WhAt Is A fairy lIttle FolK It is said that fairies or fay take many forms Some even change the way they look or become invisible Fairies can have wings but many do not Nymphs and pixies may be very beautiful On the other hand hobgoblins and gnomes can be ugly In many myths and stories fairies look just like humans but they are very tiny The smallest fay is between 2 to 6 inches 5 to 15 cm Others can be the size of a child or about 4 feet 1 m However the sidhe pronounced shee from Irish Folklore can be the height of an adult Whatever their size fairies are not easy to spot They are shy and do not like to be seen In many stories fairies live underground in water or in plants Others live in an invisible fairyland Humans cannot see this world because it exists in another dimension FAst FAct do not use the word fairy when you’re outdoors Fairies prefer other names such as little people or fair folk 4 4 Fairies may have wings and live in plants
THE NATURE OF FAIRIES At certain times during the year the fairies can be easier to see In England legends say that humans can spot fairies on a special night in June Midsummer's Eve Fairies may keep themselves away from humans for different reasons Long ago people thought that fairies might be the ghosts of the dead Others thought that fairies were guardians of the dead Almost all fairies have some association with nature Flowers forests rocks and toadstools are common fairy homes People leave gifts near these places to keep the fairies happy or to ask for their help Some fairies such as brownies are solitary fairies They live alone Others called trooping fairies form a royal kingdom A fairy queen and king rule over their subjects These fairy communities enjoy festivals music parades and dancing Trooping fairies are said to rule the countryside especially in Celtic countries such as Ireland Scandinavian countries such as Denmark Iceland and Sweden also have strong Fairies love flowers fairy traditions and butterflies 5
FAIrIes Around the World Countries and cultures around the world have their own version of fairies and different names for these creatures These fairies also may vary in looks and purpose They often live in particular places or have distinct powers For example the Irish wee folk are fairies who live around ancient burial grounds The Irish also have leprechauns According to myths leprechauns are shoemakers Their specialty is making footwear for royal fairies The Russian leshiye can turn itself into a tree French fairies or fée can do the same thing Fée can also travel in the wind or in fog Many countries have a version of a house fairy or elf The Scottish brownie lives in homes and helps with the chores In Spain this fairy is called a duende In Germany the house fairy is a hausmänner and in Cambodia they have the àràk A changeling is a fairy baby In stories fairies take human babies and exchange them for changelings To protect a baby from fairies parents put ash tree buds in the cradle 6
AncIent FAIrIes The word fairy was not used until the early Middle Ages However the ancient Greeks were among the first to mention creatures with fairylike qualities In Greek myths these spirits could be gods or goddesses For example Pan is a god of nature He is half human and half goat According to Greek stories Pan’s mother was a nymph Nymphs are minor goddesses They are nature spirits who have different names depending on where they live Water nymphs are naiads and nereids Naiads are freshwater nymphs who live in rivers lakes and streams Nereids live in the sea Unlike naiads nereids are kind They protect sailors at sea According to Greek myths the sea god Nereus had 50 nereid daughters They rode on the backs of hippocamps dolphins and other sea creatures Other nymphs live on the land Oreads live in meadows and mountains Dryads live in trees and they protect them from humans FAst FAct the trojan War In greek mythology nymphs are often the mothers of heroes thetis a nereid is the mother of Achilles a hero of Dryads can leave their tree homes to dance in the forest 7
