Samantha Grayson - Folklore and Superstitions

Samantha Grayson
Faerie and Fantasy Writer & Researcher

Keep up to date with the latest fairy news, courses and events.
New Book Coming Soon - PYSTRIA - Its Halloween night and a sacred glen is being auctioned off as a property developer vies to get his hands on it a storm breaks causing people to scatter. As the storm sweeps through the town people are faced with their darker aspects of their personalities as the fairies seek to teach them the lessons long forgotten in time

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Fairies

The original word for fairies was “Fay” meaning a state of enchantment or an enchanted realm.

Fay comes from the Latin word “fata” which means “the fates” referring to the supernatural beings that had influence over the destiny of all men and women. This is where the idea of fairy godmothers come from – a mystical being who can change your life.

There are many different names for fairies. Old French gives us “faerie”, “faierie” and “fae”, from Middle French comes “feerie” and “fee”, whilst Old English has “fayere”, “pharie”, “feir” and “pherie”

In modern times some people consider fairy to be the more pretty, cute and good fairies and faerie or faery to mean the truer nature of fairies -where some can be good and some bad and some ugly and some pretty. It is however a personal choice and there is no clear definition of which is right and which is wrong and I am sure the fairies will not mind which spelling people wish to use.

Fairies can cover many different creatures - elemental spirits, creatures, demons and a race of creatures. Some humans may in fact me fairies who have chosen to be born in a human form

In olden times especially the word fairy could be interchangeable with the words imp, demon, angel, spirit or the devil

Devil simply meant a malevolent spirit this is why many myths involving fairies are also connected to the devil.

Fairies are also often linked to the dead, in the seventeenth century Thomas Hobbes said that "The fairies are spirits and ghosts. Fairies and ghosts inhabite darkness, solitudes and graves

Fairies are also considered to be part of nature living in the woods, mountains, in water and being connected to flowers etc

There are considered to be two types of faires trooping and solitary. Solitary live alone or in small groups whilst trooping fairies live in large groups often away from humanity.