|
Aibell (Aoibhell): An Irish 'fairy' goddess.
Pigwidgin (Pigwiggen): A fairy or dwarf; anything very small.
Ati: A Maori chief who managed to catch a lovely fairy in a net, and married her.
Fay: Literary a fairy. The word could be derived from fae, faie, fata (plural), the Fates.
Cliodhna: The Irish goddess of beauty. She later became a fairy queen in the area of Carraig Cliodhna in County Cork.
Lliannan-She: In the Isle of Man, a spirit friend, a female fairy who waited to encounter men. If one spoke to her she followed him always, but remained invisible to everyone else
Tennin: In Japanese Buddhism, an angel or fairy, a heavenly, beautiful person who may appear on a mountain. To meet one, the pilgrim has to climb to the summit.
Sluag: Pronounced 'sloo-ah'. Sluag was the Pictish/Scottish fairy of the Highlands and Host of the Unforgiven Dead. Related to the Irish/Celtic Sluagh.
Frau Welt: The name that was given to the female supernatural paramour or fairy mistress of general European folk belief by medieval clerics; and according to them, the Devil.
Corrigan: In the folklore of Brittany, a female fairy. She is said to have been one of the ancient druidesses, and therefore malicious towards Christian priests. Corrigan is fond of pretty human children, and is usually blamed for all changeling substitutions.
Sidhe: Sidhe (pronounced 'shee') literally means "people of the (fairy) hills". It is the Gaelic name for the fairies in both Ireland and the Highlands of Scotland. Usually these fairies are attracted to those who are beautiful as well as wealthy.
Tangotango: A fairy of the heavenly race in Maori myth. When she heard of the handsome young god Tawhaki, she looked for him and found him one night while he was sleeping in the woods. She lay with him night after night until she became pregnant. Then she left and later had a daughter called Arahuta
Bukura e dheut: A beautiful fairy among the ancient Albanians who is always very helpful. The supreme god Tomor is her lover. She is sometimes connected with the underworld and shows some demonical aspects. Her name means "the beauty of the earth". Her sister is Bukura e detit, and her name means "the beauty of the sea".
Seelie Court: The Court of the kind and benign fairy host, usually seen around twilight in long solemn processions. These fairies help the poor with gifts of corn and bread. The opposite of the Seelie Court ("Blessed Court") is the evil Unseelie Court.
Lunantishee: The Lunantishee, or Lunantishess, are a tribe of fairies who guard blackthorn bushes (one of the Fairy Trees). They will not allow that a blackthorn stick is cut on May 11th (originally May Day) or November 11 (originally All Hallows Eve). Should on person manage to cut a stick, some misfortune will surely befall him or her.
Cusith: An enormous hound of the Scottish Highlands. It is said to be a dark green in color, with a long braided tail and the size of a bullock. Whenever his baying was heard on the moors, farmers would quickly lock up their women. For the hound's mission was to round up women and drive them to a fairy mound so they might supply milk for fairy children.
Hag: The hag is a fairy from the British Isles. She is said to be the traces of the most ancient goddesses. The hag is regarded as the personification of winter. In the winter months she is usually old and very ugly looking. As the season changes though she becomes more and more beautiful, and younger. Tangles in the manes of horses and ponies are called hag-knots, supposed to be used witches as stirrups.
Dwarf: In myths and folklore, dwarfs are small humanoids, about half the size of a man, who live in caves or in holes under the ground (and sometimes in hollow trees). They can be hostile towards to man, but can also perform small labors for them. In fairy tales (such as 'Snowhite and the Seven Dwarfs') they are usually portrayed as short, stocky creatures with long beards. They can be found working in mines, delving minerals and metals. Dwarves are exceptionally skilful with their hands and make the most beautiful (and often magical) objects, which surpasses man-made objects by far. In Norse mythology, the two famous dwarfs Brok and Sindri made many magical objects for the gods, amongst which Thor's hammer Mjollnir and Odin's magical ring Draupnir.
Sprite: A sprite is a kind of fairy or elf. Sprite comes from the Latin word spiritus or spirit and once meant “soul” or “ghost.” Sprites are used in many folktales. Sprites are creatures of the element water. They are found only in places where it is serene and cool. They like to play with nymphs or torment butterflies. (The butterflies don’t really mind.) Sprites have one very important job, which is going around and changing the colors of a tree’s leaves in Autumn. They have many cans of bright paint in every shade between red and yellow. This makes sure they don’t run out. Sprites are very creative. They are muses, artists, and poets. They are some of the most creative fairies. Some even decide to bond or marry a human or elf and stay with them their whole lives.
Leprechaun (Luchorpan, Lubrican, Lubberkin): Very small sprites who sometimes live in farmhouses or wine cellars. They are known to aid humans and perform small labors for them. Sometimes they ask humans for supplies and furniture, for which in return they give objects which bring luck and fortune. Leprechauns are called fairy cobblers, for they make shoes for elves (but always one shoe, never a pair). They are seen quite often by humans and are described as merry little fellows gaily dressed in old-fashioned clothes; green, with a red cap, leather apron, and buckled shoes. When they finish their daily tasks, leprechauns like to organize wild feast, during which time they are referred to as cluricauns. These (often drunk) cluricauns can then be seen riding in moonlight on the back of a dog or a sheep. According to popular belief, a leprechaun possesses a treasure (usually a pot of gold) which a human may obtain if he succeeds in capturing one, which is extremely difficult. Even after capture, a person may not take his eyes off of him for an instant, for then he will vanish. Leprechauns are mainly found in Irish folklore.
Bean Sidhe: In Irish folklore, the Bean Sidhe ("woman of the hills") is a spirit or fairy who presage a death by wailing. She is popularly known as the Banshee. She visits a household and by wailing she warns them that a member of their family is about to die. When a Banshee is caught, she is obliged to tell the name of the doomed. The antiquity of this concept is vouched for by the fact that the Morrigan, in a poem from the 8th century, is described as washing spoils and entrails. It was believed in County Clare that Richard the Clare, the Norman leader of the 12th century, had met a horrible beldame, washing armor and rich robes "until the red gore churned in her hands", and had been warned by her of the destruction of his host. The Bean Sidhe has long streaming hair and is dressed in a gray cloak over a green dress. Her eyes are fiery red from the constant weeping. When multiple Banshees wail together, it will herald the death of someone very great or holy. The Scottish version of the Banshee is the Bean Nighe.
Daoine Sidhe: The divine folk of Old Irish folklore. After the Tuatha Dé Danann were defeated by the Milesians (Gaels), those members who decided to stay in Ireland formed the Daoine Sidhe. They live in hollow mounds, hence the name sidhe which literally means "people of the (fairy) mounds". In Connaught they are ruled by Finbheara, who holds court beneath the fairy hill of Knockma. His wife is the fair Oonagh. In Munster, there are three fairy queens: Cliodna, Aine (said to be the mother of Earl Gerald, who sleeps under the castle of Mullaghmast), and Aoibhill. The Daoine Sidhe are fond of battles, hurling (a kind of field hockey) and are skilled chess players. Many a mortal challenged Finvarra to a game and lost all his possessions, for the king has never been beaten. These fairies are small and this is responsible for the name of daoine beaga, "little folk". They may ride out to hunt, or stir up an eddy of dust, or engage in battles, or steal children, or prevent butter from forming in the churn.
Where to Go and What to do?
This page is copyrighted © by Cathie's Faery Story Land