Unlike the
Christian folklore, demons in Germanic legends were not necessarily always evil. Imps were often mischievous rather than evil or harmful. In some religions, they were attendants of the
gods.
The Lincoln Imp inside the medieval
Lincoln Cathedral in
Lincoln, England. It has now become a symbol of the city. A legend in
Lincolnshire dating to the 14th-century recounts that the devil, being annoyed with the completion of the cathedral, paid a visit, accompanied by two imps who proceeded to wreak havoc in the building. An angel appeared and ordered them to stop. One turned to throw a rock at the angel and was instantly petrified. For the tiniest angel, with amethyst eyes, And hair spun like gold, 'fore the alter [sic] did rise, Pronouncing these words in a dignified tone "O impious imp, be ye turned to stone!" While his companion fled, the unfortunate imp remains enslaved by the Angel Choir at the east end of the cathedral. The imp is also depicted on the emblem of the local football team
Lincoln City F.C. They are also nicknamed The Imps.
Other descriptions Imps are often shown as small in stature and not good-looking. Their behaviour is described as being wild and uncontrollable, much the same as fairies', and in some cultures they are considered the same beings, both sharing the same sense of free spirit and enjoyment of all things fun. It was later in history that people began to associate fairies as being good and imps as being malicious and evil. However, both creatures were fond of
pranks and misleading people. Most of the time, these pranks were harmless fun, but some could be upsetting and harmful, such as the switching of babies or leading travelers astray in places unfamiliar to them. Although imps are often thought of as being
immortal, they can be damaged or harmed by certain weapons and enchantments, or be kept out of people's homes by
wards. Imps were also portrayed as
lonely little creatures in search of human attention, using jokes and pranks to attract human
friendship. This often backfired when people became annoyed with the imp's endeavours, usually driving it away. Even if the imp was successful in getting the friendship it sought, it still often played pranks on its friend, either out of
boredom or simply because this was the nature of the imp. This trait led to using the word “impish” for someone who loves pranks and practical jokes. Eventually, it came to be believed that imps were the
familiar spirit servants of
witches and
warlocks, where the little demons served as spies and informants. During the time of the
witch hunts, supernatural creatures such as imps were sought out as proof of
witchcraft, though often the so-called imp was merely a
black cat, a
lizard, a
toad or some other form of uncommon pet.
Objects Imps have also been described as being “bound” or contained in some sort of object such as a
sword or a
crystal ball. In other cases, imps were simply kept in a certain object, and then summoned only when their masters had need of them. Some even had the ability to grant their owner's wishes, much like a
genie. This was the object of the 1891 story
The Bottle Imp by
Robert Louis Stevenson, which told of an imp contained in a bottle that would grant the owner their every wish, but their soul would be sent to
Hell if they didn't sell the bottle to a new owner before their death.
Culture Imps can be found in art and architecture throughout the world, most of the time carefully and painstakingly hidden and only being found by the most interested and observant of people. ==See also==