Fairies
Fairies
The word witch is used to encompass all sorts of occult spiritualities, and the word fairy is used to describe different concepts. Although the word fairy has historical references to many spiritual beings.
- Miniature winged flower fairies or divas – each individual flower has a petite presiding spirit within it. They ride butterflies, birds and dragonflies. And because these are so small some people may think that they are harmless, but in fact they share the same personalities as its housing flower. So flower fairies have many personas’ they can be sweet, gentle, poisonous, vibrant, energetic etc! Wolf’s bane possesses flower fairies too.
- Human sized fairy folk are mainly portrayed in fairy tales. In stories they are often aggressive, and may steal human children and sometimes adults.
- Different types of spirits from all over the world. They have their own names and languages and are categorized as fairies. Fairies is sometimes spelled ‘Faeries’ or ‘Fees’. If someone speaks of “Hungarian Fairies” or “Russian Fairies”, rather than ‘Tunder’ and ‘Rusalka’, they are distinctively different types of spirits and both are distinguishable from ‘Sidhe’ the Irish fairies.
- Fairy is used as a generic term fro ancient pre-Christian spirits. In essence it’s a demotion: Deities who’ve refused to fade away (Or their devotees stubbornly cling to them), are removed from the pantheon of Gods but are permitted to a lesser roles as “Nature Spirits”.
- Fairy has historically been used in England as a synonym for “Witch” and or “Pagan Practitioner”.
In legends, myths and fairy tales, witches and fairies are often treated as mirror images of each other. Both are powerful beings, predominantly female, using similar tools – charms, magic words and spells. Witchcraft and Fairy craft were often interlinked during the witch trials. Women were accused of witchcraft because they consorted with fairies. In today’s society fairy tales have become relegated to nursery rhymes/ tales. Fairies have become satanized.
• Fairies were once respected to the point of fear.
• Fairies were perceived as dangerous spirits and for good reason. “Fairy” derives from ‘Fate’.
Many fairies resemble Middle Eastern/ North African spirits known as “Djinn”. They’re shy, volatile, nocturnal spirits who generally distrust people and are temperamental, easily offended and potentially dangerous. It’s hazardous to call them by their names, so “The neighbours” or “The good people” are terms used to call them. Nicer, sweeter female Djinn are sometimes classified as fairies. Both dislike salt and iron. Djinn allegedly formed from fire as people were formed from earth, do not fear that element as some fairies, notably the Sidhe, reputedly do.
The word ‘Fairy’ encompasses any kind of spirit or fabulous being, thus mining spirits, dwarfs, kobolds and goblins are all labelled “Fairies”, as are the “black dogs” of Britain and other supernatural creatures.
Two types of fairies are as follows.
- Spirits that determine human fate and destiny.
- Spirits of wild nature: those spirits with dominion over animals, botanicals, fertility, birth, love, sex, and women’s power.
Sometimes the above overlap, both are often involved with death and the transitions between life and death.
Types of Fairies
Birth Spirits – The Fates
A child is born and the fairy(s) comes to celebrate the birth and then they decide the child’s fate. They come bearing gifts. This ritual has been long performed throughout Europe, in French, Slavic, Celtic and other regions as well as the Romany. An offering was also left out to thanks the fairies for their blessings. There can be a procession of fairies present or just the one depending on the customary beliefs of the parents.
- Fatit – Southern Albanian fairies. (Singular; Fati), also known as Miren from the Greek Moirae or Fates. The Fatit ride butterflies and on the third day after the child’s birth they approach and determine its destiny.
- Oosood – Serbian spirits are a sub species of the nature fairies and the fate fairies. They arrive on the seventh day following a birth and are visible only to the mother. In addition to food, they also like receiving flowers.
- “Our good mothers” – Is the Breton euphemism for these fates that typically appear in groups of three. Their leaders is named Befind, and they prefer to receive lavish multi course meals complete with champagne, whisky, wine and pastry as well as fruits and nuts, which are more familiarly associated with fairies.
