Fairies

Famous Fairies

Cottingley Fairies: The story of the Cottingley fairies gained more fame when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of Sherlock Holmes) got wind of it. A fervent spiritualist, Doyle immediately championed the girls’ story and even wrote an article on the Cottingley fairies for the Christmas issue of The Strand Magazine. A second article in 1921 featured three new stills. more on Cottingly Fairies

Fairy Godmother: The idea of a fairy godmother comes from the idea that young girls have a guardian looking out for them. The Fairy Godmother is best known for it's appearance in Disney's Cinderella.

Oberon: Oberon appears in William Shakespeare's play "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Oberon is the king of the fairies.

Puck: In English folklore, Puck is a mythological fairy or mischievous nature sprite.

Thumbelina: Thumbelina was a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, first published in 1835. The fairytale starts as Thumbelina emerges from a flower. Asleep in her walnut-shell cradle, is carried off by a toad who wants the miniature maiden as a bride for her son, she escapes. Eventually Thumbelina meets a tiny flower-fairy prince just her size, and they wed. She receives a pair of wings to accompany her husband on his travels from flower to flower.

Tinkerbell: Tinkerbell is a fairy from the popular play and book called Peter Pan. Peter Pan was invented by writer J.M. Barrie in the early 1900s. Tinker Bell is portrayed as a pixie, with pointed ears and wings, that has a feisty personality.

Titania: Titania appears in William Shakespeare's play "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Tatania is the queen of the fairies.

Tooth Fairies: The Tooth Fairy is a legend where a magical creature, appears at night exchanging "treasure" for a child's lost tooth. When a child loses a tooth, they place the lost tooth under their pillow. While the child is sleeping the tooth fairy comes and replaces the tooth with her money or treasure.

Fairy Lore

Fairies bestow gifts upon newborn children, such as beauty, wealth and kindness.

Fairies can only be seen clearly by animals and seldom by humans.

Fairies can use a "glamour" to make themselves visible to humans.

Humans can see fairies during a full moon on Midsummer Eve a human can witness fairy dances or celebrations.

Fairies can be helpful or harmful.

Fairies have powers of magic and enchantment.

Knowing a fairy's true name gives you power over it, so fairies are said to guard their real names very closely.

Fairies are thought to borrow household items from humans.

Fairies are thought to steal babies and replace them with changelings.

Fairies were thought to cause storms, bad crops, hunger, diseases.

Iron ris thought to be like poison to fairies, and they will not go near it.

Some believe that fairies are demoted angels.

Good house-keeping could keep fairies from spiteful actions. If a fairy did not think the house is clean enough, they pinch people in their sleep.

Celtic: Celtic fairies may be seen as clever, mischievous, and capable of assisting or harassing human endeavor. In Celtic folklore baked goods, cream and butter are a traditional offering to the wee folk.

England: In English lore, fairies are thought to be mischievous imps who delights in flustering young maidens and leading travelers astray.

Irish: The Irish still say fairies live in the pagan sidh, (burial mounds and barrow graves). It is thought that fairies have a connection to both heaven and the underworld. It is thought that fairies would switch babies who had difficulties at birth with a changeling.

Newfoundland: Belief that bread offered protection from fairies, varying from stale bread to hard tack or a slice of fresh home-made bread.

Pagan: Fairies are seen as air, water, fire and tree spirits. These also represent the four points that make up a pagan pentagram, the fifth point is that of spirit and the fairies represent this in physical form.