My Own Self

My Own Self, Me Aan Sel or Ainsel is a Northumbrian fairy tale collected by the folklorist Joseph Jacobs.

[1] The story tells how a fairy is outsmarted by a human child through clever wordplay.

They played together for a time, and when he stirred up the fire a spark landed on her foot and made her cry out.

Her mother's voice came down the chimney, demanding to know what had happened, and the girl said "Just my own self" had burned her foot.

Her mother told her that if she herself did it then she shouldn't make such a fuss about it, and a long arm came down the chimney to pull the girl back up.