- The Seven Hathor’s – May be the earliest clear manifestation of this tradition. Hathor is the Egyptian Goddess of love, sex, birth, pleasure, intoxication, music and death. The 7 Hathor’s maybe aspects or avatars of her, although they may be her daughters or attendant spirits. They appear at births to pronounce the child’s destiny, ad they like to receive 7 red ribbons, one for each fairy.
Nature Spirits
Among the spirits categorized as fairies as a preponderance of what are commonly called “nature spirits” Here are the two types of nature spirits.
- Trooping fairies – Live in sophisticated societies and often accumulate wealth. They move homes often and travel in procession, hence their name.
- Solitary fairies – May live in packs, they do not troop; they are wild or feral spirits and are described as solitary because they live a stark, simple existence in the forest or underwater away from civilization.
So here are the types of fairies, their names…
Boabhan sith
Meaning: Fairy Women
Pronunciation: Buhvan shee
Location: Scotland, highlands
Description: Shape shifters, usually hooded crows, raven or women not always dressed in green. They have deer hooves instead of feet. They are sometimes described as Scottish Vampires. They may be animals guardian spirits, who guarantee that only spiritually initiated hunters who’ve performed the correct hunting rituals are promoted to hunt, without these rituals, animals are unable to resurrect and return to life.
What do they do? They seduce men by dancing, putting them into a trance and kill them by draining their blood. Their favourite victims are hunters who are alone upon moors.
Bereginy
Location: Russia
Description: Bereginy refers to a host of Slavic water spirits in the retinue of a primal Goddess name Bereginia (also Berehinia, Perehinia). Bereginy is Russian the Polish variant is Boginki. Bereginia means earth and shore, so this indicates the threshold where land meets water. They’re often depicted as mermaids with 2 tails. Rituals were often performed outdoors in the open, but due to Christianity labelling these fairies as demonic and dangerous, rituals were then performed in secret such as in a bathhouse.
Dakini
Meaning: Fairies, Furies or Yoginis. In modern Hini – Witch.
AKA: Cloud fairies, sky dancers and celestial women.
Location: Himalayas
Description: They are described as spirits of wrath, and the pre-Buddhist Sanskrit word denotes a female death spirit, perhaps similar to Valkyrie found at battlefields, cemeteries, and cremation grounds.
What do they do? They can fly and the posses magical powers, some eat human flesh, while others operate as personal guardian spirits and are invoked for initiation into secrets of the Tantra.
Deives
Location: Lithuania
Description: They have 2 faces, one is as fierce hags, and the other are big breasted, blue eyed and beautiful women with long blonde hair. They dislike greed, excessive acquisitiveness and selfishness.
What do they do? They protect women, supervising their work and spiritual traditions. They have some rules… 1) No laundering after sunset (because this is the time when they go swimming). 2) No spinning on Thursdays. They punish men who don’t obey these rules and force women into breaking them.
Dones d’Aigua
Meaning: Ladies of the water
Location: Catalonia
Description: They live in clean fresh water, such as springs, fountains, wells and lakes also ones within caves and forests. They’re usually friendly and help humans. They manifest as mermaids, sirens – half woman half bird.
What do they do? They guard hoards of treasure.
Dryads
Location: Greece
Description: Woodland spirits and attendants of Artemis. They live in trees and they move quickly and easily. To see them is considered unlucky this is because they make themselves visible when they’re annoyed and intended on inflicting discipline.
What do they do? They guard trees, forest and groves.
Libation: They like offerings of milk, water, wine, oil and honey.
E Bukura e Dheut
Meaning: Earthly beauty
Location: Albania
Description: She lives in a fairytale castle atop a mountain which is guarded by beast and creatures. She is used to represent the epitome of beauty and happiness.
What does she do? She rules over a host of other beautiful spirits, her sister fairies. They are unpredictable and may be dangerous.
