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Fairy
In folklore, one of a variety of supernatural beings endowed with the powers of magic and enchantment. Belief in fairies has existed from earliest times, and literatures all over the world have tales of fairies and their relations with humans. Some Christians have said that fairies were the ancestors of the ancient Pagan gods, who, having been replaced by newer deities, were therefore hostile. Others thought that fairies were nature deties, similar to the Greek nymphs. Still others identified fairies with the souls of the dead, particularly the unbaptized, or with fallen angels. Among their many guises, fairies have been described as tiny wizen-faced old men, like the Irish leprechaun; as beautiful enchantresses who wooed men to their deaths, like Morgan le Fay and the Lorelei; and as hideous, man-eating giants like the ogre. Fairies were frequently supposed to reside in a kingdom of their own which may be underground, e.g. gnomes; in the sea mermaids; in an enchanted part of the forest; or in some far land. Sometimes they were ruled by a king or queen as were the trolls in Ipsen's Peer Gynt and the fairies in Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream. Although fairies were usually represented as mischievous, capricious, and even demonic, they could also be loving and beautiful, as the fairy godmother in Cinderella. Sometimes fairies entered into love affairs with mortals, but usually such liaisions involved some restriction or compact and frequently ended in calamity, as did those of Melusine and Undine. Various peoples have emphasized particular kinds of fairies in their folklore such as the Arabic jinni, Scandinavian troll, Germanic elf, and English pixie. Among the great adapters of fairy lore into popular fairy tales were Charles Perrault, the brothers Grimm, and Hans Christian Anderson. Other notable contributors were Andrew Lang and James Stevens.
Source: Columbia Encyclopedia
Nymphs
In Greek mythology female divinity associated with various natural objects. It is uncertain whether they were immortal or merely long-lived. There was an infinite variety of nymphs. Some represented various localities, e.g. acheloids, or nymphs of the River Achelous; others were identifed with with the part of nature in which they dwelled, e.g. oreads or mountain nymphs; and still others were associated with a particular function of nature, e.g., hamadryads, or tree nymphs whose lives began and ended with that of a particular tree. Nymphs were represented as beautiful, musical, amorous, and gentle although some were associated with wilder aspects of nature and were akin to satyrs; others were vengeful and capable of destruction as in the story of Daphne. Other important nymphs were naiads, nymphs of streams, rivers, and lakes; nereids, daughters of Nereus, who lived in the depths of the Mediterranean Sea; dryads, tree nymphs, and oceanids, 3,000 ocean nymphs who were the daughters of Oceanus. Arethusa, Thetis, Calypso, and Echo were famous nymphs. The nymphs cult was widespread in Greece.
Daphne
She was loved by Apollo and Leucippus, a mortal who disguised himself as a nymph to be near her. When Leucippus betrayed his sex while bathing, the nymphs tore him to pieces. Apollo then pursued Daphne, who prayed to Gaea for aid and was changed into a laurel tree.
Source: Columbia Encyclopedia
Jinni
Feminine jinniyah, plural jinn, in Arabic and Islamic folklore, spirit or demon endowed with supernatural power. In ancient belief the jinn were assoicated with the destructive forces of nature. In Islamic tradition they were corporeal spirits similar to men in appearance but having supernatural powers, especially those of changing in size and shape. Capable of both good and evil, the jinn were popular in literatures of the Middle East, notably in the stories of The Thousand and one nights. The term genie is the English form and is sometimes confused with the Roman genius.
Source: Columbia Encyclopedia
Fairy Queens
Argante (British) Queen of Avalon
According to some legends, King Arthur went to Queen Argante in Avalon after he was mortally wounded in his final battle. Some authorities connect Argante with Morgan le Fay, but others associate her with the goddess Arianrhod. Evoke Argante for healing, fairy magic, and working with elves.
Caelia (Celtic: British)
Caelia is a fairy queen of British legend and literature. She enchanted Tom o'Lincoln, an illegitimate son of King Arthur, and took him for her lover despite the fact that he was married. They had a son, a fairy knight called Red Rose Knight. Eventually, Caelia drowned herself. Christian legend has it that she dwells in the House of Holiness with her three daughters: Fidelia (faith), Speranza (hope), and Charissa (charity). Evoke Caelia for motherhood, enchantment, kindness, fairy magic, and learning the lessons that a relationship begun by magical means may not end happily, and that imposing your will upon someone, or taking something which you have no right to, will cause you negative consequences.
Fuamnach (pronounced foo-am-nach) (Celtic: Irish)
Fuamnach was a powerful fairy queen. Midir the Proud, son of the Dagda, was her fairy king. After many years of marriage, Midir enraged her by taking the younger, more beautiful Etain as a second wife. Fuamnach used her druid rod to change Etain first into a pool of water, and then into a purple butterly, but Midir was still madly in love with Etain. Etain spent seven years as a butterfly, blown across Ireland by the winds and storms that Fuamnach kept sending in order to keep her away from Midir. One day she landed in the palace of Angus, the god of love. He changed Etain back into a woman from dusk until dawn every night, and they became lovers. When Fuamnach heard this, she again became enraged. This time she changed Etain into a fly, and sent a tempest to blow her away. Angus was so angered by Etain's loss that he killed Fuamnach and took her head as a trophy. A thousand years passed. Etain was reborn as a human baby, grew again into a beautiful woman, and married the high king of Ireland. Midir, who was still besotted with Etain, was able to win her from her husband in a game of chess. He was not able to keep her for long though, because she chose her husband over Midir when he came to get her back. Evoke Fuamnach for transformation, raising magical storms, and learning the lesson that spells cast in anger seldom work the way you want them to.
