Fairy Folklore / Fairy Symbolism A fairy is a small, supernatural creature that
dwells in a magical place. In folklore fairies are usually in human form but
they are known to disguise themselves well when needed. There are a wide variety
of earth spirits, from the elves and gnomes of the deep forest - to the pixies
and fairies of flower gardens and meadow lands. Undines, nymphs and sprites
are water creatures and sylphs are air spirits.
Belief in fairies is universal among almost
all cultures. Scholars attribute fairies to the sirens of Homer, the nymphs
of the Iliad, celestial singers in Sanscrit poetry, spirits of the Pacific
Islands, and Hathor of ancient Egypt. In more recent folk culture, you will
find leprechauns - wee folk of Ireland, the brownies of Britain and the kobold
from the faerie realm of Germany.
Fairies live in their own enchanted realm
-- The pathway to Faeryland is the 7-pointed Fairy Star --but they also have
been sighted among the flowers, woodlands, hills and streams - sometimes riding
on their fairy steeds or flitting from flower to flower. When fairies gather
together to sing and dance, you might find a fairy ring of toadstools / mushrooms
after they have left.
Thomas Croker (1789-1854) in his collection
of Irish Fairy Tales, described fairies as being
"a few inches high, airy and almost transparent in body; so delicate
in their form that a dew drop, when they chance to dance on it, trembles,
indeed, but never breaks." Shakespeare wrote of Oberon, a fairy King
in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and told of the fairy Queen Mab in
"Romeo and Juliet." An English folk song, Tamlin, tells of a young
knight bewitched by a Fairy Queen.
In folklore, fairies are mainly felt to
be charitable to humans. They are known however to be playful and love to
play tricks on mere mortals. They must be spoken well of and treated with
respect, or you may rouse their anger. Folklore speaks of leaving small trinkets
as gifts to fairies, such as small beads and dainty deserts, to gain their
favor.