Fairy History

Early Fairy History shows that the belief in the existence of fairies was real.  Belief in these mythical creatures is thought to exist in almost every culture around the globe and seems to be centered around Europe and the British Isles. The first known history is based on the fae of medieval Western European folklore. 

Fairy Origin Theories

Our Fairy History research, shows some of the theories on where the origins of these fantastic little creatures came from:

1. They are souls that were never baptized.
2. They are souls caught between heaven and Hell. They have not been good enough to get into heaven, but they have not committed a bad enough sin to deserve Hell. They are in limbo.
3. These are fallen angels. It is believed that Angels that were loyal to Lucifer were also thrown out of heaven with him. God stopped them from being cast into Hell in mid-flight. He made them remain exactly where they were at the time. That is why some of these enchanted beings can fly in the air, many make living in the earth their home and others live in rivers, ponds, lakes and the ocean. Irish Folklore and folklore from Scotland, Scandinavia and others all have very similar accounts.  
4.  They are nature spirits. Somewhat analogous to the fallen-angel theory, this theory holds that they are among the many spirits that populate all things and places in the earth.    
5. They are diminutive human beings. There is evidence that small-structured races populated parts of Europe and the British Isles in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, before the spread of the Celts. In Ireland, they were known as the Thuathe de Danaan.

A Fairy Waterfall by: Sharon Imm

Descriptions From Fairy History

Originally the elusive nature of these races were regarded with suspicion by larger races. Belief in them was thought to be superstitious. However, gradually more people began endowing these little people with magical characteristics.

They resided in barrows and in shelters burrowed under hills and mounds. They were hard working but shy, and, as stronger peoples invaded their land and captured their iron weaponry, they retreated to the woodlands to live a secretive life. Being pagan, they continued to worship the pagan deities. They were in union with nature and possessed keen psychic senses. Their skills and trades allowed them to lead somewhat normal lives while raising diminutive cattle and horses.

Click here for a definition of Fairy

This belief spread to North America during the colonization period and is still prevalent in the Appalachians, the Ozarks and other remote rural locations.

 More information about fairies

Fairy History literature about these creatures appears quite frequently from the Middle Ages on. Most of this literature is referred to as "Fairy Tales", and appears in the writings of the English poet, Edmund Spenser, The Dane, Hans Christian Andersen, the Italians, Matteo Boiardo and Ludovico Ariosto, the Frenchman Charles Perrault and many others.

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