Faery Folk, the lowdown - what you need to know!

Faery does not mean Tinkerbell you know. The myths and legends surrounding faeries are many and diverse, and often contradictory. Only one thing is certain - that nothing is certain. All things are possible in the land of faeries. Faeries are seen as living in everyday surroundings such as hills, trees and streams and mortals forever see fairy rings, fairy tables and fairy steeds in natural objects. Midsummer eve at dusk, especially if the moon is full, is precisely the best time for viewing faeries. Oak, Ash and Thorn are called the faery tree triad of Britain, and where they grow together, one can see faeries. The best place to look for faeries is 'tween places. Any place which is between, for example, where streams divide, road intersections, beaches and seashores, lakeshores, fences and border hedges, islands, thresholds, bends in the road, stairwells, landings and hallways, any opening in sea or land, glades in woods and tidal pools. A wash of marigold water rubbed on the eyelids will help to gain faery sight. Whatever you do, remember to only look! No matter how seductive the OtherWorld may be, anything more than a quick peak can be disastrous. Observing faeries in their natural habitat can bring hours of pleasure, however, a cautionary word is in order. Always remember faeries are tricky folk and in no way reliable and trustworthy! In folklore, faeries are generally considered benevolent towards humans. They are sensitive but mischievious, however, and often play pranks; so if their resentment is not to be aroused, they must be spoken well of and always treated with respect. The belief in faeries was an almost universal concept of early folk culture. Faeries are described as being "a few inches high, airy and almost transparent in body; so delicate in their form that a dewdrop, when they chance to dance on it, trembles, indeed, but never breaks." And remember, if your cat seems to be purrrsueing something INVISIBLE in your garden, it is probably a faery; all cats have faery sight.

Faery Origins

The mystery of Faery has been, from the earliest of times, a subject of human speculation. What are faeries? Where did they come from?

Norse mytholgy relates how the maggots from the corpse of the giant Ymir transformed themselves into the Light Elves and the Dark Elves. Light elves, living in the air, are benign, happy creatures, but the dark elves, whose domains are the underground regions, are swarthy, evil and blightning.

The Icelandic version, on the other hand, states that Eve was washing all her children by the river when God spoke to her. In her awe and fear she hid those children she had not already washed. God asked if all her children were there and she replied that they were. He then declared that those she had hidden from him would be hidden from man. These hidden children became the elves or faeries and were known as Huldre Folk in the Scandinavian countries. Huldre girls are exceptionally beautiful, but with long cowstails; or else they are hollow behind, presenting only a beautiful front. Thus they fulfil the deception of their origin.

Elsewhere faeries are believed to be fallen angels; or the heathen dead, not good enough for heaven, but not evil enough for to find a place in Hell - compelled to live forever "in between" in the twilight regions, the Middle Kingdom. In Devon for instance pixies are considered to be the souls of unbaptised children. However, these beliefs stem only from the advent of Christianity, baptism being unknown prior to that time, and hence cannot be regarded as reliable. Faerie is very ancient and predates Christianity by several millenia. Moreover it exists, and has existed, in varying forms, in many countries all over the world.

Others thought that the faeries were the angels that had been cast out of Heaven, some fell into the sea and some onto the land, where they would do no harm if left alone. In Wales was a belief that the faeries were neither the dead nor fallen angels, but a race of spiritual, invisible beings living in a world of their own.

Folklorists have put forth various theories about the origin of faerie beliefs as well. Some have felt that the faeries were based on memories of a previous, conquered people who were driven into hiding by the invaders, seen only rarely afterwards. This explanation fits with some stories of faerie encounters, particularly those that seem to have no magical component, and may play a part in the origins of faerie lore, but doesn't seem likely to be the only explanation.

Others who study faerie lore have felt that the faeries were originally local gods or nature spirits, over time dwindling in majesty and sometimes size until they became faeries. This explanation seems to apply well to some faerie folk, such as the Tuatha de Danann, as well as those faeries associated with a particular natural feature, such as a spring or tree. As with the previous theories it is probably not the only explanation, but rather one of many that has contributed to the origin of faerie lore.

Possibly the earliest myth concerning the origin of Faeries is that they are the elemental nature spirits of the trees, hills, and waters. Originally the Celtic 'Elf' referred to this creature, but was possibly replaced with fay and eventually faerie. The Celts had different names for spirits of different areas, for instance feld-elfen, wudu-elfen, berg-elfen and sae-elfen referred to elves of the field, wood, mountain and sea. The wood elves of Celtic origin are more recently considered a sub-type of faerie.

In one myth faeries were originally immortal beings who lived in Italy, as the Roman empire spread, so did the little folk, to France, and then to the British Isles. Faeries were kept out of Greece by competition with the indigenous Nymphs and Dryads. In Cornwall they also met with armed resistance from pixies, who managed to keep them from spreading in to that area. Originally Faeries bestowed gifts upon newborn children, while punishing mean adults, but they expanded to interfere in all parts of human life.

In a more likely myth, faeries are the spirits of the dead. This is supported by the fact that faeries are usually considered to live under large hills, many of which are the same mounds under which the ancient Celts buried their dead. An additional connection is that like the dead realm of Hades, faerie food must never be eaten, for once tasted, a mortal can never leave.

An attempt to interpret faeries in modern terms using the sciences of archaeology and sociology, explains faeries quite nicely (and rather boringly) as the legend of an aboriginal, stone-age rage, first encountered by the invading iron-wielding Celts. The smaller race, which would of-course be beaten by the stronger, more advanced invaders, would be quite fearful of the iron weapons of the invading race. This would explain the two most popular traits of faeries, their by now exaggerated diminutive size, and fear of iron. The larger race, might even be responsible for myths of giants as their size and power also became exaggerated through the years. A very tidy little myth explanation brought to you by science.

There are not only many theories about where the faeries came from, but many names for the otherworld that is their homeland. Many place the faeries on mysterious islands that cannot be reached easily, if at all, by mortals. One such is Hy-Breasail, said to reappear now and again in the Atlantic. In Wales the otherworld was Annwn, generally believed to be ruled by Gwynn ap Nudd, though in the Mabinogeon Arawn is said to be King of Annwn. For the Irish there are a great variety of names for the faerie lands; Tir Na Nog, the Land of the Young, Tir Innambeo, "The Land of the Living", Tir Tairngire, "The Land of Promise", Tir N-aill, "The Other Land", Tirfo Thuinn, "The Land under the Waves", Mag Mar, "The Great Plain," and Mag Mell, "The Happy Plain".

