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We all know the story: once a child loses their tooth and places it under their pillow, the tooth fairy will come and take the tooth away, leaving behind a treat or money in return. The thrill of exchanging old teeth for something new, or the legend of the Tooth Fairy, is widely believed to come from European folklore.
It all started as a superstition: that if a you buried a tooth in a garden or field; a child would grow, kind of like a seed. As long as the witch didn’t come snatch the tooth first and cast a spell on it, the tooth would grow a mouth, and then the rest of a child.
Some people even threw baby teeth in the fire, when they got older, to ensure that they were free of any hexes or magic. The rite became so popular that they were running out of places to plant teeth, and instead put them under pillows.
England, Australia and most of Canada share the same tale nowadays, of a winged fairy that comes to take away the baby tooth in exchange for a gift. In France, Quebec, Spain and Mexico children believe that a magical mouse takes the tooth in exchange for treasure. In French he or she is called La Petite Souris and in Spanish, Ratoncito Perez.
In many other parts of the world, children actually throw the tooth onto the roof, in hopes that an animal will bring them a new adult tooth. In Sri Lanka, a squirrel is the tooth taker, in India, it is a sparrow, and in Africa, it is a lizard.
So what does the fairy, mouse, or rabbit do with these teeth? Some of the beliefs are that these creatures are building a castle in the sky, using them as money, making them into stars, or are keeping them in a large safe. We don’t know for sure, so we can’t tell the tooth, but we’ll leave it to your imagination!
