Whuppity Stoorie

There once was a woman named Rae, whose husband was a drunken fool. He traveled to a far-off fair, only to never return. Thus he left her with an infant son and owned nothing but an old pregnant sow.

The sow hog was close to farrowing, and Rae hoped for a suitable litter. One day she went to the pig pen and found the sow close to death. Rae was distraught and cried out in sadness. What could she and her babe do without the money from selling the piglets?

No sooner had she cried out and a Fairy woman appeared. The Fairy asked Rae what she would give her if she helped the pregnant sow. Rae promised the Fairy anything that the Fairy asked for. So the Fairy saved the pregnant sow, and then for payment, she demanded Rae’s baby boy.

This upset Rae and caused her much distress. She, the Fairy, takes anything but her son. She even offered the sow and piglets if the Fairy would forget about taking her only child. She pleaded to no avail.

The Fairy did tell Rae that under Fae laws, she had three chances, over the next three days, to stop the Fairy before the Fairy could claim the infant. The Fairy told her that Rae could only stop her by telling the Fairy her given name.

Rae was distraught that night when she went to sleep. The following day, the Fairy showed up. Poor Rae attempted to guess the Fairy’s name. Sophie, Mildred, Oglefox, none of the nom de plumes Rae said were the correct ones, and the Fairy laughed and left.

The next day, the Fairy showed back up for the second attempt. Rae tried to guess again. Maeve, Athena, Siobhan, but not one of the names she said were the Fairy’s name. The Fairy laughed evilly and left again.

In despair, Rae took a walk in the woods. However, she couldn’t enjoy the beauty around, with the weight of the Fairy’s demand on her. So she just walked and continued to think about what the Fairy’s name could be. Eventually, Rae came upon a quarry. Here, she spied the Fairy, so she hid behind a tree before being seen.

The Fairy sat at a spinning wheel, singing away while she spun a beautiful gossamer thread. The song went something like this:

“Little knows our good dame at hame,

That Whuppity Stoorie is my name!”

Having heard the Fairy singing this song, Rae snuck off and ran home. She was so very excited. She now knew the Fairy’s name. Rae once more pleaded with the Fairy to take the pregnant sow, the piglets, or even herself but to leave her infant babe alone. The Fairy scornfully asked what she would want with such a person as Rae. Rae then said she knew she was unworthy of tying shoestrings such as Whuppity Stoorie.

Whuppity Stoorie was fixing to grab the infant when Rae spoke the name. The Fairy froze, looked at Rae, and screamed. She wanted to know how Rae had figured it out. Fairy even screeched something about what Rumplestilskin must have told her. Whuppity Stoorie yelled and threw a fit to equal the best toddler temper tantrum ever. The Fairy went storming off, but before she left, she glared one last time at Rae and threw something in with the pregnant sow.

In the same instant, Rae’s foolish husband appeared, and sizing up the situation, he struck Whuppity Stoorie across her head with his walking stick. The blow killed the Fairy instantly.

Rae ran to check on her pregnant sow to ensure she was alright. But sadly, the sow lay there dead.