In English the spelling of the word "faery" has been as mutable as the faeries themselves. In early Britain, the Anglo-Saxons would have called such a creature by the name of aelf (elf), yet by Chaucer´s time the term "faery" appears to be in common usage. By the seventeeth century we find quite a eclectic array of f-words: faerie folk, fairfolks, farefolkis, pharie, phaereis, faerie, fairy, fairie, fairye, and faery. While no single name is more "true" than any other, for simplicity I use "Faery" (or "Faeryland") to mean the land itself, and "faery" or "faerie" to refer to one of its inhabitants. The realm of Faery is synonymous with the Celtic Otherworld, the Underworld, The Blessed Islands, Avalon, Tir-Nan-Og, Tir-Nan-Sorcha, the Astral Realms, the Innerworld - all are aspects of Faeryland in shifting, prismatic guise.

The Word Faery

The word "faery" originally derived from the Latin fatum, meaning destiny or enchantment. This word in turn relates to the Fates, those three omnipotent goddesses who spin, weave, and cut the threads of a man or a woman´s lifetime, governing past, present, and future. In Norse mythology, the Fates were called the Norns, or Wyrd (wyrd also meaning fate or destiny, hence Shakespears Weird Sisters). Fatum developed into fée (in French) and then into the English "fay" or "fae". An early meaning of faery was "fayerie": the specific state of enchantment created by a fay.

Faery women were once called "fateful women" (femmes fatal): desirable, seductive, empowered with supernatural gifts and with an intimate knowledge of the hidden powers of stones, plants, and all things natural. These women were the guardians of special groves, streams, wells, and other sacred places of beauty and power. In the role of muse, they inspired human poets, musicians, and artists...and still do so today.

There are a lot of people out there who do not have any belief in faeries. They think that they are just made up beings for children's stories. But faeries have been around forever, children see because they are not weighed down with adult worries. Faeries are a part of everyday life wether you believe in them or not.

Faerieland itself is very elusive. It is sometimes just over the horizon and sometimes beneath our feet. Yet there have been periods when faerieland was thought to be an actual geographical area, although even this has tended to shift. Faerie can reveal itself, bright and glittering without warning, anywhere and just as suddenly disappear. Its frontiers of twilight, mists and fancy are all around us and, like a tide running out, can momentarily reveal Faerie before flowing back to conceal it again. The inhabitents of faerieland can be divided into various different species according to habitat. In addition to the solitary-living faeries, there are many rural elf types who make their homes in the forests (or sometimes, more specifically, 'adopt' a tree to such an extent that the faerie and the tree become more or less synonymous), fields, hills and mountain caves. There are those that live on faerie islands or in countries under the oceans while there are also water faeries inhabiting the seas, lakes and rivers. Finally there are the domestic and house-spirits (brownies and so forth). Amongst the various species, life-styles vary considerably between the small family units, the hierarchically-organised communities (often inhabiting hollow hills) and the solitary independent faeries such as the Leprechauns.

The Dark Side of Faery

Faeries, like humans, are bound to nature and thus reflect its capacity for destruction as well as creation. Having studied faeries for many years now, I´ve learned that the dark side of these creatures must never be ignored - for it is extremely powerful, with the raw power of a natural force.

Of course it is usually the small irritations in life that are actually caused by the mischievous faerie. Tangles in human hair and horses´ manes are better known as elf-locks. Queen Mab for one... "plats the manes of horses in the night; And bakes the elf-locks in foulsluttish hairs, Which once untangled much misfortune bodes".

Numerous indeed are the folktales that remind us of the dangers of Faery and of the many treacherous creatures the unwary traveller might encounter in that realm. The lamia is a seductive faery woman who gives men pleasure beyond their wildest dreams, but she sucks their life´s vitality and leaves an empty husk behind. The lovely nixies who dwell in the rivers may be enchanting to look upon, but humans who spy on nixies at play are pulled into the water and drowned. The wail of the banshee foretells a death; Jack-In-Irons assults travelers on lonley roads; and the Red-caps earned their names by dying their hats in human blood. At certain times of year, (such as All Hallows´ Eve) it is wise to stay safely within doors, for the Faery Host goes rifing across the land hunting for souls. Scottish legends have a name for this dark side of Faery: they call it the Unseelie Court - and woe to any woman or man who underestimates its dangers.

On Dartmoor people are haunted by apparitions of sinister black dogs - a typical faery form. (Arthur Conan Doyle´s Hound of the Baskervilles was written near here and is based on one of these dark apparitions.) One stormy night a man was walking from Widecombe, high up on the moor, back home to his village. Suddenly the Wild Hunt was upon him. Jet-black hounds with glowing eyes were baying all around him, barely under the control of the weird Huntsman who led them. The man boldly asked what it was they hunted. Wordlessly, the Huntsman threw him a small bundle, gathered his dogs, and rode away. The man hurried across the moor, clutching the bundle. Only in the candlelight of his home could he see that he held the dead body of his own child.

The faeries take great umbrage at interruptions and interference. There are many accounts of men and women punished for interrupting faery revels, chopping down faery bushes and trees, or otherwise giving offence. A farmer in Cornwall decided to steal the stone basin from the local pisky´s well, with the intention of turning it into a nice new water trough for his pigs. He chained the stone to two oxen and pulled it to the top of a steep hill - whereupon the stone broke free of the chains, rolled downhill, made a sharp turn left, and settled back into its place. One of the oxen died on the spot and the hapless farmer was struck lame.

Like any supernatural encounter, meeting a faery - even one who is gentle and benign - is never a comfortable experience. But to meet one of the dark creatures from the shadowed depths of the faery Otherworld can be frightening indeed. As you travel into the faeries´ domain, it is best to be wary of things unseen and of the music that lures you into the woods. And always treat faeries with courtesy. You don´t want to make them angry.

Failed crops were once blamed on the mischief of malice of faeries. The Irish potato famine of 1846-47 was attributed by som country people to disruptions caused by various factions in Faeryland, and witnesses reported seeing great faery battles in the sky above the blighted fields. In those days, faeries were still known to have a profound effect on our physical and psychic well-being. They were known as the bestowers of special gifts and curses at the cradle: talents and handicaps, and luck both good and bad.

