WhatAreFaeries

   We have thought that the Fea's ancenstral home is Erin and that they dwelled there until the Milesian invasion. They then fled to various parts of Europe, many of them eventually making thier way into the new world (which would exaplain the fae being known all other the world). Of course, the fey have thier own realm (we'll learn about that later) which many say is outside the traditional realm of men.
     *Faeries are nature spirits that, under different names and guises, are found in every part of the world. Often pictured as small humanoid beings with wings, they appear to be miniangles to some . Faeries come in all shapes and sizes. Some are glowing with brilliant greens and gold. Others prefer the muted browns and moss greens of the forest, while others drape themselves with whatever flower is avaliable at the time. Unlike angles, however, faeries have always been thought to have a mixed relationship with humans. As nature spirits concerned with natural processes, they no not normally seek out human contact. On the other hand, they have been pictured as mischievous beings who enjoy playing pranks on people.
     Some faeries are however, feircely loyal friends. Friendship, once given is for an eternity. Betrayl hurts them deeply and they do not forget quickly. But by the same token, they reward kindness and compassion. They love those who love and care for the Mother. Sometimes they can be mischevious, especially if they feel they are being ignored. They will never reveal thier true names...for to do so binds them. The thought of slavery to a creature as wildly free as a faery is death itself.
     *Because the Catholic church did not have room in its worldview for morally neutral spiritual beings who were neither good nor evil, faeries were rejected as agents of Satan.
     *The word Faeries-fayes in Old English- is thought to be derived from fatae, the Ancient Greek Fates who were pictured as three-winged women. Fay-erie was originally the "erie" stat of enchantment that could be induced by the fays, and the word only later became interchangeable with the beings themselves. The fays were originally but one class of spirit being, and it was perhaps the general association of "little people" with enchantment that enabled the term faery/fairy to becme generic for fays, brownies, elves, pixies, and the like.
     *Folklorists advance a number of theories to explain the source of belief in faeries. One plausible notion is that, particularly in Pre-Christian Europe, faeries were originally the spirits of the dead. After Christianity came onto the scene, the Christian notion of what happend to the souls of the dead supplanted earlier beliefs. Rather than dissapearing however, the older folklore associted with the dead persisted, with the modification that the faery spirits became entities independent of humans, rather than spirits of the dead.
     *Another theory is that the faery lore represents a distant memory of an earlier and more primitive race (for example, the aboriginal Pics of the British Isles) who continued to interact with the dominant invaders (the Celts) for many centuries before thier race disappeared altogether. Yet another idea put forth to explain belief in faeries is that they are the gods of pre-Christian Europe, not spirits of the dead, and that these faeries were reduced to the diminished status of nature spirits after being supplanted by Christiantiy.
     *These theories tend to ignore that similar ideas regarding nature spirits are found in traditional, tribal societies all over the world where none of the above conditions, like that of the aboriginal Picts, exist. On the other hand, in non-European traditional societies nature spirits are not thought to interact as intensively with humanity as they do in European folklore, which indicates that one or more of these theories may at least partially explain some aspects of faery belief.
     +Faeries infested the medivial world led by thier King and Queen, Oberon and Mab. Contrary to modern perceptions, during the medieval centuries faeries were precived neither to be small nor particularly benevolent.
     +They conformed to no special set of chracterisics but were generally feared by the general public as being aggressive or at least capricious and mischevious, which we've already covered. This was particularly true prior to the Tudor period during which, in more sophisticated circles and in the face of the immediate threat from Witches, belief in faeries became passe and they were regarded more in a mythological context. Some imagined them to be emanations of mischevious ancestor spirits. Most people, however,saw them as malevolent entities to be guarded against. They were also purveyors of diseases, which, one contracted, could only be cured by means of exorcism or charms.
     +In contrast to thier public image, faeries were considered by magicians to be a positive aid to thier work, providing a source of supernatural power and occult knowledge.
     +By the 17th century, faeries had taken on the characteristics by which they are recognized today, being regarded as little people living in thier own secret, woodland kingdom, venturing out to play and dance in the dew-drenched faery rings and revealing themselves to selected human observers. Occasionally they might still appear malevolent, snatching away an infant or causing a nuisance in the house. They particularly detest untidiness or personal slovenliness, but are also averse to lechery and lust. The remedy was to leave out food and toiletries for thier benefit, and to keep a pure, clean, and tidy house. Many of these responses were frowned on by the Church, which perceived these practices to equate with diabolical practices.
     +Today the most common encounted with a faery is obtained either by a child leaving a tooth out for the tooth faery to come and exchange the tooth for money or by a purveyor of witchcraft or a believer in Faery Magick to perform rituals to see the fay. Remember that faeries have much practical knowlege. They have information of magick of the plants, herbs, flowers, stones, trees, and animals. They are to be reverd and respected.