Alexander Montgomerie in his poem 'Flyting with Polwart' calls the gyre-carling, the Scottish Lowland Queen of Elfame, Nicnevin, a name which suggests something diabolic, 'Nicnivin with hir nymphis in nomber anew'. The whole poem is devoted to the darker aspect of the fairies, so that the fairy rade appears almost like a rade ofwitches:

Some saidland a sho aipe all graithid into greine,

Some hobland one ane hempstalk, hovand to the heicht.

The King of pharie, and his Court, with the elph quiene,

With mony elrich Incubus was rydand that nycht.

[Motif: F252.2]