The word “faeries” can refer to the entire realm of fanciful beings, including elves, gnomes, pixies, and so forth. Here we shall focus on those fairies that are small, often tiny, creatures, some with beautiful, airy wings.
Fairy lore goes back to ancient times. The Tooth Fairy, Tinker Bell, and fairy godmothers have been around for generations. In the past few years we’ve been introduced to many new kinds of fairies. Flower Fairies seem to be the most popular among them.
Where do fairies come from? J. M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan, wrote, “…when the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies.”(1)
Celtic lore was that fairies were immortal. Fairies are thought to live in fairy mounds, caves, the hollows of trees, or other hidden places. Some fairies seem to be solitary creatures. Others live in communities and are subject to a Fairy Queen. Groups of fairies that move about are known as Trooping Fairies.
Up the airy mountain,
Down the rushy glen,
We daren’t go a-hunting
For fear of little men;
Wee folk, good folk,
Trooping all together;
Green jacket, red cap,
And white owl’s feather(2)
All fairies are capable of magic. A favorite magic trick is to make objects like rocks and leaves appear to be gold. How foolish and disappointed the person who has been tricked feels! Fairies also enjoy taking on the appearance of a beautiful butterfly and flitting about a human’s head.
Fairies, like elves, are known to be mischief-makers. They are said to enjoy mild pranks such as tangling a sleeper’s hair, or leading a traveler astray. However, should you spy on a fairy dance as they make fairy rings in the grass, or try catching a fairy, they might lure you to their cave and keep you there forever. Either that, or cast an enchantment, making you sleep for a hundred years or so. Still and all, a kind fairy might decide to bring you luck. Basically, you take your chances in encountering fairies!
So what is it about modern fairies that makes them so appealing? Number one is their beauty; they appear to us to be lovelier or more handsome than any human. Number two is their ability to create magic, either with a magic wand, fairy dust (also called “pixie dust”), or a combination of the two. And these we will explore in the next post.
Here’s to more whimsy in your life!
(1) J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens and Peter and Wendy, Oxford Press, 1999, p. 32. (according to Wikipedia)
(2) William Allingham, The Fairies, The Giant Golden Book of Elves and Fairies, Random House, 2008, p. 40
Check out Whimsmoore’s Elf Toy-of-the-Month™
Tags: Faerie Folk, fairies, Tinker Bell, tooth fairy