Childhood wasting illnesses were often attributed to the faeries. Sometimes children were stolen by the faeries and sickly replicas left in their place. These changelings wasted away and died, buried under the child´s name, while the real child remained a prisoner in Faeryland. In Armenia, the áls were spirits of disease blamed for causing miscarriages, blinding unborn children, and stealing infants away. In Persia the devs stole newborn babes and left withered changelings in their beds; in Japan it was the bakemono (goblins); in Malaysia, the bajang, an evil spirit in the form of a polecat. In West Africa, spirits called the abiku were known to be particualrly dangerous to children. Voraciously hungry, the abiku searched for vulnerable young bodies to enter in order to obtain food and drink, at which point the child´s own strength and health quickly deteriorated. In Germany, the pilwiz (an evil creature with a sickle on his big toe) was given food on Walpurgis Night to protect children from harm.

Many adult illnesses have also been attributed to faeries and spirits. The term "stroke" comes from Elf Stroke (or the Touch): invisible faery fingers stroking their victims into seizures. Amadán, the faery Fool of Irish folklore, was particularly feared in this regard; also known as the Stroke Lad, his touch caused crippling injuries and permanent paralysis. "Touched" is also a word still used today to refer to madness.

The arrows of Faery, called Elf Shot, created invisible wounds with fatal results, a phenomenon used to explain a variety of mysterious ills. Small flint arrowheads, which we now know were made by Stone-Age man, were attributed to the elves.

A faery´s glance or look could induce a state of trance, forgetfulness, even coma. The Faery Blast was an ill wind blowing nobody any good. Deformities, barrenness, cramps, slipped discs, and rheumatism were all considered faery work, while blindness could be caused by an angry faery spitting in your eye. Consumption was the results of nocturnal abductions to faery mounds. Squints and sneezes, pimples and poxes were alll evidence of faery influence, and cures were as various as ripping your shirt or washing in south-running water. A cure from 1574 recommends "oyle of bay on a linnen cloth" laid upon the afflicted place. Moss from the water of a millstream, aslt poured on the table, and the Lord´s Prayer said three times were each considered efficatcious against the faeries. Yet only a proper and stable relationship with the faeries could truly effect a cure or ward off such faery blights altogether. When treated in a respectful manner, the faeries brought people into a balanced relationship with the workings of their own bodies and the mysteries of nature.

Changelings

Faeries have a rather curious code of ethics for themselves. Whilst there is a definitive code of honor between the different denizens of the faerie world, a faerie will have no qualms at appropriating victuals, goods and livestock from mortals. Sometimes, as in the case of the Brownie who sat between two greedy servant girls and consumed most of the stolen junket they were eating, faeries will take advantage of their magical powers to remove food from under the very nose of those about to eat it.

Disturbingly, this faerie pilfering does not stop short of mortals, and particularly human babies who are greatly valued to inject new blood into this dwindling race. Golden-haired babies are at greatest risk and mortal mothers should take all possible precautions to guard their offspring until they are safely baptised. Again, mortal midwives are often spirited away into the land of faerie to care for a faerie baby.

In the Cornish tale of the Fairy Dwelling on Selena Moor, a farmer who came across his former sweetheart in the company of the fairies, was told of how the pure fairy stock was weakening and a fairy child was only occasionally born. A happier story is told of a couple in Ireland whose baby was stolen one night and replaced with a shriveled changeling. They were visited shortly afterwards by a young fairy girl who seemed happy to see the changeling, and told them, "This is my child who was taken tonight because my people wanted your baby, but I would sooner have ours." They returned the changeling to her, and she told them how to retrieve their baby by threatening to burn the thorns on the fairy hill if the child was not sent back. This method has also been used to win back abducted adults.

Dependence on humans among certain types of faeries is very significant. For example, every seven years, the land of Faerie has to pay a tithe of TEIND to Hell and human captives are used as payment. The most common way of taking a human is to steal a human baby and leave a faerie changeling in its place. This changeling can be an ugly old elf or even a manufactured one of wood but, under a faerie enchantment, it appears to be an exact replica of the stolen child. Sometimes it then seems to die and so is buried, while the real baby is brought up in Faerieland to inject a dwindling and weak stock with fresh, healthy human strain. It might eventually be offered as part of the septannual tithe.

Should the baby replica not die, it may develop a wizened or deformed appearance, or be sickly and fretful, or else have a voracious appetite. The changeling can be forced to betray its faerie nature by various means. One is to place it on a red-hot shovel or throw it on the fire. It will then fly up the chimney. A less brutal and more common method is to go through the motions of brewing water in empty halves of eggshells. The changeling, noticing this, sits up and in a strange voice declares, "I have seen the egg before the hen. I have seen the first acorn before the oak. But I have never seen brewing in an eggshell before", thus revealing its ancient age. It can then be thrown on the fire from which, laughing and shrieking, it will fly up the chimney. The true baby will then very likely be found at the door.

Protection Against Faeries

It is well known that faeries love to steal human babies, substituting a changeling - a faery form that bears the appearance of the child but is actually a wizened old goblin or a rotten piece of wood. Up to the last century in the British Isles, midwives would protect newborns by blessing them with three drops of water (one for peace, one for wisdom, and one for purity) as they recited these words:

To aid thee from the fays To guard thee grom the host To aid thee from the gnome To shield thee from the spectre.

Protection could also be gained by burning leather or bindweed in the room, or sprinkling the milk of a cow that has eaten pearlwort, or hanging rowan twigs in the form of a cross over the cradle, or leaving iron tongs inside the infants´ bed. (Many faeries loathe iron.) In Cambodia parents could also call upon the arak, beneficent household faeries, for protection against disease and the attentions of malign spirits. In West Africa, food was left in the corner of the house for any wandering spirits so that they would not be tempted to enter the bodies of children to gain their nourishment. In Armenia, children seven months old were particularly at risk of abduction by the áls (half-animal, half-human demons). To keep the áls at bay, the infants were surrounded by items made of iron throughout the seventh month. In Russia, a circle was drawn around the beds of small children with the point of an iron-handled knife to keep them safe from old Nocnitsa, the dreaded night hag. Although children were most at risk, adults were also prone to faery abduction - particularly musicians, artists, smiths, midwives, pretty girls, and handsome youths.

