This is a variation of the tooth fairy which my informant’s parents used to tell my informant and her brother. According to her parents, she had a tooth fairy named Sophocles while her brother had one named Socrates. In the night, if one of them lost a tooth,he/she would put it under their pillow. Then the corresponding fairy would come by, write a note, and leave money. It was usually a simple letter saying thank you, and in response, the person who lost the tooth would have to write a note back saying thank you for leaving a gift.

According to my informant, her fairy had 5 kids and a dog. Both she and her brother lived in the far away kingdom of Xanthus where, in her words ‘No ship, rocket, or plane could get there because it’s a magic kingdom’

My informant said that when she was young, this story excited her and made her believe in the myth. At one point, when she was in 4th grade, she wrote a story about her tooth fairy and she actually won a prize. Unfortunately, she forgot what it was. It wasn’t until her last tooth fell out in 8th grade that she stopped believing in the tooth fairy.

Analysis

This version of the tooth fairy myth is specifically tailored to these children, in my opinion. In accordance with usual practices, the tooth fairy still leaves money under a person’s pillow and takes their tooth in the end. The differences lie in the backstory of these fairies, and that they differ a lot from most traditional narratives of the tooth fairy. The story is tailored to whet the appetite of children and get them to believe in the story. Furthermore, there are also many humanizing elements about the fairies, including having kids and dogs, which makes the fairies much more sympathetic to humans and make them resemble less of mystical creatures. In the end, I believe this was done so that my informant’s parents could keep the childish wonder alive.