Mab (British) A night sprite
Mab was probably derived from the Welsh goddess Mabd, who corresponds to the Irish goddess Maeve. Queen Mab is known from British fairy lore. Mab brings nightmares to humans when she visits, driving her hazelnut shell wagon across their sleeping faces. Shakespeare called her the fairies' midwife, and described her as being "no bigger than an agate stone on the forefinger of an alderman." Evoke Mab for night magic and faery magic.
Summer (Native American: Algonquin Indian) Queen of the Elves of Light.
Summer is a tiny, beautiful woman who dances in the forest and hibernates during the winter. Winter, a giant melts away when Summer appears. Evoke Summer for fairy magic and season magic.
Fairy Goddesses
Areview/Aibell/Aebhel: (beautiful) Earth (Celtic: Irish)
Goddess of love and sexuality/
The love goddess Areview devolved into the Fairy Queen of Munster. Queen Areview held a midnight court, where once a debate was held to determine whether the men of her kingdom were sexually satisfying the women. She judged the men to be remiss, and ordered them to overcome their prudishness and give the women what they wanted. Areview possessed a magical harp which would play whatever she told it to play. Its music was deadly to humans though, for any mortal who heard it playing would soon die. Young men were the most likely victims of beautiful Areveiw's deadly harp. Areview was associated with Craig Laity (gray rock) near Killalow, Ireland. Leaves, stones, and harp music can be used to invoke her. Call upon Areview for music, ecology, love spells, fairy magic, protection, lust, temptation, sex magic, wise judgement, earth magic, and sexual satisfaction.
Aine (pronounced aw-ne) Moon/Sun/Air/Fire/southwest/Summer
(Celtic: Irish) Moon goddess; fairy queen
Aine is one of the Great Goddess of Ireland. She is a moon goddess, a love goddess who encourages human love, and the fairy queen of Munster. Aine rules agriculture, fertility, crops, and cattle. She was originally a sun goddess wh could take the form of Lair Derg, a red mare that no one could outrun. It is possible that Aine and Grainne alternated as goddesses of the waning and waxing solar year, changing places at the soltistices. Aine's father, King Egobagal, is one of the Tuatha de Danann. Also called Aine Marina and Aine of Knockaine, she is associated with Cnoc Aine/Knockainy (Aineis Hill) in County Kerry, and with Dun Aine (Dunany Point) in County Louth. People with the surname O'Corra are said to be her descendents. There are several myths about Aine, who some say was a mortal woman who was taken and enchanted by the fae. She possesses a magical ring that can reveal fairies. Aine liked humans and often mated with men, producing fairy children. She once made a magical vow to never sleep with a gray haired man. Aine kept this vow even after her jealous sister Miluchrach used enchantment to turn her beloved Fionnis hair that color. She used magic to kill Aillil Olom, the King of Munster, when he tried to rape her. There are several stories about how Aine came to marry Gerald, the Earl of Desmond. Gerald came across her bathing in a river and fell in love with her at first sight. He stole her cloak and refused to return it until she agreed to marry him. In another version he found Aine combing her hair beside the river, and used her own cloak to capture her. There is even a version where it was Aine who enchanted the Earl, who then married her. In any case they had a son, Geroid Iarla, Earl Fitzgerald, who was called The Magician. Gerald was under a taboo to never show that he was surprised by anything their son did, but he broke this taboo by exclaiming aloud when Geroid jumped in and out of a bottle. The Magician then turned into a wild goose, and flew away. Disgusted with her human husband, Aine disappeared into Knock Aine. She is said to dwell there still, in a fairy castle. Geroid is said to live beneath a lake, but will return one day to expel all foreigners from Ireland. Others say that Geroid rides forth every seven years, as a phantom upon a spectral white horse that is shod with silver shoes. Inoke Aine for love spells, fertility, fairy magic, abundance, prosperity, punishing sex crimes, keeping magical vows, revealing fairies, bearing magical children, and leaving unsuitable mates. The red mare, rabbit, and swan are her sacred animals. Midsummer Eve (Summer Solstice) is Aine's main feast day, when she is traditionally worshipped with torchlit processions through the fields at night. The first Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after Lughnasadh (August 1) are also her sacred days. Some say that Aine claims a life at that time.
Airmed/Airmid: Earth (Celtic: Irish) Fairy goddess, goddess of herbalism
Airmed is a goddess of witchcraft, medicine, herbal lore, and the healing arts. She mourned so keenly when her brother Miah died, that all the herbs of the world sprung from his grave while she tended it, and taught her their uses. Airmed is Dian Cecht's daughter, one of the Tuatha de Danann. She helps him to protect his sacred healing spring (or well), and keep its location secret. Airmed is also a craftsperson who helped create Nuadha's silver hand. Invoke Airmed for healing, craftsmanship, fairy magic, magical herbalism, medicine, witchcraft, and to inspire craftspeople.
Caer (yew berry)/Caer Ibormeith: Moon/Air/Water (Celtic: Irish)
Goddess of sleep and dreams: fairy maiden
Caer is a beautiful fairy maiden of Connach, Ireland. She lived in the guise of a swan, adorned with necklaces of golden chains and tinkling golden bells. Angus, the handsome god of love, saw Caer in a dream and fell so in love with her that he became seriously ill. According to one myth, when Angus finally learned who she was, he asked her father Ethal, one of the Tuatha de Danann, if he could marry her. Ethal replied that it was her decision, but that Angus could propose to her if he could pick her out of a flock of swans. Angus went to the Lake of the Dragonis Mouth on Samhain, knew Caer immediately and called out her name. He was instantly transformed into a swan, and they flew away together. The song they sang together was so beautiful that it put everyone in Ireland into an enchanted sleep for three days and nights. An alternative version of the myth has it that Angus had to get his own father, the Dagda, to imprison Ethal in order to persuade him to give Caer to him in marriage. There is even a version in which is was Caer who enticed Angus to the lake, in order to change him into a swan. Caer and Angus are said to dwell happily as swans in the megalilth of Brugh na Boinne, where they sing beautifully together. The swan is Caer's sacred animal, but she is also associated with the horse. Invoke Caer for dream magic, transformation, fairy magic, pyschic dreams and happy endings after difficult beginnings.
