2006-10-18 05:15:30 · 14 answers · asked by Michelle 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Mythology & Folklore
The tooth fairy comes when a child has lost a tooth. Commonly, she is very small, and she comes in the middle of the night. The child is to leave the tooth under his/her pillow, so that the tooth fairy can take it during her visit. Once she has taken the tooth, she leaves monetary reimbursement under the pillow, anything from ten cents to a dollar. (This action is done by a parent.) The teeth are then taken to her tower, and used for her purposes.
Pictures of the tooth fairy have been captured in everything from storybooks to art. The painter Maxfield Parrish is said to have depicted her once in the corner of a painting. Fairies in general are generally considered to be great influences in art, and folklore and legend surround each fairy tale. It is reasonable to think that the tooth fairy legend originated from a place where folklore and legend are tradition, namely, England or Ireland.
Tradition in England holds that if a child's tooth falls out, that child must drop it into a fire, to avoid having to look for it after death. While this tale is pretty chilling, this may be the origin of the importance of a lost tooth. This tale was handed down during the Middle Ages to smaller children during the teething stage. The addition of fire into the mix may have conjured up images of sorcery. Early alleged witches were often burned because people believed money appeared after they threw articles into fire. From this tale comes the importance of keeping a tooth. When a witch burned a piece of hair, clothing or teeth from a person, she supposedly obtained power over them. Parents may have scared children into keeping teeth or burning them themselves in order to keep themselves free of demon possession.
Even more interesting is the fact that Vikings had a "tooth fee," or a fee that was given to children upon the use of a tooth. The teeth were later strung to make jewelry, some researchers claim. This old legend is surrounded in mystery. Alongside it is the superstition in early Viking days that children's articles and pieces contained great power. Having an article of a child, or a child in your possession was supposed to bring power and luck in battle.
Today, this myth is regarded as no more than children's entertainment. Parents dutifully sneak into rooms at night, bearing gifts for the loss of a tooth. Perhaps it is a reward for a "passing of age." A lost tooth is one of the first signs of growing up. Perhaps it is felt that a piece of childhood is lost with every dropped tooth. Whatever the case, the tooth fairy lives on, carrying teeth away for uses that no one will ever know.
2006-10-18 05:18:22 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
i once heard this story that my mom's boy friend told me it goes like this:
there was once a old lady and she was very very nice and she would give all the little children candy and stuff for doing jobs for her and when they began to loes their teeth she would also give them money and stuff for the tooth, she was known as the toothfairy the parents in the area knew her because they bought vegatibles and fruits and stuff from her, one day these children had told their parents that they were going to go get something from the tooth fairy cause they had lost their teeth so the kids adventured off...... 3 days had passed so the parents became worried and eventually went to the old womens house and asked if she had seen them she said yeah 3 days ago they came and gave me their teeth but then one parent saw one of the childrens scarves in the home so what they did was took her and hung her on a board posted in the ground and they tortured her there was also a ring of fire around her but then a parent came running and said the kids were back and they had left to go get something with their money but got lost in the woods but it was too late to take her down....
legend has it that she eventually killed the kids in this stories kids.. also she travels by shadow so keep a light on after you loose a tooth and if you dont put your tooth under the pillow she will kill you
2006-10-18 17:59:31 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
As far as I'm concerned,there are many.I am one,just as I am a real Santa.I'm also an Easter Bunny.I don't think there was any one person that went around to people's houses at night and took the teeth.I mean,that would be REALLY hard to pull off.Not like Christmas that is on one specific night.And baby teeth are only precious to the parents.
2006-10-18 12:20:28 · answer #3 · answered by kimberli 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i dont think there ever was.....my belief is that a long time ago kids were not getting allowances and they had to find a way to get some,one of them lost their teeth and said it would be a good idea to tell their parents there was one fairy for your teeth and parents bought it,therefore kids GET money from them!!
2006-10-18 13:56:42 · answer #4 · answered by QUEEN K 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No. My parents would put 25 cents into a cup for me. We put our teeth into cups filled with water. I hope they threw my teeth away. That would be gross 20 years later to find a box with all of my teeth in it.
2006-10-18 12:27:11 · answer #5 · answered by missgigglebunny 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
i think that came from a real story long ago and it kind of changed over time.
2006-10-18 12:46:43 · answer #6 · answered by ray h 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
no...just a myth for kids.
It comes from the myth of brownies in European tradition, they would supposedly do useful things around the house in exchange for small treasures...like teeth=)
2006-10-18 12:18:02 · answer #7 · answered by Moosha 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
yes her name was rose. she died about 20 years ago. but she was not as nice as everyone makes her look. see she would kill you them take your tooth.
2006-10-18 12:18:39 · answer #8 · answered by Jennifer 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I don't know
2014-07-08 11:14:17 · answer #9 · answered by lucy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes but he changed his name to the
gay oral hygiene person.
2006-10-18 13:50:45 · answer #10 · answered by Meow the cat 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