Intro To Fairies

I’ve been debating about how I was going to write this post. There is so much to talk about, and I can’t talk about it all! It’s also a subject with a lot of different opinions. I guess I’m just going to throw my opinion out there and hope it helps someone form their own thoughts.

Fairies. You can spell this about a hundred different ways, and then there are about a hundred other names for them on top of that! No matter what you call them, or how you spell the name, if you have worked with the Fae then you probably know the way they can greatly change your life. Since I am hoping to help people who do not know much about Fae I should probably start with an introduction about what they are believed to be.

Fairies are believed to be many different things to many different cultures. One thing seems to be a more common belief though- that they are sentient beings who exist somewhere outside of, and yet are still so much a part of, our world that we can’t help but interact with them. They inhabit the plants, they live in the rushing waterfall, they ARE the spirits of nature!

The Fae are much more than just nature spirits. As I mentioned before they are sentient beings with minds of their own. As with humans they can be helpful or harmful. As some smart person somewhere once said- “Don’t piss off the Fairies!” They have a great sense of humor, and there are countless stories about the Fae moving things around in your home. You may even hear stories of them making a mess because they were just trying to be helpful. If they are in your home you should feel very blessed. They are found all around the world though. Almost every culture has its Fairy beings.

There are many different beings that have fallen under the title ‘fairy’ over the years. This term has grown to include elves, dwarves, trolls, gnomes, goblins, and many other beings like them. I find it helpful to have common name. It’s like with animals. You have Cat à Tabby, Siamese, Calico, etc. It’s the same with Fairies. You have Fairy à Beansidhe, Dryads, Gnomes, Brownies, etc.

It may be useful to have a book or website that talks about the different types of Fae. There are plenty out there. A useful site is http://faerie.monstrous.com/fairy_encyclo.htm . I have a book with a dictionary of all the Fairies in the back on it. It is called A Witches Guide to Faery Folk by Edain McCoy. Though there are some flaws throughout the book, and in the dictionary as well, it is not a bad source. The dictionary can be found online at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/4611/fairyenc.html .

Since there is so much to talk about I think I will have to write multiple posts on Fairies. This will make it easier for me to write, and easier for anyone who might be reading my blog.

Books On Fairies:

A Witches Guide to Faery Folk by Edain McCoy. As I said there are some flaws throughout the book. The author tends to pose her own personal beliefs about the Fae as researched fact. Some of it is from her own dealings with the Fae. This is not a bad thing. A personal touch is important in any book, and I would be worried if she were writing about the Fae when she hadn’t worked with them at all! xD It is just important to know what is personal experience and what is not.

Fairies 101 by Doreen Virtue. She seems to be a very popular author lately. I am seeing tons of her books on the shelves at Borders. Fairies 101 is an interesting book with some good information and various stories from people who have had personal encounters with Fae. I like reading it and I love the pictures. The artist is Howard David Johnson. He’s worth looking up, his art is beautiful.

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Now I just want to thank Mrs. B. for being the first to comment on my blog. I was beginning to think no one at all had read it! xP