Commonplace Folklore: Day XXI

Patricia Monaghan

elf-shot (elf-smitten) Folkloric motif. When fairies attacked a beast or person, they had more than magic to use as a weapon. They also had tiny arrows that they flung with great force so that, despite being almost invisible, they caused great damage. A single elf-shot could bring down a COW, so folklore tells us. Those injured by these darts fell into partial or full paralysis, still called by its old name of FAIRY STROKE.

Patricia Monaghan, The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore, published in 2004.