Gremlins: Highly Mechanical Creatures In Mythology

MessageToEagle.com – The tendency to attribute inexplicable events to non-human causes has a long tradition. It’s an explanation common in everyday life.

These non-human causes are – gremlins, fantastic, gnomelike creatures and highly mechanical makers of mischief, which are believed to take a delight in causing all kind of technical problems.

Perhaps many of us do not believe in gremlins, but they have an important place in mythology.

Gremlins are responsible for certain, often unpleasant events and in fact, they fulfill several functions.
Sometimes, we joke about them, but at the same time, we use these creatures to deflect responsibility for our own mistakes and blame them, instead.

They are the youngest of all the creatures in the monster pantheon. Born in the United States, gremlins, live around tools and inside machines and appliances. They have a specific interest in aircraft but also tamper with all kinds of machinery.

The name gremlin comes from the Old English word ‘gremian’ (to vex) is mentioned  in Brewer’s ‘Dictionary of Phrase and Fable’ when a Squadron of Bomber Command serving on the North West Frontier in India in 1939, began to have numerous difficulties with its aircraft.

They couldn’t find the cause of the malfunction and simply blamed Gremlin, a mischievous fairy with an intimate knowledge of aerial sabotage, for it.

The original description of gremlins were that of tiny humans with elf-like ears and yellow eyes, wearing miniature overalls, and carrying tools sized for them yet somehow still eligible to be used as if they were of the correct size.

Nowadays there is a more popular image of gremlins. Short beast-like creatures with very large ears, like those in the movie Gremlins.

Gremlins ‘terrorized’ humans by blunting tools, pushing hammers onto thumbs, playing with the hot and cold water in showers, holding down the toasting mechanism and burning toast.

In World War II, Royal Airforce pilots used to blame gremlins — for aircraft malfunction. Gremlins turned against mankind when mechanics and scientists began to take credit for gremlin work.

They were responsible for mechanical failures in aircraft at times when it was most needed. They did it to both sides of the war, proving indifferent and taking no sides in the conflict except that against humans.

A skilled gremlin was able to take apart a whole engine before he realises the fault could have been corrected by the tightening of one screw.

MessageToEagle.com via AncientPages.com

source: Wikipedia

Digital Library/HSP