The Tooth Fairy in fairy lore has been with us for centuries. This fabulous Fae originated in the Norse Eddas in the thirteenth century C.E. It is a Northern European tradition, even the Vikings practiced it!
According to folklore, Vikings paid their children for their fallen out teeth. The legend in Norse culture continues, the children’s teeth and their objects supposedly, brought good luck during a battle, and the Norse warriors hung children’s teeth as a necklace on a string to wear around their necks.
Meanwhile, back in jolly old England, Christianity had lit the flame of ‘War on witches.'(innocent women that were healers and herbalists helping their folk, used and sacrificed as scapegoats by a patriarchy clergy.)
The villagers were encouraged by their superstitious clergy to bury or burn their children’s fallen out teeth. Medieval Europe folklore, deemed if a witch poached one’s tooth, that person would be oppressed and commanded by the witch to serve his/her’s orders.
The custom of replacing a child’s dispelled tooth with a coin or money traveled across the Atlantic to North America. A 2013 study was done by Visa Inc. On average in the U.S. a child that places money under their pillow receives a gift from our tooth loving fairy amounts to $3.70 USD.
Source and References:
Clark, Cindy Dell. “Flight Toward Maturity: The Tooth Fairy” in Flights of Fancy, Leaps of Faith: Children’s Myths in Contemporary America. University of Chicago Press, 1995. pp 355-364.
Val is a writer of enchanted tales, folklore and magic. Once chased by Vampire Pumpkins! 
Wow! A hardcore life lesson. Thanks for sharing.😀
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Great post! I Remember that a cousin hid his teeth and used the lack of money to prove to his parents that the Tooth Fairy must not exist as they weren’t replaced. His parents promptly said that no more money could be expected, as the magic of childhood stops once you start to ask for adulthood proof.
He did not conduct a sequel experiment in relation to Santa!
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