Fairies

A fairy  is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.
Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term fairy offers many definitions. Sometimes the term describes any magical creature, including goblins or gnomes: at other times, the term only describes a specific type of more ethereal creature.

CHARACTERISTICS
Fairies are generally described as human in appearance and having magical powers. Their origins are less clear in the folklore, being variously dead, or some form of demon, or a species completely independent of humans or angels. Folklorists have suggested that their actual origin lies in a conquered race living in hiding, or in religious beliefs that lost currency with the advent of Christianity. These explanations are not necessarily incompatible, and they may be traceable to multiple sources.

Much of the folklore about fairies revolves around protection from their malice, by such means as cold iron (iron is like poison to fairies, and they will not go near it) or charms of rowan and herbs, or avoiding offense by shunning locations known to be theirs. In particular, folklore describes how to prevent the fairies from stealing babies and substituting changelings, and abducting older people as well.Many folktales are told of fairies, and they appear as characters in stories from medieval tales of chivalry, to Victorian fairy tales, and up to the present day in modern literature.

TYPES OF FAIRIES

The well known Pixie 
This small, winged fairy has a human-type form and at its tallest is only 6” tall. Pixies are quite attracted to small children, laughter, and happiness. They love gardens (especially Heather) and other flowering plants.  Like hummingbirds, they are known to sip nectar from flowers like Honeysuckle.  Fun loving, carefree and prankish, they often take household items from humans only to return them later when they’ve had their fun. They are more  spontaneous and active than their larger fairy counterparts and generally have a shorter attention span.  They are very social beings and live in a monarchy under a king or queen.

Trooping Fairies
These fairies are generally the same size as pixies (6” tall) but have no wings. They are known as trooping fairies because they travel together in long processions.  The males often wear green jackets and they tend live near the woods where there is a lot of underbrush.  They are also  known to inhabit trees often referred to by humans as a “fairy tree.” Trooping fairies can be larger or smaller than 6” and can be friendly or sinister.

Brownies
At  4.5” tall , they are a bit smaller than pixies and trooping fairies.  Brownies wear brown clothing, are very meticulous and tend to have a darker brown skin color.  They have no wings but are quite capable of getting to high places by each one climbing on to the other to boost each other up.  These intelligent and good natured fairies originated in Scotland and are known as household fairies, meaning they reside within the home and often do chores to help out a deserving human family in exchange for food and other offerings.  They are nocturnal.

Fauns
A creature of the woodland forests, the faun has horns on his head and a body that resembles a goat below the waist and a human above.  Fauns tend to be alluring, seductive and compelling, often preying upon the unsuspecting by using mind control and magic conjured from their pipes or flute to get what they desire from their victim.  According to the elves, if one sees a faun, avert your eyes because as soon as they have your attention, you are under their control.  That’s why humans have depicted satan to be a faun.  They are neutral but can be very dangerous.


Merpeople 
It includes the well known mermaid, mermen, and the smaller, fresh water dweller known as a Gherring.  Merpeople are neutral but cooperate well with the elves and barter with them.  They tend to be superficial and self centered and are often depicted with a mirror and a comb. They are generally unhappy about the pollution and destruction of their waters and they tend to hold humans responsible for this. Still, Mermaids in particular tend to be very fond of human males and often fall in love with them which unfortunately often ends with the human drowning. They live in social communities.