cancanagh or Love Talker. Playing enticing music on his flute, he wanders lonely valleys and copses, searching for an unnaccompanied sheperdess or milkmaid to seduce, and then disappears. The girl, having experienced a fairy lovemaking, is no longer content with the mortal world and pines and dies for him. Girls wishing to escape such a fate should keep away from fairy flowers: harebells, love in idleness, and especially the May bush.

GANS
Apache Indian shamans offer prayers to the gans wearing black masks and high headdresses made of wooden slats, and hold dances in ceremonial houses known as kivas. the gans are asked to drive evil spirits away and will use their considerable powers to attract good fortune if satisfied. Ironically, when the first white settlers arrived in America, they identified the gans with demonic spirits.

GHILLIE DHUS
Extremely shy, these sweet natured, docile and solitary Scottish wood sprites are clad in moss and leaves and live in birch trees. They are kind to lost children and show the hungry which nuts and berries are safe to eat.

GLAISTIGS
These female water sprites have the faces and torsos of beautiful and seductive women and the hairy horses and cloven hooves of goats, which they hide beneath their long, green, embroidered gowns and cloaks. The glaistig lures a man to dance with her by a highland loch before feeding on his blood. However, she has a kinder side and loves music, as well as sometimes helping children, old women or cattle tending farmers.

GLASHANS
These elemental spirits of the Isle of Man sometimes magnetise the stones which mark the road's edges. and these exert a strong pull on passing cars, causing them to swerve off the road despite the driver's best efforts.

GLASTYNS
Thes field sprites frequent farmhouses on the Isle of Man and help farmers with their chores, only asking for a bowl of cream at the day's end, much like the Brownie. They may also appear as small grey water horses or lambs, always with unusually long tails. They are not entirely benevolent, as those slighted have been known to run amok, raping women and destroying crops, usually when they or their families have been injured by the farmer's land clearance. Farmers should loudly explain their intentions as they walk past areas known to be inhabited by glastyns, giving them ample time to relocate.

GNOMES
Gnomes are about twelve centimetres tall and have pointed red caps and beards. They live for hundreds of years, and are generally helpful and benign, and live mostly on cereal and root vegetables. Some live underground, each family looking after a store of a mineral resource, and are able to swim, like North European Dwarfs, through the earth. Others live in the roots of trees in forests, helping milkmaids with milking, shepherds with rounding up sheep, and cobblers with shoemaking. They pioneered many crafts, such as weaving and woodworking, although they chose not to explore more complex technologies, thus avoiding the problems of industrialisation.

GOBLINS
The goblins resemble miniature humans, but their smiles of malicious mischief and depraved cunning have never been matched by those of humans. a goblin smile will curdle the blood, and his laugh sours milk and causes fruit to fall from trees. Their prime works o mischief are luck spoiling and weaving nightmares to be inserted in people's ears. They also enjoy tipping over pails of milk, hiding hens' eggs, pestering horses making them blow and stamp, blowing soot down chimneys, extinguishing candles in haunted houses, and altering signposts. They are able to communicate with wasps, mosquitos, hornets and flies, and enjoy directing them to humans or horses and watching the results with delight. Goblins have no actual homes, for although they may infest mossy clefts in rocks or roots in old trees, they are too capricious to settle down for long, and travellers can often hear their squeals and titters as they plot some fresh mischief. Their king is Gwyn ap Nudd, who rules them from the realm of Gwerddonnau Llion.

GRANTS
In England, a grant may appear as a yearling foal erect on its hind legs with sparkling eyes. It will appear in the streets in the daytime or at sunset, warning people of impending danger of fire by running about the streets, causing dogs to chase after it, although their efforts to catch it will be in vain.

GREEN LADIES
Usually found in elm, oak, willow and yew, but also pine, holly, ash and apple, these tree spirits are easily offended if their trees were not treated with respect, so one should ask permission from the resident of a tree before chopping a branch from it, and Derbyshire farmers still plant primroses at the feet of such trees in order to be rewarded with wealth and longevity. In Scotland, the same name was given to a phantom who would haunt a family just before a death was imminent, sometimes taking the shape of a bunch of trailing ivy.

GREMLINS
Mischievous spirits of tools and machinery, gremlins were said to have helped inventors and craftsmen to bring about the Industrial Revolution, but because they were not given any credit for this, began to channel their efforts into making life difficult for humans. They often caused machinery to break down at the most inconvenient moments during World War Two, making it rather surprising that Britain emerged triumphant in the end, and today infest houses, doing much the same thing to toasters, sewing machines and word processors as they did to aeroplanes. Gremlins are thought to be small with long, webbed feet which allow them to move quietly, green skin, pointed ears and mischievous smiles on their faces, as they are friendly pranksters rather than malicious goblins. Sometimes they are said to dress like mechanics, at other times they appear in spats, top hat and breeches.

