Little Fairies

History & Origin

"Little Fairies" is a lullaby that places the sleeping child at the intersection of two supernatural worlds: the fairies who must be shooed away, and the angels who are invited to take their place. This juxtaposition reflects a long tradition in British and Irish folklore in which fairies were regarded with wariness rather than simple delight — creatures capable of harm, particularly towards vulnerable infants.

The changeling tradition — the belief that fairies might steal a healthy child and leave a sickly substitute — was widespread in British and Irish folk culture well into the nineteenth century. Lullabies that explicitly dismissed fairies while invoking angelic protection made practical sense within this world-view: one set of supernatural beings is being actively replaced by a more trustworthy alternative.

The movement from fairy to angel in the song's structure mirrors the movement from playful wakefulness to holy rest. Fairies are creatures of the twilight, associated with mischief and the boundary between worlds; angels are guardians of sleep, associated with peace and divine protection. The parent is making a request of the universe: let the one depart and the other arrive.

The lullaby has a beautiful alternating structure — hush-a-bye chorus, fairy dismissal, hush-a-bye, angelic invitation — that creates a settling, hypnotic rhythm.