The Story of My Ainsel (My Own Self)
Every parent will empathize with this story. This is about Myself, or My Ainsel, or, Ma ain self. Depending on where you are from but the refrain for a young child usually has the same meaning, whether they want to be by themselves, or do something by themselves, or are in fact by themselves.
The Origin Story
A mum and a young son lived together in a cottage. Now where the cottage was situated, lots of Fae folk lived. Now one night the young boy refused to go to bed when his mother asked him, so after a while she went to bed herself and left him by himself. Shortly afterwards a young Fae appeared out of the chimney and introduced herself as 'My own self'. The young boy said that he was also 'Ma ainsel'.
The two youngsters played together for a while. Then the young boy went to stoke the fire and a spark flew out onto the rug and burnt the young Fae's foot and she cried out in pain. A voice came down the chimney asking what the matter was. The young Fae shouted back that "Ma ainsel had burnt her foot with the fire." The voice said that if she had done it herself then she had no one else to blame. Then a large arm came down the chimney, grabbed the young Fae by the foot and dragged her back up the chimney. The young boy was so scared by all this that he never refused to go to bed when his mother asked again.
Known for its thatched-roof white cottages, a ruined castle, and the Black Bull Inn, which is Northumberland's only thatched pub.
Etal
Tucked away in a quiet valley, this 12th-century lead-mining village is built from honey-coloured stone around a peaceful central square.
Blanchard
Sitting right at the foot of the Cheviot Hills near the English border, these twin villages are famous as the northern finish (or start) of the Pennine Way.
Kirk & Town Yetholm
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