Various traditional methods can guard against faery abduction (or any unwanted faery attention), such as carrying or wearing certain plants: hazel wands, rowan (or mountain ash), Saint-John´s-wort, daisy chains. In France, flaxseed is spread on the floor to rid a house of goblin infestation. In Mexico, tobacco smoke is believed to chase away the chanekos (little people). In Trinidad, a mirror is used to protect against a spirit called the sukuyan, for if she gets one look at herself, the frightened creature quickly runs away.

Turning your coat, socks, or pockets inside out, or standing on your head, or saying things backward puts you on equal terms with the faeries, and they no longer have you in their power. Many faeries cannot penetrate a furze hedge or barrier; most faeries will not be able the cross the threshold of a church. Some faeries cannot cross over running water - but this is a risky remedy, for in other instances crossing running water leads straight into Faery.

The best charm for protection from the faeries is, undoubtedly, cold iron. Pins in a pincushion hung behind a door or a knife in the doorjab will bar their entry, just as a smoothing iron under the bed prevents abduction during the night. When entering Faeryland it is wise to stab a knife into the door so it cannot be shut again; then you can return home safely. A pocketful of rusty nails can also protect against pixies who would lead you astray. When an animal dies, a nail stuck into its carcass prevents its flesh from being gnawed by sharp little faery teeth.

Cows seem to be particularly susceptible to faery mischief. Bells hung around their necks traditionally kept bovine botherers away. In Ireland, gorse was burned on Midsummer´s Eve to protect cattle and crops. After milking, milkmaids used to make the sign of a cross on the side of the cow to protect it from the faeries´ attention. When they were churning, a small burning coal under the churn guarded against spoiled butter. Country folk also left small pieces of butter as gifts for the faeries, as well as any spilled milk. In Russia, the goodwill of the chlevnik (cattle spirit) was needed to protect the cows from harm. This faery was propitiated with food and vodka, and his preferences inthe matter of cattle color were acceded to.

Soap was the traditional offering left out for the bannick, a Russian spirit who lived under the toilet seat - just in case he or any other household faeries might care to bathe. (Without such an offering it was considered dangerous to visit the bathroom at night.) In Germany, a jug of beer was left out each night for cellar-dwelling kobolds; in Japan, rice wine appeased spirits and wandering ghosts who might do harm. It is still a good idea to leave water and food out at night for your local faeries´ refreshment. In the morning the food will still be there, but the goodness will have been extracted. This is true soul food, reminding us that faeries need to be nurtured by gifts of the spirit. Conversely, Faery Food looks dazzling and delicious to us, but in reality it is only weeds or leaves or moss concealed by glamour, reminding us that surface appearance can hide the truth of things.

Faery Glamour

A glamour, or glamer, is a spell, a juggling of sight that crates an alluring illusion. Thes false, seductive images mask rather than reveal the truth about Faeryland - and the world around us. Beautiful things disguised by glamour seem ugly; ugly things seem beautiful. Seductions by glamorous faery women seem life enhancing yet lead to dispair. Conversely, a loathsome, toothless hag might actually be a lovely faery beneath the false illusions of glamour, and if you bravely kiss her she will turn back to her proper shape.

Glamour is the word for the magical abilities that are always attributed to faeries. Much of it stems from the faerie's own mutable nature. Although always very small naturally, most faeries can change their form to appear any size or shape. There is usually some clue that lets a careful observer tell that a creature might be a faerie in disguise. For instance a horse might have that spark of intelligence in its eyes that an animal just shouldn't have. Faeries masquerading as humans usually have some exaggerated feature or abnormality, such as pointy ears, a long nose or club feet. A faerie may of course try to hide such features. Certain faeries are known to prefer certain forms, the Hyter sprite for instance, commonly takes the from of a sand martin.

Although often portrayed in their natural forms as possessing wings, these appendages are not needed by faeries to fly. In addition to being of highly mutable nature, they are also in their normal form quite insubstantial as well. By letting themselves become almost gaseous in consistency, a faerie can float through the air with ease. Taking it even farther, faeries can become so insubstantial, that they are nearly impossible to see. Humans who are busy with much more important concerns are not likely to see a faerie in its true from, and if they do, will probably just catch sight of something out of the corner of their eye, and then lose it again. Most animals being much more alert and perceptive than humans are not as easily fooled by the wee folk. Dogs, cats, and horses will often become agitated by the presence of invisible faeries. Humans are able to see invisible faeries when they apply a special ointment to their eyes, this ointment is made only by faeries who will be quite upset by its misuse.

Some faeries possess an even stronger glaymor. They are able to affect objects other than themselves. Many of these are trickster faeries, who use these abilities to create mischief. These abilities most often include illusions, which can distract or confuse men. Faerie food and gold are not to be trusted for they are rarely what they seem.

Many faeries us glaymor as a means of instantaneous transport. Just before departing a place many faeries are heard to utter "Horse and Hattock", or some other magical phrase, occasionally including the destination as well. Bold mortals are sometimes able to tag along with the faeries by repeating the same cry. They may however end up in an unusual place (in many stories the King of France's wine cellar seems to be the final destination for partying faeries).

A glamour can last an hour, a say, a year, or even a lifetime. In its grip, we live in a world unrelated to physical reality, unable to receive what´s true within ourselves and others. In daily life we encounter many people who seem to be caught under a glamour, blinded by the allure of maoney, physical beauty, celebrity, or the glitter of bright, hollow ideas. A faery glamour can manifest itself as a reluctance to grow up and to face up to things, or a deep unwillingness to see life as it really is. A life lived under a faery glamour is a life filled with missed chances and regrets. When the spell ends and the glamour falls from your eyes, it may be too late.

Some people attracted to Faeryland are blinded by a common illusion: they are willing to see only a sweet and magic-sparkly view of the faeries, missing the deeper, darker, profound power of all things fey. Do not be led astray. Ground yourself in the physical world after an encounter with Faery. Remember that each journey to Faery is complete only when we come home again and make human sence of faery nonsense, passing on or making use of whatever we have learned.

Approached with open eyes and ears as well as a healthy dose of caution, a faery encounter can be experienced without grave mishap. But beware of all things that sparkle too brightly. Make sure that gold really is gold...and not just bits of glamorized leaves and dross under a faery´s spell.

Could make a ladye seem a knight A nutshell seem a gilded barge A sheeling seem a palace large And youth seem age and age seem youth All was delusion, nought was truth.

