The Nature of Faeries* —by Míchealín Daugherty "Faerie is a world of dark enchantments, of captivating beauty, or enormous ugliness, of callous superficiality, of humour, mischief, joy and inspiration, of terror, laughter, love and tragedy. It is far richer than fiction would lead us to believe, and beyond that, it is a world to enter with extreme caution, for of all things that faeries resent the most it is curious humans blundering about their private domains like so many ill-mannered tourists. So go softly — where the rewards are enchanting, the dangers are real." —Betty Ballantine Faerie Origins Norse mythology says faeries emerged from maggots from the giant Ymire and transformed themselves in Light Elves and Dark Elves. The Icelandic version is biblical in nature. This mythology states that Eve was washing her children by the river when God spoke to her. In her awe and fear, she hid the children she had not yet washed. But when God asked if all her children were there, she said they were. He then declared that those she had hidden, would forever be hidden from man. The hidden children became known as elves, faeries or "Huldre Folk." Elsewhere faeries are fallen angels. In Devon, for example,  pixies are the souls of unbaptised children. The Faerie Moon The Realm of the Faerie For the Welsh, the faeries often lived in the misty Pembrokeshire For the Irish, they lived in Tir na nÓg. See also the Taking of the Faerie Mound. For Arthurians, Avalon is the most famous of Faerie Islands. In general, however, faeries live in faerie mounds or hollow hills, caves, mountains, lakes, rivers, even trees. Some domestic, or house-spirits, such as brownies, live in houses with humans. Most live in organised communities, but there are solitary faeries too, such as leprechauns. Sithein is the outside of a faerie mound or faerie hill. Brugh is the inside of a faerie mound or faerie hill. Faerie Rings Faeries often dance in circles and leave behind faerie rings, which are dangerous to humans who mistakenly tread within them. A faerie circle is most often marked by a circle of mushrooms. Types of Faeries There are many kinds of faeries. They include, but are not limited to, the following: Alvens — Light, nearly invisible faeries with no wings. The river Elbe is sacred to them. They cherish night-blooming plants. Ankou — Ankou can be found in Brittany, Cornwall, Wales and Ireland. He is also known as Father Time and the Grim Reaper. He drives a black cart or coach, and brings death. No one has ever seen his face. Anthropophagi — A headless cannibal whose eyes rest on his shoulders and whose mouth is in the middle of his chest. Folklorists believe this legend migrated from northern Africa to Britain in the early Dark Ages. Ashrays — Scottish sea ghosts. They cannot live on land and are completely nocturnal. Attorcroppe — Small serpent with arms and legs that walks upright. These malevolent creatures came into faerie lore through Saxony. Ballybogs — Irish peat or bog faeries. They have bulbous, mud-covered bodies and long spindly legs and arms. They are known as Boggles to the Cornish, and in England are called Boggans. Banshee / Bean Sidhe Basilisk — This creature has the body and head of a huge, golden snake, with a comb of a rooster on its head. It holds the front half of its body upright. It hates humans and can kill them just by looking at them or breathing on them. It can be killed by being shown its reflection in a mirror. When it dies, it releases an obnoxious, poisonous gas. It is known in Greece, the Baltic countries, Eastern Europe and Russia.  Bean-Fionn — Irish Water Woman; known in Germany as the Weisse Frau and in England as Jenny Greentooth. Bean-Tighe — Small, elderly faeries, who are similar to Scottish Brownies, and spend their time in Irish homes performing household chores. You can invite them to clean your home by leaving out strawberries and cream. Black Angus — English faerie dogs that can be seen crossing the moors and wastelands at night. They are known in Scotland as Cu Sith, in Wales as Cwn Annwn (white dogs) and in Germany as Gabriel's Hounds. Boobrie — Faerie birds that prey on ships transporting sheep and cattle. These creatures are often seen by sailors, and they can shapeshift into horses. Brownie — Small, shaggy, brown man who wears tattered clothes and works as a 'house faerie' or domestic servant. If he is given a gift of clothing by the master of the household, he is simultaneously granted freedom. However, this greatly offends him. Buachailleen — Small faeries that resemble tiny, young men. They wear pointed red hats and can shapeshift; Buachailleen can be found in Ireland and Scotland. Bugul Noz — An extremely hideous creature that lives in the woods of Brittany and will make a loud sound to send approaching humans away, lest they see his repugnant appearance. Bwca / Booka —  The Scottish version of the Brownie. However, Bookas are not as submissive as Brownies; they can be very vindictive. Cailleac Bhuer — The Blue Hag found in the Scottish Highlands. She is ill-tempered and dangerous and is seen with a crow on her left shoulder. Coblynau — Similar to Cornish Knockers, Coblynau are Welsh mine faeries. They are not dangerous, they simply take great delight in mimicking the miners. Cluricauns — Cluricauns are similar to