Cliodna/Cliodhna/Clidna/Cleena/Cliona: (shapely one) (pronounced kleenah)
Water (Celtic: Irish, Scottish) Goddess of beauty; sea goddess; death goddess
Beautiful, lusty, Cliodna of the Fair hair is one of the Tuatha de Dannan, duaghter of the sea god Manna. She is the goddess of beauty, the sea, and the afterlife. She is also the matron of waves, espcially large waves and the ninth wave of every series of waves that break on shore. Cliodna (pronounced kleena) rules the Land of Promise, an otherworld where there is no violence or death. She is associated with the coastline of Ireland near Cork. Carrig Cliodna, in Country Cork, is her sacred hill. With time, Cliodna devolved from goddess into a fairy queen of Munster. She was then said to be the daughter of Geban, the last druid in Ireland. Cliodna is the protectress of the O'Keefe family, who some say are her descendents. When she assumes human form, Cliodna is the most beautiful woman on earth. She often takes mortal men for lovers, but being loved by Cliodna can mean being loved to death. When Cliodna takes a man to the otherworld, he is never seen again. Cliodna once fell in love with a young human, Ciabhan of the Curling Lock, and she escaped from the otherworld to be with him. They reached the shore of Ireland together. Ciabhan (pronounced (keevan) went hunting, and Mannan put Cliodna into an enchanted sleep. He then sent a wave that drew her back into the Land of Promise. There is another version of this legend where it is Cailleach, the crone goddess, who sent her fairies to lull Cliodna into the enchanted sleep, and then sent the waves that drowned her. It was an Irish belief that every ninth wave that breaks ahshore has magical properties. Tonn Cliodna, the great wave of Cliodna, is mentioned in Irish mythology as being off the coast at Glandore, in County Cork. Cliodna can be viewed as incarnate in every ninth wave. Songbirds and sea birds are sacred to Cliodna. She often takes the form of a sea bird, and she has three magical birds that heal the sick by singing them to sleep. Nine is her sacred number. Invoke Cliodna for beauty, healing, fairy magic, love spells, life after death, water magic, and contact with the Otherworld. A beach is the best place to call upon her, since she may take the form of a sea bird or a large wave.
Cyhiraeth Water (Celtic: Welsh) Goddess of streams.
Originally a goddess, Cyhiraeth devolved into a water fairy who portended death. Cyhiraeth can be invoked for fairy magic, water spells, death divinations, and personal transformation.
Donagh/Onagh/Onaugh/Una/Oona/Oonagy: (white summit
(Celtic: Irish) Queen of the fairies; goddess of the Tuatha de Danna
Donah is the beautiful queen of the Daoine Sidhe fairies in western Ireland. Knockshegounna, in County Tipperary, is her fairy hill. Donagh is more beautiful than any mortal woman. She has long blonde hair, and wears robes of silver gossamer that sparkle with drops of dew like diamonds, yet her husband, the fairy king Finvarra (Fionnbharr), is a cad who ceaselessly pursues human women. Evoke Donagh for beauty, fairy magic, and for learning the lesson that beauty isn't everything.
Eri Moon (Celtic: Irish) Fairy goddess
Eri of the Golden Hair is one of the Tuatha de Danann. Her son Bres, the god of agriculture is Brigid's consort. Cethor of the Tuatha de Danann is Eri's husband but Elatha, a handsome Femorian king, is the father of Bres. Eri and Elatha met at the beach and were so struck by each other's beauty that they immediately made love, despite the fact that their people were enemies, but other myths say that she allowed her fairy husband to assume that he was the father of Bres. According to another version of the myth, Eri became pregnant wtih Bres when she made love in a silver boat with a beautiful man who descended to earth on a sunbeam, into the boat. He left her a gold ring as a token of their encounter. Invoke Eri for fairy magic, chance encounters, and mating outside your faith or clan.
Finnine/Fennel (Celtic: Irish) Fairy goddess
Finnine is Aine's sister. She is associated with Cnoc Finnine (Finnine's Hill) in Munster, Ireland. Invoke Finne for fairy magic.