Elf
Location: Anglo Saxon
Description: Elf refers to indigenous spirits of the Teutonic lands. The words Fairy and Fee are the French derivation and began to replace “elf” in the 14th Century. The words are now somewhat interchangeable, although “elf” is more specific and is never a generic term like “fairy”. Elves are seen now in children’s fiction and are portrayed as miniature, whimsical busy bees and Santa’s helpers. They were originally human sized or taller and renowned archers, healers and artisans. They have their own kingdom parallel to ours. They can be benevolent and helpful and also feared. They’re hostile to humans and sometimes striking them with poisoned darts (known as Elf shots), which leads to illness and malaise.
Keshalyi
Location: Romany
Description: They live in remote forests, especially Transylvania, they’re gentle, beautiful and benevolent. The queen of this fairy group, keeps getting pregnant all the time, each of her children were diseases, causing and spreading the disease. So they’re not the best fairies to call upon
What do they do? They spin the threads of fate.
Korrigans
AKA: Corrigans
Location: Breton
Description: They manifest as mermaids and are also land living fairies. They’re described as beautiful long haired women, wearing flowing white garments, they can also manifest into fierce hags especially in daylight. They live in forests and streams and travel in packs.
What do they do? They like to have fun and dance among stone circles; they lead travellers astray with their beautiful voices and mysterious fairy torch light. They also enjoy playing tricks on priests. They helped princess Dahut build the magical crystal city, Ys. And they’re among those spirits that are accused of stealing humans and children.
Lauma
AKA: Lithuanian: Laume, Latvian: Lauˉme
Location: Baltic
Description: They can be found bathing in springs at night, and spinning and weaving in the moon light linking the worlds of fate. They are nature and fate fairies combined.
What do they do? They are the guardians of poor, protectors of orphan children. Due to post Christianity they have developed hag like features.
Nixie
AKA: Nixy
Location: Germany. The word Nixy derives from old high germany Nihhusa means “female water sprite”, the male word is Nihhus.
Description: They are female water spirits and fresh water mermaids, their male counterparts are called Nix. They live in a parallel world to ours underwater. Nix have green teeth and resemble drowned corpses. The Nixie are seductively beautiful. They are shape shifters and can transform into grey horses and humans. Nixie are typically mermaids, that sprout legs when they want to walk on dry land.
What do they do? The Nixie entices human men into their doom.
Peri
Location: Iranian
Description: They’re tiny, sweet beings that are nourished solely by the aromas of fragrant flowers and trees.
Rusalka
Location: Russian
Description: Nature spirits of water, fields and forests. They appear in groups and are all females. They can manifest as young and beautiful, large breasted and naked women or old and fierce women, but they are never feeble old ladies. Shape shifting spirits of moisture. They could be the spirits of women who have drowned. They are usually
What do they do? They bless the land at least once a year with fertility. Water is their source of power, for healing and life.
Libation: To honour them, decorate birch trees with ribbons and embroideries.
Sidhe
AKA: Daoine Sidhe or Deenee shee (Meaning fairy folk)
Meaning: Fairy
Pronunciation: Shee
Location: Celtic regions
Description: Sidhe also means barrow or tumulus; which are ancient burial mounds, these mounds is their home. Many people consider them as the true and only “Fairy Folk”. They are male and female and live in a parallel world to ours and are considered to be troopers. They are accused of stealing humans, especially; babies, children, midwives and wet nurses. They also like human milk.
Various explanations are as follows.
- They’re the ancient Celtic Gods; they exist in Ireland, the Isle of Man and Scottish highlands.
- They’re the pagan spirits of Ireland, the Tuatha de Danann, which means the children of Danu/Dana, who’s also known as Marca Shee (Means fairy cavalcade), Slooa Shee (means fairy hosts).
- They could be the aboriginal pre Celtic people of the British Isles. Who are a powerful, mysterious, magical culture with strong emphasis on herbalism and shamanism.
What do they do? Good question, their trade is shoemaking.
Libation: They accept small offerings of small dishes of milk, which has been placed outside overnight on a windowsill or doorstep.
