If you missed my last Nerd Out article on Santa, you can find it here.
Fairies are deeply ingrained into pop culture today. It is part of a few different aesthetics, such as fairy grunge and cottage core. We see them in drinks, movies/TV, books, clothing styles, and more. However, what we picture as fairies isn’t exactly wrong; fairies are a community of beings rather than a specific group like the goblins or sprites.
While all cultures have beings that are like the fairies we are going to discuss today, faeries are from European countries, the Brythonic (i.e., Bretons, Welsh, Cornish), Gaelic/Celtic (i.e., Irish, Scot, Manx), and Germanic peoples. Manx call fairies sleih beggey, the Cornish call fairies piskies, and the Welsh call them tylwyth teg, Other names for fairies are: faerie, fairy, the fae, the wee folk, and the fair folk to name a few. The etymology (the study of words) of the word fairy and fae is pretty nifty if you want to check it out.
Faeries have courts, but what the courts are and what they are called depends on the source. Two ideas of the courts are that they are seasonal, such as the Summer and Winter ( though sometimes it is Spring and Autumn), or all four seasons. The courts have also been called the Light and Dark Courts or the Seelie and Unseelie. I do want to point out that light doesn’t always mean good, and dark doesn’t always mean evil, even within the Fae. The courts can include goblins, sprites, brownies, and more, but some only include beautiful, ethereal beings. Sometimes, Faerie can include elves, though elves are often different beings depending on how the elf is depicted. Elves such as those from The Lord of the Rings are not generally included in being fairies and hail from a different part of the world.
The Tuatha De Danann, aka Children of Danu, were considered gods and often included kings, queens, heroes, bards, warriors, artists, and craftspeople. While the Tuatha de Danann are not specifically of the fair folk, they are why Faerie was started when the Formorians drove them into hills. In case you don’t know who Danu is, Danu is the mother aspect of the triple goddess Morrigan in Celtic mythology. Anu is the maiden, Danu is the mother, and Badb is the crone. Their descendants roamed all over the European lands.
This list is by no means complete. I can find more than thirty different kinds of faeries, so this article would be at least five times as long, but you can look at some of them here. You can also check out this book, The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, which will tell you all about faeries and other beings and spirits all around the world. I picked out some recognizable ones and others that aren’t so well known. Let me show you what I chose.
Sidhe
Who: Sidhe is pronounced SHEE, modern daoine si by the Scottish and Aos Si by the Irish, also considered gods by those who believe in them descendants of the Tuatha de Danann.
They are the descendants of the Tuatha de Danann and inherited their power and immortality. The sidhe range from beautiful to monstrous in terms of looks so there is no general description of their appearance. There are the beautiful, ethereal, human-looking ones. Some art depicts them with pointy ears like people picture elves, whereas other art has normal ears. Then there is the Wild Hunt, and those who are a part of it are said to be terrifying if you believe the survivors of it. Their powers cover the entirety of this realm. Some have powers over weather, water, blood, plant life, and more. Of course, not all had god-like powers.
Found in: the Celtic lands, Merry Gentry book series
Bean-Tighe
Who: Bean-tighe, aka bantee, is the Irish counterpart to the Scottish brownie who are household helpers.
Bantees are the female cousin of the Scottish brownie, who is male. Both will help you with household chores. Bantees will also help with children and animals. Brownies live in old homes and help the lady of the house once she is asleep for the night, but they will not help lazy ladies. Bantees are only a few feet tall with wrinkly skin. Brownies are even shorter, only about two feet tall, and have hairy skin. If you are lucky enough to have a brownie in your home, don’t give him clothes, he’ll leave.
Found in: Ireland and Scotland, the Merry Gentry series has Gran as a Scottish brownie, which does deviate from the “brownies are guys” idea.
Bean-Sidhe
Who: Bean-sidhe, aka Banshee, is a teller of death and is associated with the goddess Morrigan.
Banshees are also called Wailing Women, and to hear them scream is to know death is coming for you or one of your family. She is usually depicted as a ghostly woman, sometimes with a withered face and scraggly white hair. She is either dressed in black or white in the art I have taken in.
Found in: Ireland, Supernatural (2005-2020), Charmed (1998-2006)
Sprite
Who: Sprites are chaotic creatures who love to stir up trouble
Sprites were a particular nuisance in medieval times, especially in England. They were everywhere, playing tricks that varied from inconvenient to violent. Though they preferred to prey on unkind people. They are small, so they can hide easily and have wings like sprites. They love butter and will take it given the chance. Though Toot-Toot prefers pizza.
Found in: England, Toot-Toot in The Dresden Files series, the other most common image of fairies.
Pixie
Who: Pixies, aka dusters, piskies, pechts, and pickers, are fun-loving tricksters
Pixies are cute and pretty creatures. They have small bodies with slightly larger heads in proportion to their bodies and wings, have a love of flowers and plants, and are especially active in spring and summer. They are usually benevolent beings with a hefty dose of chaos on the side. Tinker Bell is a pixie and probably the most famous of them all.
Found in: Scotland and England, Tinker Bell in the story of Peter Pan, Galen is half pixie, and NicEven’s court is home to the pixies in the Merry Gentry series, all the images of fairies you see in popular culture with sprites being close second.
Knockers
Who: Knockers are loud, cave-dwelling faeries.
Knockers live deep in caves and mines. They make all kinds of noise and have scared a multitude of miners over the centuries, hence the name knockers. Some knockers are mean and defend their caves by causing cave-ins in the mines they live in. Others may lead miners to riches or aid said miners when a cave-in happens. It is a custom to knock on the wall when entering a cave or mine to let them know you are there. It would be best if you also doffed your hat as a sign of respect when entering. If you want to be really kind, leave them an offering of food.
Found in: Cornwall
Red Caps
Who: Red caps are not mushrooms; they are murderous ruins dwellers.
Red caps are short, scary creatures. They carry scythes and eat what they kill, including humans. They tend to live in the ruins of various castles and large manors throughout Scotland and England. Their caps are red from the blood of their victims. The more blood that drips shows how recently they had a victim. The more it drips, the more recent the victim. Their victims are people they view as a threat to them or their dwelling, and they defend those boundaries viciously.
Found in: Scotland and England, Jonty and his companions in the Merry Gentry series
Leprechauns
Who: Leprechauns are gold-hoarding faeries who also make shoes.
Though not thought of when people think of faeries, they are part of that kingdom—usually depicted as short men carrying a shillelagh. Mad Sweeney from American Gods is the only human-sized one I have seen. They like to be by themselves. It is said that if you find a leprechaun’s gold at the end of the rainbow, he will grant you wishes. The numbers that I have seen have varied from one to three. They are mischievous beings that range from helpful to malicious.
Found in: Ireland, the movie Leprechaun (1992), Mad Sweeney in American Gods (2017-2021), magickal shows like Charmed (1998-2006)
A couple of other popular fairies from literature and media are Morgan Le Fay and the Lady of the Lake/Nimue from Arthurian legend. Arguments can be made for both of them that they are or aren’t fae, but where it takes place, it would fit where they are found. I would classify them as Sidhe. They would be a little far from home but not too far.
Did any of the fairies surprise you? Which one was the most interesting? I learned even more about the realm of Faerie so I found the process of writing this article fun. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Until next time, have fun storming the castle!