Greine/Grian/Grainne/Grania/Dia Greine/Deorgeine: (sunny) Sun/Earth/Fire
(Celtic: Irish, Scottish, Manx) Sun goddess; goddess of herbalism
Greine, House of the Sun, is a master herbalist. She is also a crone goddess who awakens the fertility of the earth every Spring. Her priestesses dwelt in griannon, sun houses. Also called Daughter of the Sun, Tear of the Sun, and Greine of the Bright Cheeks, she devolved into the fairy queen of Leinster, Ireland. Cnoc Greine, in Leinster, is her sacred hill. Some say that Greine alternates with Aine, ruling the waxing year while Aine rules the waning year. There are several legends about Greine. When Conall's sons attacked the stronghold of her father, King Cormac Mac Art, she ran them down and turned them into badgers. Most of Geine's legends center on her elopement with Diarmuid of the Love Spot. Cormac had promised Greine marriage to Finna MacCool, the head of his bodyguard. But the willful Greine had her own ideas about marrying the aged Finn, and things went awry at the wedding. Heroes gathered to celebrate the wedding feast. Greine offered herself to each man in turn, until Diarmuid accepted her advances. There are versions of the tale in which the handsome Diarmuid is the only one Greine wants, but he is too afraid of Finn's wrath to respond. The usual version of the story is that Greine fell in love with Diarmuid after she glimpsed the magical spot on his forehead that rendered any woman who saw it hopelessly in love with him. Defying her father, Greine used magic to escape from Tara and elope with Diarmuid. They slept in separate tents at first, and it took several nights before she was able to have her way with him. Relentlessly pursued by Finn MacCool, they wandered the length and breadth of Ireland for sixteen years, camping outdoors. Piles of stones called 'the bed of Diarmuid and Grania' were once a common sight in Ireland. A cloak of invisibility helped Greine to escape capture. After many adventures, the intercession of the love god Angus with Finn enabled the couple to finally rejoine the community and live together in peace. They had four sons together. Diarmuid was killed by a boar while hunting. Grian blamed Finn MacCool for this and swore vengeance upon him, but he was able to seduce her into accepting him and they were finally married. There is another myth wherein Cailleach and Brian freed her from captivity in the Land of Big Women. Invoke Greine for herbalism, sorcery, fairy magic, wisdom, battle, escape, fire spells, transformation, herbal charms and spells, solar magic, invisibility, fertility, evading capture, making your own choices, being responsible for the consequences of your actions, and for the fertility of the earth.
Morgan Le Fay/Morgan la Fee/Morgause: (Morgan the fairy)
Moon/Water/Winter (Celtic: British, Welsh) Death goddess; sovereignty goddess
Morgan le Fay, Queen of Avalon, is a mysterious, complicated figure who takes several forms in Celtic mythology, British legends, and Anglo-French literature. In legend, she is the half-sister of King Arthur and the mother of Sir Modred by him. To Celts she was the Winter goddess of death and darkness, and a sovereignty goddess. Some see her as a Celtic queen, and/or a pagan priestess. Morgan le Fay is said to dwell with her eight sisters in Avalon, the fairy otherworld where they brought Arthur after his final battle. Morgan le Fay is also a literary figure, a Christianized version of the Celtic goddess Morgen. The "evil" things she did to Arthur were actually tests of his suitability for kingship, misinterpreted by Christian re-tellers of the ancient tales. This explains her conflicting roles as both black with and Arthur's healer and protector. It is also why there is no tale of Morgan and Merlin battling it out magically, as representatives of the opposing forces of good and evil. King Accolon of Gual is Morgan's love in some of the myths. She is the mother of Yvain (Owein), as well as or Mordred (Modred). She is usually depicted with dark hair or with red hair, and is described as an old woman who is ever young and beautiful. Morgan le Fay is associated with the legendary Isle of Avalon and with the Orkney Islands, in Scotland. Drinking water blessed by her is said to provide instant healing. Invoke Morgan le Fay for magic, enchantment, shape-shifting, healing, witchcraft, sorcery, glamoury, art, healing, protection, female power, sex magic, lunar magic, enchanting weapons, and creating magical weapons.
Perchta/Percha/Perchte: Sun (Germanic) White goddess; elf goddess
Perchta, the Elf Woman, is a sun goddess whose titles include Shining One and Bride of the Sun. She has long white hair, and wears a white cloak. Perchta can be seen moving through fields, like mist. She is the matron of spinning, and cannot tolerate laziness or wastefulness. Perchta punishes the lazy and wasteful people by scratching their faces, or by scratching their stomachs open. The last day of Yule is sacred to Perchta. Pancakes are traditionally made in her honor then, and the remains of the meal left as an offering to her. It is said that anyone who tries to spy on Perchta when she comes for her offering will go blind that year. Invoke Perchta for fertility, spinning, knot magic, and the fertility of cattle and sheep.
Rodenica/Rozhenica: (creatrix) (Slavic) The Goddess
Rodenica, The Lady, created the universe with her consort Rod, the Lord. Ceremonial meals of mead, bread, porridge, and cottage cheese were eaten in their honor. In Christian times, Rodenica evolved into a glowing white fairy who appeared with her daughter at the birth of a baby to determine its fate. Invoke Rodenica for creation, divination, fairy magic, and casting natal charts.
Source: Unknown
Fairies
Fay, Faerie, Fairy, Fair Folks, Fae, Fee
Iceland
They believe that the fairies have origins from Adam and Eve.
Fairye is an old English word that refers to a state of enchantment. They appear in the mythologies of many cultures in the form of nymphs, elves, dryads, and djinns.
Scotland: Brownies
Germany: Fee and Kobold
Persia: Peri
Greece: Fata, Kindly Ones
Spain: Halda
Ireland: Good People, Gentry
Fairy Groupings
1. Faes (Fays)- They are enchanter's and can be part mortal.
2. Dark Elves- They are evil and should be avoided. Some think they live in closets and like hurting kids.
3. Nature Fairies- They like natural surroundings and represent the elements and directions.
4. People Fairies- They are solitary and can be found in houses and are assoicated with a certain place or occupation. Communal ones find their place in the fairy community an entire dimension that is inhabited by many races, species, and beings.
Fairy Factoids
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Number: 3 which can be used in spells and rituals.
Be courteous when crossing or mowing your lawn let them know when you are going to do so. You don't have to say it out loud but let them know since they really appreciate it.
Most importantly BELIEVE!
They are thought to have disappeared because of peoples disbelief. They still exist in big numbers and are believed to be bigger than the human race. More are added each year and few are taken. They vary in size which depends on the person looking at them. They are not flesh and bone but are formed of a ethereal substance which allows them to disappear and appear at will. Fairies are found around the world mostly underground. They live in: clefts of hills, mountain caves close to or beneath the sea, rocks or secluded glens, old castles, deserted graveyeards, church ruins, tombs from humans, they make camp under the branches of a Hawthorn tree where they feel at home. On May Eve they come out and dance around the tree. They have been spotted by many people.
