Fairies; what are they?

 What do you think of when someone mentions a fairy? Some people imagine little creatures with wings, some imagine elf alike creatures who have many skills, some think of beautiful women who might completely take over your mind with their powers. I think there are diferent kinds of fairies, just like there are diferent kinds of bears or cats. Some of them might be small and have houses made of mushrooms, while other might be beautiful spirits of the women. Through the history, fairies ahve appeared in each one of these forms, from canibalistic creatures from hell to little beings that guide our houses. I will analyze their appearance through past and present.

 Fairies come from a kind of magic world which consists of four parts and one of them bellongs to fairies. Most of the humans can not see this world, but there are some ways of getting into it. For example, if you get in a fairy circle while they are dancing. Dancing is really important to fairies and if you get into one of their circles you might end up in The Fairy World or they might make you dance untill you die. If you end up in fairy world, you must not eat anything they offer you because that is how they trap people inside of their worlds. If you do eat of drink something and they trap you, once you get back to human world, if you come back, even though it might seem like you were gone for one day, in our world it´s been five or more years. Time runs slower in fairy lands.

 In Scotland, it is believed that fairies have two courts; Seelie and Unseelie court. Seelie court is the court of good fairies who like to come out to see the sun and will help you if you help them. Enseelie court is the court of so called evil fairies, the ones who prefer to hide in the dark and play tricks on silly humans.

Norse trolls

 Fairies are known in most of the cultures in Europe, they appear in some other shapes in India and other countries in Asia and as spirits in America. Many of these cultures worshiped them and many neo-pagans worship them today. This kind of worhiping is not really something that you probably think of when you hear this word. It means going to the wood, wishing well to the nature and maybe leaving a gift for them, they apparently really like cheese, milk and cake.

 We can sepparate fairies in a few ways, but the most common way is according to four elements.

~WATER FAIRIES

~EARTH FAIRIES

~AIR FAIRIES

~FIRE FAIRIES

 IMPORTANT: Know the difference between elves and fairies.

 Elves are magical creatures and they can be quite tricky, just like fairies, but they are not the same thing. They live in clans in nature and they are known for exchanging children with humans or just leaving their children to humans. If they leave their child to humans and humans take care of it, they will give those nice humans happines and lots of treasure.

 Dwarfs are another kind of magical creatures very different from fairies and elves. There are light, dark and grey dwarfs.They are known for not supporting industry and technology because they prefer nature and for the things to stay as they were at the beggining of the world. Some of them are goblins, real dwarfs who are known for being very friendly and spending a lot of time in mines, uldars, gnomes, alvenses, trolls and others.

Sir Joseph Noel´s representation of fairies from 19th century

THROUGH HISTORY

 The first „real“ fairies were from Ireland. Irish people are the first ones who started to believe in creatures we today know as fairies. They were called Tuatha De Danann or Sidhe and they lived in Tir na nOg. They are those who became hero fairies of medieval times. These fairies helped king Arthur and that´s what they are the best known for. After the discovery of America, when Elizabeth was the queen, people started to think of them as of devil´s creatures. The look on fairies we have today came through the 18th and 19th century.

It is said that fairies have danced where we ca find flowers, stones or mushrooms making a fairy ring/circle

FAIRIES THROUGH THE WORLD

 These are some of the names used for fairies in different cultures.

AFRICA: Abatwa, Takolush, Yumboes, Bakhna, Rakhna...

AUSTRALIA: Mimis

DENMARK: Ellerkonge (king of dwarfs)

FINLAND: Tomtre

DEUTSCHLAND: Dwarvf, Nixie, Weisse Frau...

GREECE: Nimphs

ICELAND: Ille (trolls), Fylgiar, Vardogl

ITALY: Tolleti, Basadone, Candela, Giane, Silvani...

MEXICO: Zip, Jimanino

WALES: Bwca, Gwragedd Annwn, Gwyllion, Bendith y mamau...

SCOTLAND: Fach, Urisk, Troopings, Selkie, Shellycoat, Bodach, Bean-nighe...

IRELAND: Ballybog, Banshee, Cluricaun (drunk elf), Finvarra, Gentry, Phooka, Roanes (water fairies)...

FRANCE: Feés, Gobelin, Grimelin...

 There are many more because through history fairies have sneaked in almost every culture.

Elsie Wright and a fairy

Frances Griffith and fairies

PLACES KNOWN FOR FAIRIES AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE SEEN THEM

 On the blog I have had before I wrote a whole article about the Cottingley fairies case. It is a true story of cousins Frances Griffith and Elsie Wright who took photos of fairies in Cottingley in England when they were kids to proove their parents that they played with them. Photos got to Sir Arthur Coonan Doyle and Edward Gardner who believed in fairies. The gave photographs to experts who proved they were not faked. The world was sepparated into those who thought photos from 1917 were fake and those who said they were real. The girls have finnaly admited that photos were fake in the 80s, but they never stoped claiming that fairies are real.

 In England, highlands Burrow is known for fairies. Dartmoore in Devon is said to be gathering place for elves. West of Sussex, on the Harrow hill is „the last fairy residence in England“ where fairies have left from when the archeologists came. Willy Howe is a large round barrow near Wold Newton in Humberside where a man was apparently offered by wine from fairies, but he refused knowing they would trap him, but he kept the „fairy cup“. On the Eildon hill in Scotland fairy queen put a spell on a poet called Thomas so when he came back from fairy world after seven year, he could speak only true. In Ireland, it is said that fairy queen and king are burried on the Knockmy hill in Galway. The lake Lough Gur leads to Tir na nOg. 

Tuatha De Danann

 

Ravijojla, a fairy from the Serbian ep

 There are plenty legends about fairies. Many people believe in them, having different theories on have they look, where are they from and why can´t we see them. I personnaly believe in fairies. I do not really know why. I just want to believe in them. There are hundreds of species humans have not discovered yet, so why wouldn´t fairies and elves and mermaids be some of them? I am not sure how would I describe fairies I believe in. I think there might be different subspecies of them. I think they are actually very intelligent and advanced. More advanced than humans, and that´s why we can not really see them. But their technology or magic is not perfect. That´s why sometimes some people see a bit of them. I do not believe in these fairy lands in which fairies drag humans or there courts and stuff like that. I think those are just legends, but I do believe in their magic. I´ll keep looking for them as long as I am alive and I hope one day I shall find and meet them.

 What do you think? Do you believe in fairies? Did you ever see any?