Fairies
A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of supernatural being or legendary creature, generally described as humanlike, found in the folklore of numerous European cultures, a form of spirit, often with incorporeal, supernatural, or preternatural qualities. Myths and stories about fairies do not have any one origin, but are rather an assemblage of folk beliefs from contrasting sources. A number of folk theories about the origins of fairies include projecting them as either downgraded angels or demons in a Christian tradition, as divinities in Pagan belief systems, as spirits of the dead, as prehistoric ancestors to humans, or as spirits of nature.
Fairies are generally described as human in appearance and having magical powers. Miniature fairies of various kinds have been reported through centuries, ranging from quite tiny to the size of a human. These small sizes could be magically assumed, rather than persistent. Some smaller fairies could expand their figures to imitate humans. In Orkney, off the north coast of Scotland, fairies were described as short in stature, dressed in dark grey, and sometimes seen in armor. In some folklore, fairies have green eyes. Some representations of fairies show them with footwear, others as barefoot. Wings, while common in Victorian and later representations, are rare in folklore; fairies flew by means of magic, sometimes perched on butterweed stems or the backs of birds. Modern illustrations often include dragonfly or butterfly wings.
Many of our modern ideas about fairies date back to Shakespeare and stories from the 18th and 19th centuries. While we can see the origins of fairies dating back as the Ancient Greeks, similar creatures are found in many cultures. The most primitive fairy-like creatures can be found in the Greek idea that trees and rivers had spirits called dryads and nymphs. Some people believed these creatures were in the beginning the gods of earlier, pagan religions that worshipped nature. Some they were replaced by the Greek and Roman gods, and then later by the Christian God, and became smaller, less powerful figures as they lost importance.
Fairies are generally described as human in appearance and having magical powers. Miniature fairies of various kinds have been reported through centuries, ranging from quite tiny to the size of a human. These small sizes could be magically assumed, rather than persistent. Some smaller fairies could expand their figures to imitate humans. In Orkney, off the north coast of Scotland, fairies were described as short in stature, dressed in dark grey, and sometimes seen in armor. In some folklore, fairies have green eyes. Some representations of fairies show them with footwear, others as barefoot. Wings, while common in Victorian and later representations, are rare in folklore; fairies flew by means of magic, sometimes perched on butterweed stems or the backs of birds. Modern illustrations often include dragonfly or butterfly wings.
Many of our modern ideas about fairies date back to Shakespeare and stories from the 18th and 19th centuries. While we can see the origins of fairies dating back as the Ancient Greeks, similar creatures are found in many cultures. The most primitive fairy-like creatures can be found in the Greek idea that trees and rivers had spirits called dryads and nymphs. Some people believed these creatures were in the beginning the gods of earlier, pagan religions that worshipped nature. Some they were replaced by the Greek and Roman gods, and then later by the Christian God, and became smaller, less powerful figures as they lost importance.