GRUAGACHS
The females of this species of Highland Scots fairy have long fair hair and travel from village to village by water, helping to tend cattle. Because of their mode of transport, the gruagach tends to arrive at the farm door drenched, asking to dry herself by the fire. If she is admitted, she will be lucky around the house and serve the family well. The males help with farmwork, and wear jerkins of bright red and green leather. Rather like Brownies, they will happily serve their masters for nothing more than a cup of milk.

GUARDIAN SPIRITS
These may be more of a parallel to angels or gods than fairies, as they acted as supernatural teachers and guides of both the North and South American Indians. They often manifested in animal form and guided individuals through advice and songs, contacting them through dreams or other portents. One found his guardian spirit by going through a vision quest, at the end of which the spirit would appear to the person. In North America, all individuals were expected to find personal guardian spirits, whereas in South America, this was only the privilege of shamans. Guardian spirits are still popular today in New Age belief.

GUI
In China, these are souls of people who have not earned enough merit during their lives to warrant promotion to the afterworld, and must continue their miserable existences on earth, naturally making them angry and evil natured and eager to take revenge on those who sin, although they may act charitably towards their descendants. When displeased, at best they will merely overturn furniture and pinch children's faces, and at worst they will bring sickness and death. They resemble skeletons, except that their skulls are fronted with demonic faces, and tend to have long tongues. They have no legs, and so the males get around by jumping, and the females glide above the floor. Because they can only move in straight lines, putting a screen in front of a doorway in a room will frustrate them, as they will not be able to go round it, and roofs with upward curving gables will prevent them from sliding down them and pouncing on people below. They also shy from iron and steel, and if asked a riddle, they will ponder upon it for a while, then give up and go elsewhere.

GWRAGGEDD ANNWN
Beautiful blonde water maidens, the gwraggedd annwn of Wales live in rich palaces beneath lakes. By moving certain flowers or stones by these lakes, one can gain entrance to a secret passage leading to the lake's middle, where the gwraggedd annwn hold court surrounded by beautiful gardens and visitors are entertained with music and sweet foods. However, if the guest should take even a blade of grass as a souvenir, he will thus close the gate to this land forever. The gwraggedd annwn enjoy dancing in the meadow flats, wafting scarves of silver mist above their heads, and have been known to take on mortal men as husbands, producing children gifted in healing who often become famed physicians.

HAN XIANG ZI
Nephew of the celbrated scholar Han Yu, Han Xiang Zi lived in ninth century China and renounced public life to study with the sage Lü Dong Bin. They are both now members of the Ba Xian., or the Eight Immortals. Han Xiang Zi can make flowers grow and blossom at will, and his symbol is the flute.

HATHORS
Nature spirits in the mythology of ancient Egypt, the Hathors can be compared with North European Nornir, the Eastern European Uristory and the South European Fatae. When someone was born, seven of them would gather to plan the life of the child. The Hathors were often portrayed as the sky goddess Hathor, goddess of beauty, love, marriage and childbirth, who often took the form a gigantic cow.

HE XIAN GU
The only female among the Chinese Ba Xian, He Xian Gu is symbolised by the lotus. In life, she swore never to marry, and her stepmother did not know what to do with her. One day when she was cooking rice, she was attacked by a demon and rescued by Lü Dong Bin, who made her an immortal.

HILL PEOPLE
These Swiss dwarfs have lively, joyous dispositions, and are fond of strolling through valleys, viewing and partaking of the labours of agriculture. They are kind and generous, and will drive home lost lambs as well as leaving brushwood and berries for poor children. They keep cattle, and make excellent cheese from their milk, and this cheese, if cut or bitten into, will grow back to its original size, although it can be destroyed if completely eaten at one go.

HOBYAHS
These evil Bogies kidnapped people and imprisoned them in caves, where they had to mine for fairy gold before they were eaten for their pains. They were all extremely frightened of dogs, and with good reason, as they were finally all eaten by a big, black dog.

HÖDEKEN
A Kobold who lived in the palace of the Bishop of Hildeshein, his name meant "little hat", as he wore a small felt hat that hung over his face. He was usually kind and obliging, sometimes informing the Bishop of events to come and making sure the watchmen did not fall asleep, but it could be dangerous to affront him. A scullion who had habitually thrown dirty water and dirt at him was strangled one night, then chopped up and cooked. When the cook heard of this, he abused him, but was thrown in the moat. In the end, the Bishop was forced to banish and exorcise him.

