Imp

Lore & Background

Imps are often described as troublesome and mischievous more than seriously threatening or dangerous, and as lesser beings rather than more important supernatural beings. The attendants of the devil are sometimes described as imps. They are usually described as lively and having small stature. Unlike 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. 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.

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. 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. 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.

Reader's Guide

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. 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. 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.

Did You Know?

• The word 'imp' may perhaps derive from the term ympe, used to denote a young grafted tree.
• The Old English noun impa meant a young shoot or scion of a plant or tree, and later came to mean the scion of a noble house, or a child in general.
• Starting in the 16th century, 'imp' was often used in expressions like 'imps of serpents', 'imp of hell', 'imp of the devil', and so on; by the 17th century, it came to mean a small demon, a familiar of a witch.

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