Fairies are magical beings with varying definitions across cultures. In modern times, they are often depicted as benevolent creatures, but in the past, they were seen as mischievous or evil. The origin and appearance of fairies are also debated. Famous fairies include those from fairy tales and literature, as well as from popular media like Pokemon.
A fairy, or fairy creature, also called a fairy, is an anthropomorphic being of magic and myth. What constitutes a fairy can change from culture to culture and tradition to tradition. Some would include all magical people in the definition, while others reserve the term fairy for the most ethereal and elegant of the lot. A few things convey, however, the first of which is the idea that a fairy has powers, and is also a being of mystery.
In today’s imagination, the fairy has assumed the role of a kind of pretty genie, relegated to jobs like granting wishes and pulling out fallen teeth. The images of leprechauns we find in today’s media show them as benevolent, wise, and kind. They give Sleeping Beauty presents, or help Cinderella out of trouble, or play sidekick to a boy who won’t grow up.
Interestingly, while today’s popular culture reveres the fairy as a creature of good, that wasn’t always the case. In the past, fairies were thought to be suspicious creatures, mischievous at best and downright evil at worst. They were blamed for missing children, some illnesses, and bad luck on the journey. People soon found the need to devise items that would defeat the fey’s influence, and these included cold iron, rowan, and even holy water, among others.
Popular beliefs relating to the origins of fairies are varied. One school of thought insists that they are the spirits of the dead. Another claims they are fallen angels – angels cast out of heaven, but not evil enough to be cast into hell. Though these “dark angels” might roam the earth, however, they were still subjects of the devil and had to pay him a tithe or “teind” – usually in the form of children or wayward travellers. Another theory holds that fairies are an entirely distinct species, in the manner of Big Foot or the yeti.
Yet it is not only the fairy’s origin that is the subject of debate. Even their very appearance is uncertain. They are sometimes described as tall, lithe, and ravishingly beautiful. Other times they are dazzling, winged and no larger than a foot, called demifey. On some occasions they may possess a wand, and on others, no wand.
Famous fairies include the fairy godmothers of countless fairy tales, characters from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mesprit from Pokemon and Queen Mab from English folklore.
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