Fairy Dress
Ladies: silver garments at home, white shifts
when showing themselves to humans
Home: love diamonds and pearls, gold on cap or hem of dress
Love wearing red which is a color of magick
Lots of green: represents fields and the woods in Ireland
They enjoy fine wines and feasting but never suffer from drunkeness, obesity, or addiction. They love to pass time with games, fights, feasts, music, and taking mortals. Those that are believers claim that fairies can do anything like controlling the weather, affecting crops or can make a person sick or healthy.
Faeryland
Faery folk describes all manner of magical, supernatural, and enchanted creatures.
Leprechaun is an Irish word describing a "one shoe-maker" as he is most often observed working on just one shoe. These merry fellows are pigmy-sized, mischievous, and generally wear green clothes, leather aprons, and shoes with silver buckles.
Pixies are small folk but are capable of changing size. They have pointed ears, red hair, and turned up noses. Pixies steal horses at night and love to play pranks on humans, frequently leading travlers astray. They, too, love to wear green.
A Leschy is a Russian nature spirit. They can change shape and form to become the tallest tree, or the smallest blade of grass. And they can imitate any sound the forest may make. But usually they are human shapped, pale with green eyes, a green beard, and long straggly hair.
There are two kinds of elves. The more sinister group steals humans. The smaller fairy-like elves ar friendlier, although they sometimes enjoy a harmless prank, and they love to play.
Spriggans are the faery bodyguard, protecting treasure within the hills. They are grotesque, ugly little creatures, who are capable of growing very large and changing shape. Some believe they are the ghosts of old giants. Beware of them, for they are dangerous thieves and kidnappers.
The Banshee is an Irish death spirit who wails for the ancient families. With long flowing hair and red eyes from continually weeping. She is quite terrifying to look upon. She wears a green dress and gray cloak. She appears when someone is going to die.
Goblins are evil and dangerous. They are small and stocky, often hairy, and always ugly, with large noses and big mouths. However one branch of the gobline family is friendlier: the Knockers live in the tin mines of Devon and Cornwall, and they used to knock to lead miners to rich veins of ore. Unlike their goblin brothers, most hobgoblins are good humored. They like to have fun and are fond of practical jokes. However, if humans annoy them in any way, they can become extremely dangerous.
Trolls are miscievous beings who can be small and wizened or as tall as giants. Other trolls are human sized and tend to wear gray. They wander about from sunset till dawn, then retreat below ground away from the light. The gigantic trolls are much more vulnerable to daylight; sunlight will turn them to stone.
Fairies are enchanted beings who can shape shift. There are many different kinds of fairies, including the tiny winged flower fairies, who make flowers grow faster as they dance in fairy rings, and the three to four foot fairies, who live in fairy hills and may steal huamn babies, replacing them with changelings of their own. Most fairies possess magical powers. Faery folk are everywhere.
Gnomes are earth dwellers and live underground, moving freely through the earth as thought it were air. They are the guardians of earth's treasures, and as keepers of nature make their rounds to care for earth, air, fire, and water.
An imp is a small devil who is capable of all manner of things...
Pointed people are six to twelve inches high, wear peaked caps, and have furry brown ears, bright eyes, hooves, and pointed faces. They emerge at dusk and love to play in the shadows, where they are sometimes seen "shaking with their silent laughter."
Sprite is a name used for spirits and fairies, but not for the more earthy kind of faery folk.
Source: Email sent to me
The Use Of The Word Faery
By the seventeenth century we find quite an ecclectic array of f-words: farie folk, fair folks, fare folkis, pharie, phaeris, farie, fairy, fairie, fairye, and faery. No single name is more true than the the others although faery or fairy are the most commonly used.
The Word Faery
The word orignally derived from the Latin fatum; meaning destiny or enchantment. This word in turn relates to the Fates those three ominpotent goddesses who spin, weave, and cut the threads of a man or a woman's lifetime, governing past, present, and future. Fatum developed into fee (in French) and then into the English "fay" or "fae". An early meaning of faery was "fayerie": the specific state of enchantment created by a fay.
Faery Classifications
Elements
Earth: gnomes, brownies, and kobolds
Water: nixies, lamias, and undines
Fire: salamanders, daemons, and fire drakes
Air: slyphs, peries, and all winged faeries
Eastern Philosophy
Golden Devas: facilitate the transmission of solor energy or prana
White Devas (sylphs): domain is the air
Green Devas (nature spirits) intimately involved with the growth of plants
Violet Devas: create and maintain the ehtric structure of all things
Anglo Saxons
faeries of the forests and fields
faeries of the mountains and valleys
faeries of the lakes and streams
Welsh
Ellylldan: small elves
Coblynau: gnomes or mine faeries
Bwbachod: brownies or household faeries
Gwragedd Annwn (the water maidens): dwell in isolated lakes
Gwyllion (mountain spirits): haunt the high country
Tylwyth Teg (fair folk): can be found in hidden places
Irish
Gnomes: large round heads and thick bodies standing about two and a half feet tall
Leprechauns: smaller and often bearded and quite mischievous
Little People: also small of stature but slender and fair to look upon
Sidhe (pronounced shee): An ancient race of beings taller than humans and noble in stature. The rulers of the Faery Realms and once all of Ireland.
