Nac Mac Feegle
The
Nac Mac Feegle, known also as the Wee Free Men, are a
fictional (thank goodness) type of
fairy appearing in the works of
Terry Pratchett. They are blue skinned and heavily tattooed, and all have red hair which is heavily braided. They talk in a heavy
Scottish accent (usually
Glaswegian, in the tribes so far encountered).
They have an apparently superstitious fear of their names being written down which turns out to be part and parcel of their fear of
lawyers. Their swords glow blue in the presence of
lawyers.
The Nac Mac Feegle make noteworthy appearances in the Discworld novels Carpe Jugulum and Wee Free Men.
Technically, the Nac Mac Feegle are a social grouping within the class of pictsies (see Picts, pixie).
The Nac Mac Feegle are quite possibly the only people to be kicked out of Fairyland for being drunk and causing fights.
Essentially, the structure of a Nac Mac Feegle tribe is made up of a kelda (the female chieftain), her husband, and her sons (i.e. the rest of the tribe).
Daughters, on coming of age, leave to become kelda of another tribe.
The males of the tribe are warriors, hunters, and foragers; Nac Mac Feegle foraging consists of taking anything edible that isn't nailed down, up to and including quite large cows if enough foragers can be gathered to do the lifting.
Among the warriors of each tribe is a gonagle, or war-poet, whose job is to create terrible poetry that is recited during battles to demoralise the enemy.
(The name is a homage to the notorious Scots poet William Topaz McGonagall.)
External Links