The word 'faeries' is late in origin; the earlier noun is Fae, which now has an archaic and rather affected sound. This is thought to be a broken-down form of Fatae. The classical three Fates were later multiplied into supernatural ladies who directed the destiny of men and attended childbirths. 'Fay-erie' was first a state enchantment or illusion. The term 'faerie' now covers a large area, the Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian Elves, the Daoine Sidhe of the Highlands, the Tuatha de Danann of Ireland, the Tylwyth Teg of Wales, the Seelie Court and the Unseelie Court, the Wee Folk and Good Neighbors and many others.
""Daoine Sidhe - This is the name assumed by the Tuatha de Danann when the Milesians drove them underground. Their King is Finvarra, who to this day hold court in his palace beneath the faerie hill of Knockma. They are skilled chess players, and no human has ever beaten Finvarra in a game. Finvarra is a womanizer, frequently kidnapping human women. The Daoine Sidhe are also quite fond of hurling."
There have been hundreds of references to the very same sort of thing: the Faerie, the Fae, the 'little people', or the elf.
Here are some examples of their origins from Brian Froud's book, Faeries
In Iceland, it's believed that while Eve was washing her children, God spoke to her. In her surprise and awe, she hid the children she had not yet washed. God asked if all of her children were there, and she said yes. Then He said that from then on, the children hidden from Him would be hid from all mankind. They became Faerie-folk, elves, and Huldre Folk*.
In Norse mythology, it is told of how maggots emerging from the corpse of the giant Ymir transformed themselves into Light Elves and Dark Elves. The light ones were good and happy, and flew. The dark were evil, blighting, and lived underground.
Elsewhere, it is said that Faeries were fallen angels; to evil to enter heaven and to good to settle in hell. In Devon, pixies were considered the spirits of unbaptised children.
Huldre Folk* - beings of Faerie with beautiful fronts, and hollowed or bark-like backs. Huldre girls are exceptionally beautiful, but often with cow's tails. And so, the Huldre Folk displays only a beautiful front, to hide their true origin.
Fairy- a tiny being, very lovely and delicate, who could help or harm human beings. (Thorndike * Barnhardt Junior Dictionary, Sixth Edition, 1965)
Fairy - a tiny imaginary being in human form, depicted as clever, mischievous and possessing magical powers. (The American Heritage Dictionary, Second College Edition, 1982)
Fairy- a tiny, graceful imaginary being in human form, with magic powers. (Webster's New World Dictionary, 1995)
Are we catching a trend yet?
Tiny, imaginary, and in some way connected to humans. "In the mythology, fairies, as well as the underground dwellers resemble humans but are more childlike and are dependent on humans. The face the toils and troubles of with humans and react to human vices and virtues differently. Like many myths, the stories of the fairy's trials and tribulations relating to humans tell a great deal about mankind and its relationship to the natural and supernatural."
Froud stated that Faeries savor the most natural foodstuffs. They bake whole meal bread and drink cow's milk directly from the udder. It's known that they will take cheese or milksops as payment. In Ancient Legends of Ireland, the author, Lady Wilde, reports 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 says that Welsh Faeries "ate nether flesh nor fish, but lived on a milk diet, made up into messes with saffron". Other legends go on how the Faerie kingdom needs no food nor drink but that of human recognition.
Briggs) "According to J.G. Campbell in his Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands or Scotland, they often borrow oatmeal and return double measure, but always of barley meal, for barley seems to be their natural grain. The fairies also steal the essential good out of human food, and leave an unnourishing substance behind them... Campbell uses the Gaelic 'toradth' [to describe the nourishment they steal].”
Faeries supposedly are immortal, but not all myth agrees with this statement. Froud went on to say that the Cornish little people have the strangest life cycle of all. Each shape-shifting operation they do results in a slight reduction to their normal size, until the last stage, whereupon the Faeries end their days as ants. That's why it is sometimes said to be unlucky to kill ants in Cornwall.
The legend of changelings gives insight on the age of the Fay. Faeries will often steal human babies and leave a Faerie changeling in its place. Usually, the changeling will die, and then the real human baby will be brought up in the world of Faerie. If it does 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 it's Faerie nature by various means. One is to place it on a red-hot shovel, or throw it in the fire. It would then fly up the chimney. A less brutal way is the brewing of water in empty halves of eggshells. Upon seeing this, the changeling would sit up and say; "I have seen the egg before the hen. I have seen the first acorn before the oak. But I have never seen brewing in eggshells before", thus revealing its old age. Throw it in the chimney, and the true baby will then be found on the doorstep.
"To enter the world of Faery, you must believe that there is more to this universe than what can be seen by human eyes. You must believe in the hidden, the shadowed, and the obscure. You must begin to search with your inner eyes for that which lies beyond the mists, for it is there that you will find the first thresholds of Fey! These thresholds will open up into vast worlds, as diverse and complex as our own. The Realm of Faery is not a place of flittering tiny beings that delight only in tickling our upturned human noses. It is an entire dimension - richly inhabited by many races, species and beings."
This passage was written by Ferrashynn
This is a widespread belief that the Fae are spiritual, that their world is linked perfectly with our own.
"The world of Faery can be found on a green meadow, or a river bank kissed by the sun. It is hidden on a moonlit moor, on the steep side of a mountain, or just off the road in a secret woodland glen. The natural world provides all the portals we could ever need to enter into Faery, but we must remember how to make the journey."
The spelling of the fae varies often; fairy, faery, faerie, fayre, fayerye, fairye...
According to Nemesis:
"the word 'Faery' should not be confused with 'fairy', pertaining to the make-believe creature of modern culture (think Tinkerbell). 'Faerie' derives from the Old-French form of spelling to show it's links to Glamoury and the Pagan Faery Tradition. 'Fairye' in English originally referred to a state of enchantment, and was not until later that it was used to describe a mythological creature."
More names for the Fae
Fays -early form of the word
Fair Family -Welsh
Fair-Folk -Welsh
Farisees -Suffolk
Pharisees –Suffolk
Fary - Northumberland
Fees - Upper Brittany
Feriers - Suffolk
Ferishers - Suffolk
Frairies - Norfolk & Suffolk
Good Neighbors - Scottish & Irish
Good People – Irish reference to the Sidhe
The Green Children -medieval literature
Greencoaties -Lincolnshire Fen version
The Grey Neighbors -Shetland nickname for the Trows
Henkies -Orkney & Shetland nickname for Trows
Klippe -Forfarshire nickname
Li'l Fellas -Manx nickname
The Old People -Cornish nickname
People of Peace -Irish reference to the Sidhe
Pigsies -Cornwall variations of Pixies
Piskies -Cornwall variations of Pixies
Sith/Si -Gaelic variations of Sidhe
Sleigh Beggey -Manx language version of Little Folk
Still-Folk -Scottish Highland version
Verry Volk -Gower (Wales) nickname
Wee Folk -Scottish and Irish nickname