How To Identify A Common Fairy
Fairies cast a "glamour" over their prey like moonlight, an illusory attractiveness so utterly bewitching that one is too easily enchanted to ask who they are until it's too late. Fairies are usually depicted in a positive light: they are usually of feminine gender and seen as dainty, winsome, small or even tiny humans with wings that are often gossamer sometimes like those of a butterfly, and sometimes angelic. But a glance down will reveal talons instead of feet. Fairies tend to vanish rather than shape shift. They can shape shift if they want to however, and are often sighted in human guise at village dances and markets. There is no certainty about their essential form, but the consensus is that they are transparent. Fairies live in a subterranan parallel universe of their own that is often entered via holes in the ground, a mountainside, or a hill, and also in subaquoeous castles entered via a lake or river. Fairyland is not of everyday experience; it is other; and only visible from time to time to special adults and children, not because they somehow fall upon it by chance. Fairies like demons may be the residue of ancient deities, diminutive nature spirits, and have also been considered the souls of the dead (especially unbaptized babies) or fallen angels (those angels who weren't so evil as to be thrust into hell, but instead landed in the subterranean realms of earth). Fairies are considered to be supernatural helpers from time to time, but their atitudes vary considerably, and they are always dangerous. Except when the kidnap human babies or borrow human males to propogate the species, fairies prefer to have nothing to do with the community. They are very private and when disturbed by gawkers or intruders they react violently. Some fairies were organized by W.B. Yeats as "sociable" and some as "solitary". The latter are always malevolent but all of them despite their small size and adorable guises, can be surprisingly sinister. Fairies generally are more aloof and laid back than their energetically engaging demonic cousins and provoke fewer involuntary encounters, but they are equally vengeful when stepped on or rejected. If a human visits Fairyland and eats fairy food, he or she will usually not return to the land of the living. In a fairy ring you'll find Celtic fairies since they are always dancing in rings. Joining a fairy ring is as dangerous as ingesting fairy food. Once enchanted by this species it is almost always too painful to return to everyday life, and returned people have been known to waste away pining for lost bliss. 
(Sea Fairies)
Nereids: Global
They lived in an underwater kingdom but came up to the surface to play. They have whole human bodies and were often seen riding naked upon sea monsters that resembled dogfish. They were considered responsible for shipwrecks and storms, and like the Sirens had irresitible singing voices.
Merrow: Ireland
A uniquely musical species of sea fairy that is believed to have been ancestor to certain human families living today on the western and southern coasts of Ireleand. They are always wearing red caps covered with feathers, which somehow endows them with the ability to dive to their undersea homes. Their music is heard coming from the depths of the ocean or at times notes float on the surface. They can be seen dancing to it on the shore or on the waves. They are chamring and seductive by nature but extremely vengeful if crossed. They are all daughters of kings who live beneath the waves.
Maori Ponaturi: New Zealand
A coastal speices of malevolent seas fairies who live in the watery deeps. Their skin is greenish white with an unnatural innerphorescent radiance, and their long fingers end in clawlike talons. They can be seen ashore in the middle of the night and glow eerily in the dark.
Huldrefolk (Hidden People):Norway
They are fairies that are invisible so though populous are hard to spot. Some say it is their hats that make them invisible; others report that the secret lies in a special coat. Whatever the reason, they are there at all times, living in another dimension, hidden behind a veil of invisible vapor. When, on rare occassions, this veil lifts the Huldrefolk can be glimpsed. The males closely resemble miniature humans; the female Huldre wears a blue, green or white dress has a cow-like tail and a hollow back. They live very much like humans.
Abatwa: South Africa
A Zulu spirit species, considerably smaller than the common fairy, so small that they often hide under blades of grass and sleep in anthills. They live in the mountains and rocky hills but they have no central village. They are nomadic hunters who follow the game, devour their catch in it's entirety, and move on to the next kill. When they travel it is said that they ride up on one horse, sitting from the next to the tail, one behind another. If they do not find any game on their hunt they will usually devour thier communal horse. They are easily offended and quickly enraged. Their most common response is to murder by poison arrow.
Patupairehe: New Zealand
Maori fairies who live in remote mountains and hill tops, places wrapped in dense fog. They look like tall, redhaired, exceedingly pale humans but the are rarely sighted as the move only through the dark or the mist on foggy days. Like many fairies they consider themselves guardians of the wilderness and all that lives within. Often they take human lovers, whom they visit late at night. The males are expert flut players and use their musical skills to arouse human women who happen to walk nearby. Those who fall under the spell seldom if ever return to their old selves. Albino children are believed to be offspring of such couples. Not only are they heliophobic, they are afraid of fire, ash, and the color red. They are repulsed by food that has been cooked in fire. All these are effective deterrents. If tricked, they can teach supernatural skills and and be inspiring.
Yunwi Djunsti (Little People): North America
Of the Cherokee is a fairy species about two feet tall with long dark hair that reaches to the ground. They are said t wear white clothes, but tend to be invisible to the naked eye. There are four varieties: One kind lives in rocky cliffs and hard to reach craggy mountainsides. They make thier homes in the rocks sometimes with many chambers and always with well swept floors. The second variety make their homes outdoors in rhododendron patches. The third live in scrub brush. The fourth reside out in the open. They differ in levels of malevolence. The Little People in the open air and scrub brush are said to be unusually mean while the other two varieties can sometimes be helpful if treated nicely.
Duergar: Great Britian
A populous species of solitary fairy that leads travelers astray by means of a flickering torch. He stands about one foot tall, wears a lambskin coat, moleskins skins, and as a hat, a piece of green moss stuck with a large feather. This is a malicious creature who believes the hills are his alone, and wants only to cause harm, mischief, or death to trespassing human beings.
Mountain Fairies: China
They are dainty, beautiful, and irresistible. They are not usually malevolent. They pull their lovers into their near eternal dimension without any regard to their lifespan. As long as they stay with her, they remain "alive." Some say these enchanted human beings are actually dead but do not realize it.
