For questions on a type of mythical creatures found in European folklore. They are generally human in appearance and capable of magic, but exact definitions and forms vary from tradition to tradition. Their names are alternative spelt fay, fae, faerie or fairy.
Questions tagged [fairies]
22 questions
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Do Welsh fairies marry human women?
The Welsh Tylwyth Teg, or fairies, is said to take human mates. This website mentions how:
There are many tales of intermarriage between faeries and humans, and advice on how to make sure you actually have a fully human mate.
Which implies it goes…
Semaphore
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Did the word "fairies" originate after the creation of stories about fairies?
From Wiktionary: Fairy : Etymology
From Middle English fairie, from Old French faerie, the -erie abstract of fae, from Vulgar Latin Fāta (“goddess of fate”), from Latin fātum (“fate”)
This seems to indicate that 'fairies' is a term that was made…
Malady
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Are there any relations between Norse elves and Celtic fairies, or their home realms?
A lot of, if not most, modern fantasy tends to have 'Elven' races that seem to be largely inspired by the Norse Elves, likely by way of Tolkien. There also seems to be a large amount of Celtic influence, however. This has got me wondering, are there…
Salvador
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Why would turning clothes inside-out keep the Faerie away?
A recurring theme in Irish stories about the Faerie is that they can be kept away by clothing turned inside-out. This (according to this particular Wikipedia source about Spriggans) is "as effective as holy water or iron in repelling fairies".
Holy…
Vixen Populi
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What do faeries do with kidnapped human children?
Fairies -- sidhe, elves (not the Tolkien type), fairy folk etc -- have the bad habit of replacing human babies with their own for whatever reason, creating changelings ("children that have been changed, replaced"). A changeling grows among humans…
Yasskier
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How Do The Fairies In Irish Mythology Spend Their Time
I have heard that they are "merrymaking and lovemaking" the entire time. But if there is someone more familiar with the lives of fairies, I would love to learn about their culture...at least some sources about it.
Lady F
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Where did the idea come from that fairies must tell the truth?
I keep coming across the idea in blog posts and books that fairies are required to tell the truth, or speak very literally, and may use tricky language to get around it. This is a major theme in Holly Black's faerie books, for instance.
Where does…
Sarah
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Whence comes the association of Leprechauns with rainbows?
In the modern day, leprechauns are usually associated with a highly rigid depiction: wearing green, hat, buckled shoes, red beard, pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Some parts of this may come from stereotypes of Irish people (probably the…
Obie 2.0
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Are certain types of fairies associated with specific regions?
I am trying to decide on a location as the setting for a fairy-lore related MG fantasy novel. As I understand it, different places have differing oral traditions, so in turn many of the fairy tales we know today are associated with certain places or…
user1324
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Is there any folklore in non-European culture that may be an attempt to "explain" similar to changeling myths in Western Europe and Scandinavia?
It has been suggested by some authors that stories of changelings in Scandinavia and western Europe are an attempt by ancient peoples used to try and explain developmental abnormalities in children, particularly autism spectrum disorder. The latter…
user2352714
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Anglo-Saxon and Faeries
I am trying to figure out whether the Anglo-Saxons had much of a belief in faeries or had an equivalent like elves or wights. I'm finding it pretty hard to disentangle what is actually English folklore and what is the legacy of the Victorians!
rougon
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Are there any close analogues to the Fairy King & Queen Titania and Oberon, in Indian/Hindu mythology?
I am looking to create a version of Titania & Oberon, the Queen & King of the Fairies in Midsummer Night's Dream, that would have context in India. Probably deities or mythological beings associated with nature/forests, but maybe with a tradition of…
Maxine
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Is this a real myth? Pembroke Welsh Corgis as mounts for fairies
I've seen this myth floating around the internet for a while now and decided to write about it for a project. The only issue was: I couldn't actually find a reputable source for the claim. Wikipedia's section on the matter reads:
Ancient lore…
smallobsession
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Who was the Erlking?
I know he was the king of the fairies but what was his purpose and how did he rule?
I looked him up on google, but none of my searches made any sense.
Aspen the Artist and Author
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Who and what are the winged "faries" that feature in fairytale?
Winged "fairies" often feature in fairytale, and a good example would be the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella. However, as, this link points out, the term "fairies " does not necessarily refer to the winged ones but instead, it refers to all(or most)…
user1385