Solitary Sidhe
Description: They are not trooping fairies, some are perceived that they are a separate species of spirit, now lumped in with the Sidhe. Many are associated with death; some serve as psychopomps or death – knells. The most famous is the bean sidhe or banshee, which literally means “Fairy woman” or “Woman of the Fairy Mound”. The Banshee manifests as the following…
- An old hag wearing green with glowing red eyes, which are in hollow sockets and has long wild white hair.
- A deathly pale woman dressed in white with long wild red hair.
- A beautiful woman veiled in white.
- A shimmery, silvery woman with long beautiful and abundant silver grey hair.
- A headless woman naked from the waist up carrying a basin of blood.
Another famous solitary sidhe is “Lean haun shee” or “Fairy lover”. This beautiful fairy haunts wells and springs in Ireland and the Isle of Man in search of human lovers. She feeds off their life essence and infuses their souls with poetic and literary skills.
Trolls
Description: Are skilled shape shifters, but in children’s stories they are hulked, ugly and stupid. Folk wisdom suggests they can be fierce and scary looking, this is so for the male of the species, while the female trolls are fierce but beautiful. They live in a parallel world to ours under hills, in burrows and caves filled with treasure. Despite negative press they can be benevolent and helpful. They are excellent spell casters, herbalists and master ironworkers. They are nocturnal and may turn to stone in the sunlight.
What do they do? They love music and dancing; they abduct musicians and force them to play music for them. They don’t like loud noises, especially church bells.
Tünder
Meaning: Dame
Location: Hungary
Description: They are charming, beautiful and benevolent female spirits. They are wealthy beings and live on remote mountain tops in amazing castles that are surrounded by beautiful gardens. They have powerful magical powers and own magical jewels and herbs with which they cast their spells. Their bodily fluids including... Tears, milk and saliva have magical properties as well and are tools of enchantment. The most prominent of the tünder known by her name is Ilona (Which means Helen). Here are some more Tünder names Maros, Rampson and Venetur who all prefer to be invoked by name, not as Tünder. The word “Dame” indicates tremendous veneration, adoration and respect, akin to the original usage of Ma Donna or “My Lady”.
What do they do? They protect orphans and save the destitute, by giving them gifts of priceless pearls that they wear in their hair. They love music and dance under the moonlight.
Tylwyth Teg
Meaning: Fairy family
Location: Wales
Description: They represent humans who manifest in many sizes, human sized, the height of a mans knee and are renowned shape shifters. They live in an organized society, their king Gwyn ap Nudd rules over his maxed race of spirits. They dress in green, but the king’s court wears blue and red silk clothes. They live in remote places, wooded areas in mountains or upon lonely islands within lakes or off the Welsh coast. They are nocturnal and make music and dance in the moonlight in their fairy rings.
What do they do? They kidnap musicians and force them to play music for them. A human that is caught within the boundaries of their fairy ring, is punished by being made to dance for a year and a day, although carrying a rowan twig gives you free passage through their territory. If someone was to plough through their fairy ring, even if it was an accident they’d be cursed for life. They are among the fairies that are accused of stealing children and leaving changelings behind in their place.
Libation: They like offerings of milk with saffron in it, and dislike iron and salt.
Vila
AKA: Wila, Veles, Veela, Vily
Description: Shape shifting, dancing forest spirits. The many spellings of their name, suggests that they are very wide spread across the Balkans, Central and Eastern Europe.
They manifest as swans, horses, snakes and wolves, or they can manifest as beautiful women with long hair that are usually naked or dress in diaphanous white. Some identify Vila as Valkyries. An all female society, which has children that are fathered by human men.
What do they do? They are magical dancers, skilled healers and witches. They protect the forest and its habitants. If a hunter does not follow the sufficient spiritual ritual before killing a forest creature, then the Vila will act upon his mistake. They are guardians of women and punishers of men who betray women and leave them waiting the altar. They teach magical and shamanic arts to women as well as to those men whom they favour.
They seduce men with their beauty and charm, luring them into their forest and encouraging them to join their dance. When the men tire and have enough, or think they should move on to something more sexual activities, they realize they’re unable to stop; The Vila dance them to death.