Fairy Is Just One of Many Mythical Creatures

-From the Diary of Christopher Columbus, January 9, 1493

(A Mermaid is thought to be a fairy.}

The day before, when the Admiral was going to the Rio del Oro, he said he saw three mermaids who came quite high out of the water but were not as pretty as they are depicted, for somehow in the face they look like men. He said that he saw some in Guinea on the coast of Manegueta.

A Fairies ,(More about fairies) is sometimes known as fay, fey, fae, elf, mermaid, pixie; or collectively called, wee folk, good folk, people of peace, and other euphemisms is the name given to a type of mythological being or legendary creature. A form of nature spirit, often described as mythological, metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.

Characteristics among their many guises, they have been described as tiny, wizen-faced old men, like the Irish Leprechaun, (Are They Real?) Mermaids like the beautiful enchantresses who wooed men to their deaths, like Morgan le Fay and the Lorelei; and as hideous, man-eating giants, like the Ogre as well as many more mythical creatures.

This site contains a great deal of information and Folklore, about Pixies, Elves and many more things mythological.

Pixies

These are supernatural beings and spirits that can be either good or bad. It is believed by many, that fairies reside in a place somewhere between earth and heaven; however, many think they dwell on earth. Others believe they are mythical beings possessing magical powers and sometimes being close to human beings on earth.

Fairiy History ,(More about fairies history.)

They are said to appear in various shapes being dressed in different customs. Typically a dwarf creature has green clothes and hair, lives in underground or in stone heaps, and characteristically exercises magical powers to benevolent ends. Or, fairies might be thought of as diminutive, delicate feminine creatures dressed in white clothing who live in a fairyland. They still manage to intervene in human lives, but only with good intentions.