Wood-Wives and Skoggra: Germany & Sweden
A fairy species which can be found in old forests and dense groves. Petitie and beautifully dressed with long claws, they are often accompanied by violent whirlwinds. So intricately connected to the woods are these spirits that it is said that if a branch is twisted until the bark comes off, one Wood-Wife dies in the forest. The Swedissh Skoggra is almost identical in appearance to the Wood-Wife, but she is often sighted in prowl mode.
Mimi: Arhhem Land, Austrailia
An ancient family of Aboriginal fairy like spirits who have concealed themselves within rocks in the Arnhem Land plateau of Austrailia for over ten thousand years. They are described as having extraordinarily thin and eloganted bodies that they cannot venture out on windy days because the wind would cause them to break in half. They are said to be fond of dancing and signing, and some say that taught the Aboriginal ancestors how to write songs and dance.
Changelings: Great Britian
Fairies often described as pale, big headed, mentally retarded, or deformed human babies. In actuality they are not human at all. In order for fairies to successfully steal human babies (as they often do) and take them down to the subterranean Fairyland, they must leave in the crib either carved wooden substitutes or elderly, feeble, washed up fairies who pretend to be human infants. Especially at risk of being stolen are those babies not yet named or baptized, and all those left alone and unguarded. As they grow older, they are notorious for playing pranks such as stealing milk, or playing music that forces peole to dance against their will, and breaking valuable household objects. In Hungary, England, and parts of Africa, children born with teeth are suspected.
Fox Fairy (Huli Jing):China
Considered highly dangerous and held in awe. It was believed to be the shen (spirit) of the dead and has been rising from graves. They often shape shift into a tempting, wicked young woman, or an old man or scholar. The female has an affinity for scholars (as they are reputuedly unusually virtuous) and will attempt to seduce them whever possible. They are after the vital essence of its human lover, during orgasm, and will steal it away. Lovers eventually become consumptive and waste away to nothing. They can also shape shift into the semblance of a person long dead, and that person haunts houses and terrifiies mortals. It has also been known to appear in the guise of somebody who actually lives far away. It is seen as a clever trickster, a cunning survivor, and a deadly power. Most notably, it can posess its human prey out of sheer malevolence. Invisible by daylight, the Fox Fairy can be seen at night around the home in various forms.
Kitchen Fairies: China
A large, industrious, invisible population, and since they cast no shadows they can be accounted for only by the unusual amount of work they accomplish for their owners. They obsessively sweep and dust, so it is very obvious whose house is inhabitied and whose is not.
Fair Lady: Hungary
One of the malevolent fairies that is so powerful as to be seen in many shapes: a beautiful woman, sometimes naked; a horse; a long haired woman in a white dress looking like a common housewife. She never travels far from home. She is often seen under the eaves of the house always a dangerous place and other times she'll show up in the stable. She weaves dangerous spells that can leave a person struck dumb or worse.
Plants And Trees That Attract Fairies
Common Yarrow
New York Aster
Shasta Daisy
Western Giant Hyssop
Horsemint
Lavender
Rosemary
Thyme
Fountain Butterfly Bush
Orange-Eye Butterfly Bush
Cinquefoil
Petunia
Zinnia
Foxglove
Primrose
Ragwort
Cowslip
Pansies
Bluebells
Clover (3 leaf not 4 leaf)
St. John's Wort
Hazel
Rowan
Blackthorn
Oak
Willow
Elder
Birch
Alder
Apple
Ash
Toadstools
Faerie Snack For You And The Faeries
By Mystic Goddess
You will need the following:
Natural honey
Marshmellows
Green sprinkles (optional)
Small edible flowers
Medium size edible leaf
Crack a walnut directly in half. Pick out nut and all insides on one half until clear. Put in small edible leaf on the bottom of the gutted walnut half. Take a marshmellow and tear it in small pieces, piling them on top of the leaf. Now squeeze honey until completely covering the marshmellow. Top with small edible flowers and sprinkles if you wish. Place the food outisde in a lush undisturbed place for the faeries to eat, or eat it yourself.
Tuatha De Danann
In Irish Celtic mythology, the Tuatha De Danann (People of the goddess Danu") are the Irish race, of gods founded by the goddess Danu. These gods who originally lived on the islands in the west had perfected the use of magic. They traveled on a big cloud to the land that would later become called Ireland and settled there.
Shortly after their arrival they defeated the Firbolg at the first battle of Mag Tuireadh. In the second battle of Mag Tuireadh they fought and conquered the Fomorians, a race of giants who were the primordial inhabitants of Ireland. The Tuatha De Danann dealt more subtly with the Fomorians than with the Firbolg and gave them the province of Connacht. There was also some marrying between the races.
The Tuatha De themselves were later driven to the underworld by the Milesians, the people of the fabulous Spanish king Milesuis. There they still live as invisible beings and are known as the Aes Sidhe. In a just battle, they will fight beside mortals. When they fight, they go armed with lances of blue flame and shields of pure white.
Important members of the Tuatha De are: Dagda, Brigid, Nuada, Lugh, Dian Cecht, Ogma and Lir. The Goddess Danu can also be identified with the Welsh Goddess Don.
The Epic of the Tuatha De Danann is the First Cycle of Irish Storytelling 
Daoine Sidhe
The Divine folk of Old Irish folklore. After the Tuatha De Danann were defeated by the Milesians (Gaels) those members who decided to stay in Ireland formed the Daoine Sidhe. They live in hollow mounds, hence the name sidhe which literally means "people of the (fairy) mounds." In Connaught they are ruled by Finbheara, who holds court beneath the fairy hill of Knockma. His wife is the fair Oonagh. In Munster there are three fairy queens, Cliodna, Aine (said to be the mother of Earl Gerald, who sleeps under the castle of Mullaghmast), and Aoibhill.
