Gremlin

Gremlins, also known as Yehudis, are small, impish creatures originating in British folklore through the early 20th century.

Description:
Gremlins are described as gnome-like imps or demons, likely based on old folklore of goblins and fairies. They were thought to be skilled craftsmen with an extreme proficiency in all types of machinery, but who were also filled with the intent of causing all sorts of machine-based havoc, especially in aircraft.

Physical descriptions vary. In some cases, they were described as small elfish human-like beings wearing bright red double-breasted frock coats, old fashioned feathered hats, and pointed shoes, with skin colors ranging from pink, gold, green and red. Other descriptions are more sinister and animalistic, with hairy bodies, large pointed ears, deep red (and sometimes glowing) eyes, and horns. Still other descriptions state they were vaguely reptilian creatures with hairless grey skin and large mouths filled with teeth. They were also described as looking like jackrabbits, bull terriers, or some combination of both. They were even described as wispy entities made of smoke. Other discernable features that were commonly described include webbed hands and feet, fins and bat-like wings. Their size ranged anywhere from six inches to three feet.

Early Attributions:
Gremlins were thought to have been quite benevolent before the 20th century, and were attributed with helping out humankind with many of its major technological discoveries. They were credited with helping in the creation of the steam engine and with assisting Benjamin Franklin's work with electricity, among other things.

First Mentions:
Gremlins were first mentioned in the early 1900s, the most notable early mention of them being in a British newspaper called the Spectator."'The old Royal Naval Air Service in 1917 and the newly constituted Royal Air Force in 1918 appear to have detected the existence of a horde of mysterious and malicious sprites whose whole purpose in life was…to bring about as many as possible of the inexplicable mishaps which, in those days as now, trouble an airman’s life.'"

Popularization:
Gremlins began to become increasingly popular in 1923, when a British pilot crashed his plane and reported that the crash had been caused by a legion of tiny creatures which followed him on board and caused havoc mid-flight. The story quickly spread, and before long many other British pilots began to complain about interactions with said creatures. Gremlins were attributed with causing engine failures, electrical malfunctions, communications shutdowns, bad landings, freak accidents, etc.

Lindbergh's Account:
One of the most notable reports of gremlins in this period was made by Charles Lindbergh, who made the historic nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic from New York to Paris in May 1927. Said historic flight is from where Lindbergh's account comes from. After 9 hours being airborne, he reported suddenly feeling detached from reality and finding himself surrounded by several strange looking beings within his cabin, which spoke to him and had an complex understanding of navigation and aviation. Strangely, rather than causing mischief, Lindbergh's report states that ht gremlins chose to help him, keeping him alert and reassuring him he'd be safe. Lindbergh kept this story to himself until it was published in his 1953 book The Spirit of St. Louis. Other reports from around the same time period as Lindbergh's also told of benevolent behavior by the gremlins, helping pilots avert disaster.

WWII:
The most intense period of reported gremlin activity was during WWII, especially in the UK and its RAF. The Battle of Britain, an air campaign waged against the UK by Germany's Luftwaffe saw so many cases of gremlin activity that the British Air Ministry acknowledged the reports and made a serious effort to investigate the gremlins. The Ministry made an attempt to reduce reports of gremlins by having the fictional Pilot Officer Percy Prune write an official document on all of the gremlins' exploits and how to placate or distract them, as well as giving tips such as showing bravado and not being arrogant, which apparently attracted the creatures. Posters warning about gremlins were even made, and the following ditty was posted on many bulletins:"'This is the tale of the Gremlins As told by the PRU At Benson and Wick and St Eval- And believe me, you slobs, it’s true. When you’re seven miles up in the heavens, (That’s a hell of a lonely spot) And it’s fifty degrees below zero, Which isn’t exactly hot. When you’re frozen blue like your Spitfire, And you’re scared a Mosquito pink. When you’re thousands of miles from nowhere, And there’s nothing below but the drink. It’s then that you’ll see the Gremlins, Green and gamboge and gold, Male and female and neuter, Gremlins both young and old. It’s no good trying to dodge them, The lessons you learnt on the Link Won’t help you evade a Gremlin, Though you boost and you dive and you jink. White one’s will wiggle your wing tips, Male one’s will muddle your maps, Green one’s will guzzle your glycol, Females will flutter your flaps. Pink one’s will perch on your perspex, And dance pirouettes on your prop, There’s a spherical middle-aged Gremlin, Who’ll spin on your stick like a top. They’ll freeze up your camera shutters, They’ll bite through your aileron wires, They’ll bend and they’ll break and they’ll batter, They’ll insert toasting forks into your tyres. And that is the tale of the Gremlins, As told by the PRU, (P)retty (R)uddy (U)nlikely to many, But a fact, none the less, to the few.'"At first, gremlins seemed to only be reported among British aircraft, and there were suspicions that the gremlins had sided with the enemy. However, it quickly became apparent that the gremlins took no sides, as there were enemy reports of gremlins as well. When American pilots came to assist the UK, they too reported incident with the gremlins. The Americans nicknamed them Yehudis after a famous violinist at the time, since they were "always fiddling."

L.W.'s Account:
Known only as L.W., this American Boeing B17 pilot had a notable encounter with gremlins. He reported that, while on a combat mission and taking the plane up into the air, he heard a strange sound coming from the engine and his instruments began to go haywire. He turned to see a freakish entity on his plane's right wing, and another dancing on the plane's nose. He at first thought he was hallucinating, but stated he felt sharp and in control of his senses. After some maneuvers, he managed to knock the creatures off of his plane, however he later stated he was unsure whether they fell to their death.

Depopularization:
Reports of gremlins slowed down at the end of WWII, and by the 1950's airmen very rarely ever mentioned gremlins. The military began to greatly discourage talk of the creatures, and today their alleged existence is used mostly in a joking way.

Popular Culture:
The 1984 movie Gremlins was most likely inspired by the havoc-wreaking creatures described in WWII.