HUACAS
Huacas in Inca myth were often just objects or places sacred because they were associated with important events, or simply becuase they were uniquely shaped. But sometimes they were stone forms of spirits or divine beings, and watched over fields. They were probably a form of elemental spirit. They can be compared with East Asian Kami.

HULDUFOLK
The Icelandic Elves. Their name means hill people, and they possess bodies and rational spirits, marry, have children, own cattle and other property, have poverty and riches, weeping and laughter, human affections, and have the length of their lives decided by God. Their political system is also like that of the Icelanders. Two viceroys rule over each tribe, and at the end of two years, they sail to Norway with some of their subjects to report to the ruler. Their subjects testify toward their charcacters, and if the viceroys have been bad, others are appointed in their positions. Newborn infants are prone to be taken by them if left unbaptised, and are replaced with the umskiptinger, or changelings. They live in the rocks, hills and sea, and may appear when it pleases them, usually when the sun is bright as they rarely see it in their dwellings. Sometimes on new year's night, they will change their habitations, and one can confront them in the roads at this time to get them to tell the future, but most, seeking favour with them, leave out food for them, and keep their doors open on that night.

HYTER SPRITES
Well intentioned fairies of East Anglia in England, these sand coloured sprites with green eyes can readily assume the form of sand martins, and thus disguised, rescue lost children and return them to their homes. If the child was lost and frightened due to his parents' neglect, the hyter sprite will admonish the adults severely, as he dislikes irresponsibility and carelessness.

ISKRZYCKI
According to a Slavic folk tale, Iskrzycki (whose name literally meant firestone) was a man like creature with horse's hooves whom a nobleman took in as a servant. When he noticed his hooves, the nobleman wanted to back out of the contract. but Iskrzycki insisted that he must keep to his word, and took p his abode invisibly in the stove. After a while, the household became accustomed to his presence, but the lady still disliked him and persuaded the lord to have them move to another castle. However, on the way to their new home, their carriage began to overturn, and as the lasy cried out, Iskrzycki's voice rang out from nowhere, saying "Iskrzycki is with you!" Seeing, that there was no getting rid of him, the lord and lady moved back, and lived on good terms with their strange servant until his term had ended.

JAGUAR SPRITS
In Olmec and Amazon mythology, these were snarling spirits with the heads of jaguars and the bodies of men, often with staring eyes, a double row of fangs, and skin with magical healing properties. They symbolised the supernatural world and the fertile aspect of the jungle, and can be compared to East Asian Fox Fairies. Even today, when a jaguar is to be killed, it must be stalked for three days first, then killed with a wooden spear.

JINN
Formed from "smokeless fire , the fire of the wind Simoom, these entities were created several millennia before Adam, and were governed by a succession of monarchs named Suleyman, the last of which was called Jân ibn Jân and built the pyramids of Egypt. However, becuse of their disobedience, they were punished and driven from the earth to the islands by the angels. Many were imprisoned or slaughtered, and one captured jinnee (a male jinn; the female is called a jinniyeh) known as Azâzel became an angel but refused to worship Adam and so was banished and became a sheytân or devil, the father of all sheytâns. The jinn are not immortal, but will survive mankind, and can be destroyed by men, other jinn, or shooting stars hurled at them from heaven. Because fire runs in their bodies instead of blood, once hit, they will burn to death. They eat, drink and can have children with other jinn or humans. Good jinn are of great beauty, while evil jinn are gigantic and horribly deformed. They hate iron, and the evil jinn can cause waterspouts and sandstorms. All jinn can change their shape and have great powers of magic. They also live in the mountains of Kâf, but some may take up residence in baths, wells, latrines, ovens, ruined houses, seas, rivers and market places. They can fly up to the lowest heavens and listen to the words of the angels, and from this can learn the future. Men, with the use of talismans or magic, can make them obey their words and ask them divulge their knowledge of the future.

JUNGLE SPIRITS
The Amazons believed in an amazing variety of ogres, demons and powerful spirits, often shaped like animals. Some of these were the ghosts of the dead, and they lived in a spirit world parallel to our own, running alongside to it. They could only contact these spirits through their shamans (see Guardian Spirits ) . They also regarded birds as demonic spirits, and dead spirits would sometimes battle them, often only to die the final death by being eaten by a a giagantic eagle.

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