The Lay of the Last Minstrel Reginald Scot

Types of Faery

The classification of faeries is a notoriously difficult science since faeries delight in tricks and illusion, confounding our expectations of them. Dividing faeries into good or bad is a convenient canceit for us humans, but laughable for the faery folk. Faeries insist on being themselves, shape-shifting endlessly. Good and bad coexist in some degree in all of Faery´s creatures.

Despite the faeries´ disdain for rigid order, folklorists, historians, philosophers, mystics, poets, and many others have made numerous attempts to study, define, and categorize the faery realm - if only to make it mer comprehensible to humankind. In one basic, worldwide system of classification, the denizens of Faery are devided into four major groups based on the elements: earth (gnomes, brownies, and kobolds), water (nixies, lamias, and undines), fire (salamanders, daemons, and fire drakes), and air (sylphs, peries, and all winged faeries). In Eastern philosophy, the classification system is more subtle: there are Golden Devas, who facilitate the transmission of solar energy, or prana; White Devas, or sylphs,whose domain is the air; Green Devas, or nature spirits, intimately involved with the growth of plants; and Violet Devas, who create and maintain the etheric structure of all things.

The Anglo-Saxons, like many ancient peoples, classified the faeries by place: faeries of the forest and filed, mountain and valley, lake and stream. The Welsh divide their faeries into ellylldan (small elves), coblynau (gnomes, or mine faeries), and bwbachod (brownies, or household faeries). The Gwragedd Annwn (The Water Maidens) dwell in isolated lakes, the gwyllion (mountain spirits) haunt the high country, and the Tylwyth Teg (The Fair Folk) can be found in hidden places. Attempts to categorize Irish faeries produced this list: gnomes, with their large round heads nad thick bodies, standing about two and a half feet tall; leprechauns, who are smaller, foten bearded, and quite mischievious; The Little People, also small of stature but slender and fair to look upon; and the Sidhe (pronounced shee), an ancient race of beings taller than humans and noble in stature, the rulers of the Faery realms (and once of all Ireland).

In other classification systems, the faeries are divided into Trooping (gregarious) and Solitary creatures; or into the Seelie and Unseelie Courts (the former largely beneficent, the later primarily malign). As useful as these categorizations may be for organizing a folklorist´s text, however, in terms of understanding the faeries themselves they´ll get you nowhere. At the very core of their being faeries are fluid and transmutable, flowing from one element to another, shifting size, shape, color, gender - changeable as mood or thought. Sometimes they clothe themselves in forms reflecting our own expectations and desires; at other times, it´s those very expectations they turn upside down. Good or bad - these are mererly two sides of the same coin. We can´t expect the faeries themselves to stay neatly put on one side or the other. Faeries cannot be pinned down to a page, a list, a single definition. To grasp their elusive nature requires direct experience, personal engagement. Keep your eyes and your heart wide open. Only thus is Faery revealed.

Having accepted our human need to define and classify even that which stubbornly resists classification, I find that the most useful way to understand the wondrous variety of faeries is to look at the four elements to which they are aligned; earth, water, fire, and air. Faeries are the physical manifestations of these basic building block of creation and the spiritual custodians of all natural phenomena. The following brief catalog gives a sampling of the kinds of faeriesyou´ll encounter in the faery realms. revealing themselves continually in all landscapes and all cultures. Folklore and legends from the past provide us with useful information to help us recognize the creatures of Faery among us today.

The Earth Element

Folktales from all around the globe tell of faery creatures who live deep in the earth: in rocks and roots, in hills and barrows, in caves, quarries, and mine shafts. Gnomes, according to the writings of Paracelsus, can swim through solid earth as fish can swim through water. In Jewish cabalistic tradition, gnomes are said to dwell at the very center of the earth. The knockers are a diminutive race found in mines and quarries throughout Europe, where miners can trace rich veins of ore by listening to the sound of elfin picks. (Whistling, it should be noted, drives these usually friendly creatures into fits of rage.) The Black Dwarves of Scotland, the coblynau of Wales, the gommes of France, the hammerlinge of Germany, the achachila of Bolivia are all varieties of earth-dwelling creatures renowned of being tricky and capricious, but also for sharing their eart-working skills and for sounding warnings in times of danger.

Tree spirits, from the dryads of the Greeks to the Green Men and Women of Celtic lore, are rooted in the earth element, as are all those brownies, goblins, and pixies who make their home among tree roots. Faery women called wood wives run through the forests of Scandinavia; from the front the are beguiling, seductive creatures, but in back they are hollow. In Italy the silvane (wood women) mate with the silvani (wood men) the produce the folleti, who are the mischievious little faeries of that land. The bariaua of Malaysia are shy and gentle tree spirits, while the apuku of Suriname, the saci of Brazil, and the mmotia of the Gold Coast are far more dangerous to encounter. Kobolds, the hardworking but troublesome household faeries common to northern Europe, lived in trees before they were domesticated, and thus are also aligned with earth.

Ancient earthworks, partcularly barrows and other burial sites, are often faery abodes; and hills all over the British Isles are associated with legends of faery revels. The Tylwyth Teg (the Fair Folk of Wales) are said to live under the earth. The Sidhe (that noble faery race) live in Irish burial mounds. In Americe, little people of the earth live in the trees and under the hills in the tales of the Cherokee, Iroquois, Seneca, and many other tribes. Earth faeries such as these are the spititual force of nature, reflecting its power, its moods, and its cycles.

The Water Element

Water spirits can be found in lakes, rivers, pools, springs, wells, fountains, raindrops, teardrops, and at the ocean´s edge. They especially love running water in the form of bubbling springs and waterfalls - but any running water can prove to be the particular haunt of faeries. Crossing over (or through) running water is a well-known method of entering their realm.

The nixies are an ancient race of beautiful English river faeries with translucent white skin and long green hair, related to the magical creatures who haunt waterways all around the world - the seductive Nereids of Greece, the playful fenetten of Germany, the enchanting kållråden of Sweden, the dangerous Bonga Maidens of India, and many others. The glaistig is a Scottish goat woman who lives in the darkness behind waterfalls. Strömkarl is a Norwegian faery musician who dwells in waterfalls and is famous for his eleven dance tunes, ten of which he´ll teach to humans. The loireag of the Hebrides is another musical water faery - a shy little creature, yet dangerous to those who dare to sing out of tune.

