In the Scottish folktale Redemption from Fairie Land, a young wife is stolen away from her home during childbirth. The next morning, what appears to be a corpse is discovered. However, her husband learns that the faeries have her spirit, and the "corpse" is nothing but wood. He is given instructions for how to rescue her and his infant son. He must first gain forgiveness for his wife (for telling him the secret) and then the woman's brother must wrestle her away from the fairie spirits. In the end, the woman and her newborn son are returned home.
The clearest archetype present in the tale is resurrection. The woman, although married, conveys the maiden archetype, and the husband plays her hero (monomyth). All evil takes place during the night, and goodness/realization come about in the morning, therefore illustrating a light-dark archetype. Also, the wife's ghostly form is dressed in white. Finally, the faeries function as evil tricksters, replacing the woman's body with a wooden corpse.
This tale is specifically Scottish in that the tricksters are faeries -- Scottish mythology features characters including faeries, brownies, mermaids, etc. Also, the Christian heritage of Scotland comes up in that the Reverend is the one who recognizes the evil deeds of the faeries. Often, Scottish faeries are defeated through Christian means. I wonder if the book in his pocket is a Bible, which he refuses to throw in the moat. The setting of the story is also quite Scottish (moat, bushes and brambles) and has a distinctly Scottish "feel" to it.
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