Dear dho1115-ga
Thank you for allowing me to answer your interesting question. The
origin of the long-standing fable of the Tooth Fairy is unclear and
often disputed. It can however be traced to various myths and
traditions dating back to early England and even as far back, perhaps,
as ancient Viking superstition.
?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.?
The Viking custom is similar and may in fact be where our entertaining
tradition of placing a coin under the pillow originated:
?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.?
THE TOOTH FAIRY HISTORY
http://azaz.essortment.com/teethfairieshi_rird.htm
There are, in fact, so many other Tooth Fairy myths and traditions
that it is virtually impossible to determine where today?s version
came from. Perhaps it is a mix of many traditions given the
multicultural nature of American society. You can read about many of
these traditions here. In them you will find some similarities to
today?s version of the myth and maybe even some interesting and
long-forgotten differences:
TOOTH FAIRY AROUND THE WORLD
http://www.toothfairys.net/aroundtheworld.htm
In short, it is widely believed that the Tooth Fairy traditions
practiced today are most likely result of primitive European folklore
of House Elves or Brownies who will often perform useful tasks or
exchange valuable treasures for things humans view as mundane or
useless. In more recent times the Tooth Fairy is largely the result of
literary tales and children?s stories:
?The tooth fairy as we now know her didn't make an appearance until
the early 1900s, as a generalized "good fairy" with a professional
specialization. The child loses a baby tooth, which is put under the
pillow at night, and the tooth fairy exchanges it for a present,
usually money but sometimes candy. Exchanges of this sort are common
in many rites of passage (like an exchange of rings at a wedding,
say).
The tooth fairy grew slowly in popularity over the next few decades.
The Tooth Fairy, a three-act playlet for children by Esther Watkins
Arnold, was published in 1927. Lee Rogow's story "The Tooth Fairy"
appeared in 1949 and seems to be the first children's story written
about the tooth fairy. She became widely popular from the 1950s
onward, with a veritable eruption of children's books, cartoons,
jokes, etc., including more focus on children's dental hygiene.
Parents cheerfully bought into the idea and the tooth fairy became
part of family life. The 1980s saw the commercialization and
merchandising of the tooth fairy, with special pillows, dolls, banks,
etc.?
THE STRAIGHT DOPE
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mtoothfairy.html
I hope you find that my answer exceeds your expectations. If you have
any questions about my research please post a clarification request
prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating and your
final comments and I look forward to working with you again in the
near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher
INFORMATION SOURCES
WIKIPEPDIA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_fairy
THE STRAIGHT DOPE
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mtoothfairy.html
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