The Daoine Sidhe are fond of battles, hurling (a kind of field hockey) and are skilled chess players. Many a mortal challenged Finvarra to a game and lost all his possessions, for the king has never been beaten. These fairies are small and this is responsible for the name of daoine beaga, "little folk." They may ride out to hunt, or stir up an eddy of dust, or engage in battles, or steal children, or prevent butter from forming in the churn.
Finbheara is pronounced as Finvarra and Cliodna as Cleena, and Aoibhill as Eevil.
Morgan le Fay
Introduced in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Vita Merlini, her name (there spelled Morgen) implies ties to the realm of Fairy. She is also a magical figure as well as a priestess residing over a sisterhood of nine inhabiting an enchanted isle. She receives the wounded king after the last battle and offers to cure him if he remains long enough.
There are many Celtic traditions evident here, not just of fairy queens ruling magic lands, but of actual sisterhoods of healers and miracle workers recorded in classical literature. Such a group might have been led by a priestess that served as the earthly manifestation of the goddess. Giraldus Cambrensis and other medieval authors were well aware of Morgan's divinity. Comparison of Welsh and non-Welsh Arthurian matter show her to be somewhat idenitified with Modron and ultimately with the river goddess Matrona, similar to and possibly derived from the Irish goddess Morrigan.
Christianity humanizes and eventually vilifies her. Early on she is a type of benevolent fairy that aids Arthur throughout his life, not just at the end. The Welsh claim her father to be the obscure Avallach, king of the magical island with it's Welsh name, but he fades from legend. Morgan is essentially the sole personage of Avalon, the Isle of Apples. She is further humanized with the progress of Arthurian storytelling. The former goddess becomes a daughter of Ygnera and her first husband Gorlois, the Duke of Cornwall, making Morgan, Arthur's half sister. Glastonbury idenitification with with Avalon leads to beliefs that she ruled in the area but romances place her in various locations. She becomes the owner of the Castle of Maidens, possible near Edinburgh while a few continental romancers move her to the Mediterranean entirely. Siciliy is one such place. She is named Fata Morgana by the Italians and that name is given to a mirage that appears in the Straits of Messina attributed to her magic in the past.
Medieval Christianity had a difficult time assimiliating a benevolent enchantress, she becomes more and more sinister. She is now a witch taught the black arts by Merlin and is a bedevilment to Arthur and his knights with a special hatred towards Queen Guinevre. Oft times she is involved in a plan to ensnare a knight for her own pleasure by sending them into a "valley of no return," or against a mighty adversary. Other times she is married to Urien and bears a son, Owain or Yvain. Yet she never becomes purely evil. Many attractive qualities remain and Morgan is associated with art and culture. Despite the scheming and plotting at court, she is still the one who bears the wounded King to his place of healing on Avalon.
Part of Christianity's failure to understand the character of Morgan was their misapplied versions of morality. They imposed a Judeo-Christian ethical structure over a Celtic one and tried to eradicate the conflicts. The monks basically misunderstood the beliefs of Celtic rule. Women had equal if not greater power than men and were expected to take lovers. This is evident in the transcription of the Tain, the national epic of Ireland (except here scribal ignorance of actual Celtic ways actually preserved many of them). This is also the reason why Guinevere is seen as unfaithful rather than a free woman free to make her own choices in who she beds. Morgan necessarily becomes a witch to explain her sexuality.
Encylopedia Mythica
Seelie Court (Blessed Court)
The court of the kind and benign fairy host, usually seen around twilight in long solemn processions. These fairies help the poor with gifts of corn and bread.
Unseelie Court (Unholy Court)
The evil counterpart to the Seelie Court is always unfavorable towards mankind. The part which flies through the sky at night is called the 'Horde.' Mortals unfortunate enough to cross the Horde's path are taken for a hell-ride. These poor victims are beaten and pinched and forced to participate in the bizarre nocturnal activities of these creatures. The Unseelie Court solely consists of those of the fairy-beings which are the most ugly and evil.
Avalon
By Brian Edward Rise
According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, the enchanted isle where Arthur's sword was forged and where he is conveyed after his last battle to be healed. Geoffrey calls it Insuls Avallonis which he translates as "isle of apples," apples no doubt being a paradisal symbol in contrast to the Welsh Avallach which supposedly takes its name from its lord, Avallach.
Geoffrey writes more at length on Avalon in his "Vita Merlini" than in the Historia. He likens it to the Fortunate Isles of classical myth but over western waters. Presided over by Morgen (Morgan le Fay), a kind enchantress and healer who leads a sisterhood of nine. This description echoes the Welsh poem "The Spoils Of Annwfn" with its nine Otherworld maidens and real groups of island dwelling Celtic priestesses like those noted by Plutarch in the first century CE. Arthur is placed on a golden bed and can only be healed by entrusting his care to Morgen completely for a long time.
Avalon if often taken as a refuge of spirits but the point of Arthur's residence there is that he is not dead, but magically alive and awaiting the moment of his return.
In 1191, when the monks of Glastonbury uncovered the "tomb" of Arthur, they claimed that Glastonbury Tor, which resonated with an aura of Pagan uneasiness, was the famed isle for it was once almost encircled by water. The association passed into Grail literature that drew on Glastonbury's ancient Christian history (it is said that this was the monastary founded by Joseph of Arimathea who, bearing the Holy Grail, allegedly came to Britain after the crucifixation).
Thus there are two meanings attached to Avalon that of Glastonbury and that of the mystical otherworld. In both example it is the final resting place of the King but at Glastonbury it is his burial site and the other is the place of his healing and retreat from the world as well as the source of his immortality.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
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