It is wise to be wary of water faeries, for quite a few are treacherous. The ghostly water wraith of Scotland leads travelers to a watery death, and a horrid faery called Jenny Greenteeth lurks at the bottom of stagnant pools. The monstrous Welsh water leaper (Llanhigyn Y Dwr) delights in tangling fishing lines - just like his cousin the ahuizotl, a tormenter of Mexican fishermen, and the Bunyip, a bellowing faery beast at the bottom of Australian lakes.

In salt water, one finds mermaids, mermen, beguiling sirens of both sexes - and the seal people called selchies (also known as sea trows and roane), who sometimes wed human men and women. Saltwater faeries come in guises both malign and beneficent, such as the firece morganes and the gentle Margot-la-Fée, both from the Breton coast of France. Some sea faeries are known to help sailors and fishermen in storms, other will pull them under the waves even when the skies are clear. Water horses (kelpies), water serpents, and water bulls are other magical creatures bound to the potent element of water, the fluid of life, intuition, transformation, and the depth of the unconscious.

The Fire Element

Fire is one of the most venerated of natural phenomena, and thus figures prominently in the folklore of may different lands. Various mythological figures are credited with bringing fire to humankind - usually a Trickster, or Wise Fool, whose own shifting character reflects the dualistic nature of fire, its capacity for great good and great harm. In northern Europe, Loki is the Trickster who steals fire from the gods and gives it to humankind. In New Zealand, sly Maui tricks the fire goddess into giving up all her fingers and toes, which begins a great conflagration. In America, clever Coyote steals fire from the tepee of the Fire People and brings it back to the human world...but not without mishap.

In many societies, fire has religous or magical properties, and it is the duty of the priest or shaman to keep the sacred fire burning. In England, sacred fires are still lit on old pagan holy days such as Samain and Midsummer Eve, always attracting a host of faeries to flitter around the flames. In America, the spirits of fire can be evoked and honored by gifts of cedar and tobacco; and ritual fire plays an important part in various indigenous spirit-calling ceremonies. Veneration of the fire of the hearth is still common in many countries. In Lithuania, the faery of the hearth is called the gabija, and when the fire is banked for the night, country people petition him with these words: "Dear little fire, dear little fire, you are nicely covered, so sleep, please, and do not walk in this house." There are numerous legends of havoc caused by hearth faeries who have been neglected.

The aitvaras is a fiery household faery well known in Lithuania. Sometimes he is seen in the shape of a flying dragon, breathing yellow flame from his mouth; at other times only his long, flaming tail is visible.

The domovic is a Russian household faerie and family guardian who lives behind the hearth. He is never addressed directly, but is called Himself or Grandfather. Fire is his special element, and when he is displeased he has been known to burn down the house. If a family moves, the fire in their hearth must be lit with a brand from the old the welcome this faeriy to his new dwelling. Supper is left out for the domovic each night to aid him in his busy work of protecting against hostile spirits.

Supernatural smiths are also powerful creatures of the fire element. Girru, the Babylonian god of metalworking (like Hephaestus in the myths of Greece), represents the purifying aspects of fire as it burns evil away. In Ireland, Goibniu is the divine smith of the Tuatha De Danann (the faery race), known both for his artistry and for his powers as a magician. In Brythonic legends, Govannon is the master forger and patron of art. Wayland is a famous smith of Faeryland in many old folktales, renowned throughout the British Isles for the beauty of his faery swords.

Fire faeries come with a variety of names and shapes: salamanders, fire feys, fire drakes, drakes, drachen, and draks. They travel through the air as burning sparks or fiery streaks of intense light, and when they pass they leave an unpleasant odor of sulfur behind. Fire faeries make excellent workers in a farmyard, workshop, kennel, or stable; they will also bring weath to their masters, collecting gifts and gold from around the world. But these faeries are volatile by nature, demanding prompt and proper gratitude. One slight, and a man´s wordly goods will be consumed in the fire of their anger.

Fire spirits, beasts, and faeries reflect the dualistic nature of the fire element. The are embodiments of the destructive and regenerative etremes to be found in nature.

The Air Element

Air is the element of all winged faeries, whose energies are subtle, quick, and fluid. In mythic terms, the swift wings of thought (and of Hermes) bring messages from the gods. In alchemy, wings denote the volatile nature of quicksiver, an earthly form of the moon´s energy: neither solid nor completely fluid, beautiful but dangerous, quicksilver is an earthly representation of a true faeriy state. Winged faeries are the soul´s messengers, representing the spirit freed from the mundande. They are creatures of aspiration and trancendence, flying between the worlds, between heaven and earth, between the body and the soul.

All storms and winds are associated with air spirits, from the gentle breezes caused by faery puffs on the Isle of Man to the great destructive powers of Arabic monsoons caused by angry jinn. In folktales that strech from Arabian deserts to North America to the British Isles, whirtwinds are made by the passing of whole troops of faeries - and you must be quick to bless yourself lest they carry you away with them. El Numbero (The Tempest) is a Spanish weather faery - an ugly creature in animal skins who rides upon the clouds and causes storms. In Lithuania, a capricious faery called Vejopatis is the master of the winds. A Burmese faery (or nat) called Mbon is responsible for winds both fair and foul. In Finland, ancient Ukko is the Old Man of weather phenomena, commanding the wind and rain, fog and storms, thunder and lightning.

In America, the spirits of the winds and of the four directions are addressed in the spiritual practices of many indigenous tribes. Ga-ho, for instance, is the spirit of the wind in the Seneca tradition. A benevolent spirit much concerned with the well-being of mankind, Ga-ho lives in the north and directs the four winds, the weather, and the seasons. Wind Old Woman, of the Taos Pueblo people, is a crankier, witchlike spirit - although her husband, Wind Old Man, was even more to be feared. They say if Wind Old Man had not died (or disappeared), the bitter winter winds of that mountain region would be even worse.

The mischievious spirits called gremlins are believed to be modern additions to the faery family, but in fact they are merely new incarnations of flying imps from centuries past. The gremlins discovered human aircraft during the First World War, taking to airborne machines with great delight - to the dispear of pilots everywhere. Gremlin sightings and gremlin-caused problems have been reported ever since. Gremlins are unusual, for most faeries despise these big, noisy machines. Their own method of locomotion is graceful and almost effortless, propelled by thought and emotion rather than the whrrrr of machines or the flapping of wings. And yet faeries are particularly fond of wings, particularly the feathered wings of birds, and sometimes wear birds´ wings simply for the pleasure of the aesthetic effect.