Leprechauns. They hide by day in sheep wool, and at night are known to steal wine from wine cellars. Cyhraeth — Similar to the Banshee, the Welsh Cyhraeth cries or moans when multiple deaths, such as epidemics or accidents, are about to occur. Daoine Sidhe — Daoine Sidhe look human and it is hard to know they are faeries. They are skilled chess players; many mortals have lost everything to them in chess challenges. They are also known as womanizers and as experts at the sport of hurling. Dryads — Celtic tree faeries also known as Sidhe Draoi which means faerie druids. They are androgynous and prefer willow trees, although they can be seen in all of the Celtic sacred trees. Duergars — Duergars are a malicious species of Dwarf found in England. The Dullahan Dwarfs / Dwarves — Dwarfs are bearded and aged in appearance by the time they are 7-years-old. They are kind, but self-conscious and shy because of their deformed appearance. They can be found in the mountainous areas of Germany and Scandinavia mining for precious metals. Each Uisge — Similar to the Scottish Kelpie, except that the Each Uisge is much more viscous because it eats it victims. Ellyllon — Welsh faeries who live on faerie butter (fungus found on the roots of old trees) and toadstools. They are also found in Dosmary Pool in Cornwall, where they have been known to transport themselves by riding on eggshells. Erlkonig — The German Elf King. It is similar to the Irish Bean Sidhe and the Fylgiar of Iceland in that it warns of approaching death.  Fenoderee — Manx Brownies who are large, hairy and ugly. Ferrishyn — Manx faerie tribe. Fir Darrig — Fir Darrig have a twisted sense of humour, and often play grotesque, practical jokes on unsuspecting humans. Flower Faeries — Also known as Pillywiggins. Fylgiar  — An Icelandic faerie; it is similar to the Irish Bean Sidhe and the The German Erlkonig in that it warns of approaching death.  It is said that children born with a caul over their heads will go through life accompanied by a Fylgiar acting as a Familiar. Ghillie Dhu — Ghillie Dhu are Scottish solitary faeries that live in trees and wear clothing made of leaves and moss. Goblins — Goblins are small, malicious beings, who thought to be companions to the dead and are known to lure humans to their doom. Gnomes — Earth elementals. They live under the ground and guard treasures. They are brilliant metal workers and breast-plate makers. Gwartheg y Llyn — Welsh faerie cattle. Gwragedd Annwn — Welsh lake faeries. Kelpie — Scottish water faerie who will mount unsuspecting humans and dash them into the water. It sometimes takes the form of a horse and sometimes of a hairy man. Knockers — Inhabit mines and make noise, and sometimes music. They are mischievous, but not usually cruel. They reward miners who leave them food or gifts with good luck. Kobolds — Kobolds are the German version of Knockers. They are mischievous, but will sometimes help the miners with their work. Leprechauns — Leprechauns are sly and tricky and most often pass themselves off as shoemakers. They can be persuaded to lead you to hidden crocks of gold...for a price... Little People — The Little People are capable of shape-shifting and often take the form of ants. If you should step on one and kill it, ill luck will be upon ye. Oftentimes, however,  the Little People cannot be told apart from humans. The Moss People — These are German faeries with butterfly wings; they tend to hide in moss and dark wood foliage. Versions of them are also known in Swiss, African and Polynesian lore. Pixies — Mischievous characters in Cornwall; they often take the form of hedgehogs. Pixies are also found in Devon and Somerset. Pooka / Phooka / Pwca / Puca / Puck Plant Annwn — Welsh faeries of the underworld. They are guarded by the Cwn Annwn, or White Hounds. Rusalki — Beautiful female, Russian water faeries with long, green hair. Selkies — Seal faeries. See The Seal People. Sidhe — The Sidhe in Ireland passionately love beauty and luxury and have a total contempt for thrift and economy. They are known to "borrow" and later return items belonging to humans. They will always reward those who leave for them fruits or cakes and milk. Sluagh — Scottish faeries who host the Unforgiven Dead. They are the most formidable of Highland faeries. Spriggans — Spriggans are very small, ugly and grotesque in shape. They are believed to be ghosts of old giants. They are guardians of hill treasure, but they are also mischievous and destructive to human crops. Sylvans — Beautiful, Greek woodland faeries that lure humans to their death. Tuatha de Danaan  Wee Folk — Another name for the faeries of Ireland and Scotland. Wichtleins — Wichtleins are similar to Kobolds but their purpose is to knock three times to alert miners to an impending death. Will O' the Wisp See Also: The Farmer of Tralee and the Faerie Cows The Piper and the Puca The Seal Woman *Sources: Conway DJ. Celtic Magic. Llewellyn Worldwide, St. Paul, MN: 1994. Froud B and Lee A. Faeries. Abrams Books, New York: 2002. McCoy E. A Witch's Guide to the Faery Folk. Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, MN:  2004. Personal knowledge and traditional folklore. Page last updated 12 Sep 2006 Website Design and Myths & Magic logo by Míchealín Daugherty Copyright © 2006 Ireland's OWN All Rights Reserved.