 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Imp" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(June 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Animp is aEuropeanmythological being frequently described infolklore andsuperstition. The word may perhaps derive from the termympe, used to denote a younggrafted tree.
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 thedevil are sometimes described as imps. They are usually described as lively and having small stature.
TheOld English nounimpa meant a young shoot orscion of a plant or tree, and later came to mean the scion of anoble house, or a child in general.[1] Starting in the 16th century, it was often used in expressions like "imps of serpents", "imp of hell", "imp of the devil", and so on; and by the 17th century, it came to mean a small demon, afamiliar of awitch. The Old English noun and associated verbimpian appear to come from an unattestedLate Latin term *emputa (impotus is attested in theSalic law), the neuter plural ofAncient Greek:ἔμϕυτος 'natural, implanted, grafted'.[2]
Unlike theChristian 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 thegods.[3]
A legend inLincolnshire 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!"[4]
While his companion fled, the unfortunate imp remains enslaved by the Angel Choir at the east end of the cathedral.[5] The imp is also depicted on the emblem of the local football teamLincoln City F.C. They are also nicknamed The Imps.
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 ofpranks 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 beingimmortal, they can be damaged or harmed by certain weapons and enchantments, or be kept out of people's homes bywards.
Imps were also portrayed aslonely little creatures in search of human attention, using jokes and pranks to attract humanfriendship. 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 ofboredom 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 thefamiliar spirit servants ofwitches andwarlocks, where the little demons served as spies and informants. During the time of thewitch hunts, supernatural creatures such as imps were sought out as proof ofwitchcraft, though often the so-called imp was merely ablack cat, alizard, atoad or some other form of uncommon pet.[6]
Imps have also been described as being “bound” or contained in some sort of object such as asword or acrystal 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 agenie. This was the object of the 1891 storyThe Bottle Imp byRobert 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 toHell if they didn't sell the bottle to a new owner before their death.
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.[clarification needed]
| Subgenres |
| ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Media |
| ||||||||||
| Awards | |||||||||||
| Fandom | |||||||||||
| Tropes |
| ||||||||||
| Related | |||||||||||