Air faeries often take the shape of birds - or combine birds´ feet, heads, or beaks with other parts ot the human form. The tengu, for instance, are faeries who live in the forests of Japan, appearing sometimes as winged human beings and sometimes as human-faced birds. In the Phillippine Islands, the alan are faery spirits who appear half human and half bird, with their fingers and toes reversed. They hang, batlike, from forest trees - and although they can be hostile, usually they are helpful to those in need. Faeries speak the special language of birds, which they sometimes teach to human beings; conversely, sometimes they teach birds to speak as humans do. Some faeries creates nests almost identical to the nests of birds, although theirs will often contain bits of silver and other stolen treasures. Faeries have also been known to sleep in birds´ nests and to assist in hatching eggs. The cuckoo faery likes to appear in the birds´ nests just at feeding time, opening his little mouth up wide to snatch a bit of supper.

The flying faeries of the air element are, in general, an evolved faery form, for the incorporated aspects of all four basic elements. The wings of these faeries are symbolic of air, their human or animal legs of earth. A shimmering, luminous quality is their fire aspect; the fluid aspect of shape shifting represents water. Thus they make balanced connections between the four earthly elements and the four directions of the mystical winds. To all these, however, they add the magic of moonlight, the fifth faery element.

Faery Defects

Traditionally one often finds that faeries, even the most beautiful, will have some striking defect of form. Some are hollowed back or elongated; some have goat´s or lion´s feet. Some brownies have fingers jointed together or lack proper noses and mouths. Heads, hands, and feet are often large in proportion to the rest of the body. This is due to the plastic nature of faery´s astral body, which is often in a state of transition. Distortions, irregularities, strange proportions, and shape-shifting flux are all distinct faery traits.

Sometimes a lack of emotion is a faery´s most notable defect. This indicates that its attention is elsewhere, focused on its own Otherworldly concerns - or else that it is only a small fragment of a larger consciousness. Faeries are not complete in themselves but embody aspects of nature´s soul. As such, they reach completion and wholeness only by integration with natural phenomena and one another. Faeries belong to a world where each creature is linked in some way with every orher. Individually, they can seem imperfectly formed and incomplete, for each is a part of the whole.

Faery Lifespan

The passage of time for faeries is clearly not the same as it is for mortal men. Some legends say that faeries are born old and grow younger as they 'age', while many others hold that they are ageless and forever young. While in faerie lands, mounds and burrows, time is usually not consistent with the outside world. There are accounts of men entering a faerie residence and sleeping but a night, while 50 years pass outside. If faeries age only a day for 50 years, then they could quite easily appear immortal compared to humans. The life-cycle of the Cornish small people dictates that each shape-shifting operation leads to a minuscule reduction in normal size. This species diminishes in natural size gradually until the last stage in the cycle is reached and the faeries end their days as ants, or muryans as they are called in Cornwall. For this reason it is considered unlucky in Cornwall to kill ants.

We have no precise notion as to the average lifespan of a faerie. There have been some suggestions that they might be immortal yet there have been various sightings of faerie funerals which leads us to believe that they do eventually grow old and die as we do. However, there is absolutely no foundation for the quite widespread belief that every time a child voices disbelief in faeries, one of the little people drops down dead. Most authoritative documents on the life of faeries point to an existence of several hundreds of years.

William Blake, for one, reports having seen a procession of faeries, bearing a corpse on a rose leaf through his garden. At a certain spot, the deceased faerie was buried with due ceremony and chanting before the procession vanished. However, the suspicion remains that such "burials" like so many other faerie phenomena, are simply charades in which the little people mimic the behaviour of humans.

Faery Size

The size of faeries is a hotly contested issue in some quarters. Some faery scholars (who should know better) have humorlessly dismissed the smaller winged faeries as mere literary invention, claiming that the only true faeries are the tall and noble Sidhe. This is nonsense, of course. People around the world have encountered diminutive faeries for centuries - which is why the name " Brownies are small, gnomes are small, the West Country pixies are small, but they share the enchanted groves and streams with faeries of every shape and size. Faery scholars would be well advised not to dismiss the "less noble" of faery creatures...for the small, common hedge faeries are the true Tricksters of Faeryland, delighting in tripping up anyone who walks with a superior nose in the air and reminding us all to look down every once in a while at the little impulses of nature.

Faery Food

The faeries savour th most natural foodstuffs. We know that they bake fine wholemeal breads and cakes (and they sometimes offer these as gifts to kind or helpful humans...), that they relish cow´s milk straight from the udder (particularly from mortal cows and without permission...) and that they will gladly accept cheese and milksops as wages (if indeed they do not simply help themselves). Lady Wilde reports in her Ancient Legends of Ireland (1899) that the little people "love milk and honey, and sip the nectar from the cups of the flowers which is their fairy wine". Giraldus Cambrensis meanwhile notes that the Welsh faeries "ate neither flesh nor fish, but lived on a milk diet, made up into messses with saffron".

However, in food as in every other facet of faerie life, one must wonder just what is truth and what is "glamour". Who is divine with authority wether that silver goblet of heavenly mead is not an acorn filled with brackish water; that those royal banquet tables groaning under the weight of rare delicacies are not solely poor platters of faded autumn leaves, those luscious plums toadstools.

One thing is certain though - faerie food, like a faerie kiss, has special powers where humans are concerned and though tantalising in appearance can, with few exceptions, lead to the unwary being imprisoned forever in the land of Faerie.

Offering Food to Faeries

In England, a hob is a type of house faery who protects the kitchen. Leave a little offering of sweet milk and bread on your stove for the hobs to encourage their presence.

In Ireland, the Tuatha de Danann are active just before Samhain and will bless your home for a small portion of your harvest. But any crop left unharvested after sundown on October 31st is taken by the Phookas, baneful faeries who render the crop unfit to eat. Spelled Pwca in Wales, these baneful faeries will remain active until spring!

In Scandinavian countries, faeries are most active at Ostara, the Spring Equinox, when they come to collect a portion of the Sabbat feast. If they are denied this they will cause much havoc until Midsummer when the payment of food can be doubled, or again ignored, in which case you best pack up & move to another country because their reign of havoc will ensue until next Ostara.

To ensure Faery good will, especially if you seek them out, it is an excellent idea to leave the last fruit of any harvest out for the Faeries, and also a small portion of any of your Sabbat feasts.

