are small, imaginary (or are they??) creatures that are believed to have magical powers. They could appear and disappear at will, take the shape of humans or animals, cast spells and change the shape of people.Some person believed that fairies lived for hundreds of years, and others said they lived forever.
People in most parts of the world believed in fairies. The French f�e, the German Fee,the Italian fata, and the Spanish hada were much like our own fairies or fays. The Slavic vila, a beautiful white fairy, decided the destiny of newborn children, and often warned people that they were about to die. In China, the immortal hsien was sometimes a wise mountain man, at other times a playful little elf. In Japan, people believed in flower fairies who enjoyed music and dancing. Chief among them was Ko-no-hana-sakuya-hime, "the Lady-who-causes-trees-to-bloom." English and Irish folklore tell of fairies that lived in special places such as caves, springs, mountains, or even buildings. Others live in an organized society in a land of magical charm called Fairyland.
Noble Fairies-
formed the royal court of Fairyland.The king of the fairies was Oberon, and his queen was Titania, a beautiful lady with wings.They lived in a little palace with walls made of spiders' legs and windows of cats' eyes. The roof was madde of bats' wings painted with moonlight.They held their court by streams in the forest, far from the homes of men. The noble fairies loved to dance and would join hands in a ring and dance all night in the moonlight. No one ever saw the noble fairies.
Household Fairies-
did not have such noble beginnings.They usually interfered with the activities of people at home or at work. Common names for household fairies include elf, goblin, kobold, leprechaun, nix, pixy, poltergist, and troll. Most of them did good deeds, but they all loved to play tricks.People often told how the little people made mischief around the house and in the fields.
Elves-
originated in Scandinavian mythology.folk tales tell of both good and evil elves. The good elves lived in the air, danced on the grass, and rested in trees.Evil elves lived under the ground, and brought sickness and injury to people. Elves could disappear in a puff of smoke, or turn themselves into any shape they wanted.
Goblins-
came from the folk tales of France. People described them as ugly and mischievious. They lived in and around houses, and liked to do unexpected things, such as moving furniture suddenly. Goblins were fond of young girls and horses, but pinched and beat naughty children. One of their favorite tricks was to tangle the hair of a horse's tail so that no one could comb it. Goblins sometimes soured milk and spilled cream. People got rid of goblins by scattering flaxseed on the floor.
Kobolds-
were a kind of goblin in German folklore.They lived underground, especially in mines.Some kobolds, called Hinzelm�nnchen, were helpful little sprites.They were cheerful and loved to repeat songs they had heard.They worked in the houses at night, cleaning floors and washing dishes that people left undone, but they also enjoyed tripping people and making them fall. They made people spill wine on each other's clothes. Sometimes they went under the tableand pinched the people until they started quarreling.
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Leprechauns-
made shoes for the shees, or fairies of Ireland.These wrinkled little old men were rich and very cranky. They lived alone, far from the towns. People often tried to catch a leprechaun. When captured, the dwarf would try to buy his freedom by telling where he had hidden his pot of gold, but he always tried to escape without paying. People never believed what a leprechaun said.
Nixes-
were water fairies in Germanic folklore.They lived in the lakes and rivers.Nixes usually looked human from the waist up, but had fish tails.Some nixes looked completly human, but they had certain characteristics that people could recognize. For example, male nixes had green teeth.Female nixes liked to dress up and go to the market, but they were easily recognized because some part of their clothing was always wet.Nixes liked to lure people to dangerous waters and drown them.
Pixies-
appeared originally in English folk tales. Many persons believed that pixes were the souls of babies who died before they were baptized. Pixes were handsome little people who wore green clothing.They lived in rocks, but enterd homes and pinches maids who did not keep the house clean.Good servants always left a bowl of water by the fire,because pixes loved water. Pixies could also be trickey. They enjoyed leading travelers off their paths. People believed they could keep pixes away by wearing their coats inside out.
Poltergeists-
were noisy fairies found in many German folk tales. Some people called them "noisy ghosts" instead of fairies. They crept into homes and rocked chairs when no one was looking. They sometimes broke dishes over each other's heads, and made pictures fall from the wall. Outside, poltergeists threw stones at each other, and made horses jump and turn. They often dropped each other into open wells, where they made loud gurgling noises until other poltergeists came and pulled them out. They were held responsible for mos stories of haunted houses.
Trolls-
were a type of dwarf in Scandinavian folk tales. These short, ugly little men had humped backs and crooked noses. Trolls usually wore gray jackets and pointed red caps. They lived either in caves or under hills, in fine houses of crystal and gold. Trolls had many magic powers. They could tell the future, and make people rich. Trolls seldom planned to harm anyone. They hated all kinds of noises, because the God Thor used to throw his thunder hammer at them.
People told stories about fairies long before they wrote about them in books. On winter evenings, people often gathered around a fireplace or campfire to tell their favorite tales. Travelers carried fairy stories to many different countries. In this way, people became familiar with fairy tales from many different lands. Some still believe fairies exist to this day, one never knows.............