It is traditional in many Pagan sects to leave left over food from the Esbat (full moon) feasts to the Faeries. Other Pagan traditions go even further & decree any food left out at night cannot be eaten by humans or animals & should be regarded as a gift to the Fae.

In Cornwall & Russia it is a folk custom never to scold a child who has spilled milk, for this is seen as a gift to the Faeries & scolding would make it seem as if it were given grudgingly. This is probably the origin of the popular doggerel, "Don't cry over spilled milk."

Remember, that the food will still be there the next morning - the faeries absorb the "goodness" from it, leaving an empty shell...

Faery Wings

Faery wings, formed of shifting light, emotion, and energy, are a manifestation of the power of these beings to trancend the mundane world. Faery wings are not used to fly in the way that a bird or a bee sustains flight, for faeries are self-propelling, born aloft by emotion and thought. Rather, their wings are a visual expression of their etheric forces flowing through their bodies. "Thought is form" in Faery, so the form of faery wings gives us clues about each faery´s function, expressing in miniature the larger cosmic forces at work. The study of faery wings, however, is not a long-lost art.

Winged female faeries are the soul´s messenger, representing the spirit freed from the mundane. They are creatures of aspiration and trancendence, flying between the worlds, between heaven and earth, between the body and the soul.

Faery Music and Dance

Music is a delight to the faeries and a sure way to capture their attention. Musicians are particular favorites of theirs - particularly those who play the Celtic harp or the violin. More than one modern folk musician can describe a faery encounter, even if they then laugh it off or put it down to too much to drink.

Folklore abounds with tales of faery harpers seducting mortal maids with irresistible music. In old folk ballads we find Thomas the Rhymer, a Scottish harper of great renown, who is spirited away to entertain the Faery Queen for seven years. When the faeries steal the beautiful wife of the mortal King Orfeo, he goes to their hall disguised as a wandering minstrel, a harp upon his back. The Faery King rashly grants him whatever prize he requests. King Orfeo demands the return of his wife, to the faeries´ chagrin.

The unworldly sound of the violin encompasses both passion and sorrow, with a music so haunting that it comes as no surprise that the fiddle has supernatural associations. It was once whispered that the great virtuoso Paganini was in league with the devil, for his skill seemed beyond that of mortal ability. Likewise, the crease on a fiddler´s neck where the instrument lies was once known as "the devil´s mark". Long ago in remote rural villages travel was difficult and people´s worlds were measured by the distance they could see. When an itinerant traveling fiddler came to town, he brought not only music but a glimpse of other worlds beyond the horizon. The music transported villagers from the cares of their everyday lives, compelling hands to clap and feet to dance. The fiddler must have seemed a magical creature, an emissary from another world - a descendant of the ancient bards who once roamed across this land.

And perhaps the traveling minstrels were indeed touched by Faery, for in their repetoire would be many a faery tune, passed from one musician to another. According to a legend, mortal musicians would sometimes overhear beautiful faery music while sitting close to faery hills or while secretly watching the faeries dance. Faery tunes then entered our folk music heritage and became so intermingled with our own that only a few still bear the name "The Faery´s Waltz" or "The Faery Reel" to indicate their true linage. Folk stories are full of faery rings, faery dances, and humans lired out into the dark of night by music both strange and compelling. In fact, faeries could be so troublesome with their dancing that Devon farmwives took to marking little crosses on top of their cakes to prevent the dancing shoes of faery creatures from puncturing them.

Those who have heard faery music always say that it is the sweetest, or the most plaintive, or the most beautiful they have ever encountered. Lady Wilde, Oscar´s mother, stated: "Wild and capricious as the faery nature, these delicate harmonies with their mystic, mournful rhythm seem to touch the deepest chords of feeling." Yet as we listen to the songs of Faery, we must not forget they can be dangerous. It is not wise to linger too long or to join the faeries in their moonlit revels. A single night of dancing with the faeries can be a transcendent experience - but you might wake on a cold hillside to find that a hundred years have passed and your life has crumbled into dust.

Faeries often dance in circles in the grass which are called faerie rings and this spells danger for the human passerby. The wild enchantment of the faerie music can lead him inexorably towards the ring which, like a faerie kiss or faerie food and drink, can lead to captivity forever in the world of Faerie. If a human steps into the ring he is compelled to join the faeries in their wild prancing. The dance might seem to last only minutes, or an hour or two, or even at most a whole night but in fact the normal duration would be seven years by our time and sometimes longer. The unfortunate captive can be rescued by a friend who, with others holding his coat-tails, follows the faerie music, reaches into the ring (keeping one foot firmly outside) and pulls the dancer out.

There is the tale of a certain sheperd, Tudur of Llangollen, who came across a troop of faeries dancing to the music of a tiny fiddler. Tudur tried to resist the enchanting strains but finally, throwing his cap in the air and shouting: "Now for it then, play away old devil" he joined in.

Immediately a pair of horns appeared from the fiddlers head and a tail sprouted from beneath his coat. The dancing sprites turned into goats, dogs, cats and foxes and they and Tudur span around in a dizzying frenzy. This lasted until the following day when Tudur was rescued by his master who found him, apparently alone, dancing like a madman. Some pious words broke the charm and Tudur was restored to his home.

One legend tells of a young man called Shon ap Shenkin who, a fine summer´s morning, was captivated by the sounds of a faerie melody. He sat down beneath a tree to listen. When the last strains of the music died away he stood up and was surprised to see that the tree above him, previously green and lush, had withered and died. Returning home, he found the house looked strangely different, somehow older and covered in ivy. There was an old man standing in the doorway, a stranger, who greeted Shon and asked him what he wanted. Shon, surprised, replied that he had left his father and mother in that very house but minutes before. The old man asked his name. "Shon ap Shenkin", replied the boy. The old man became deathly pale and replied, "I often heard my grandfather, your father, speak of your disappearance". At this Shon ap Shenkin crumbled to dust on the doorstep.

And finally, a spell for summoning faeries!

Sit where the cat sits. Cross your toes. Close your eyes. And smell a rose. Then say under your breath: "I believe in fairies, sure as death." Gadflykins! Gladtrypins! Gutterpuss and Cass! Come to me fairily Each lad and lass!

~From "Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book~

most of this information has been collected from "Faeries" by Brian Froud and Alan Lee and "Good Faeries, Bad Faeries" by Brian Froud.


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