Do Fairies Exist?

[Streetcar]

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@MyMaria, just wondering if our own branch of Fairies are similar in traits and culture as to their cousins, the Fairies of the Briton Isles? Or are they basically the same race, no ocean is a border? Could we apply the knowledge of Lady Cottington to our own Fairies?

I do so often wonder why such fairy culture is so strong in places such as England and the Philippines.. you see aside from fairy folklore, The Philippines and British Isles share similarities in geography... these are both island archipelagos shaped like triangles....!

[img height=200]http://www.seanet.com/%7ejanicevc/_borders/map_of_England.jpg[/img]

Is it just me or is there something going on here...?

Diem, you have a very keen observation. The geographical comparison is strange indeed. Fairies are sometimes portrayed as *** objects or at least i've seen photos/read articles on the internet about the different kinds of fairies but what i really like about fairy images are those by Mary Cicely Barker's Flower Fairies.

MyMaria, you're very informed about Fairies, etc. Great reading never cease to amaze me. Thanks for sharing too. You're a fairy collector too? I got a few but mostly Angels. I wonder sometimes if fairies could be Angels too. They say the fallen angels become fairies, lol who knows but just for the fun of it. Each fairy carries his/her own charm and symbolism and its something we can relate too as far as traits, likes and dislikes, etc.

[MyMaria]

@diem... Cool observation you got there...
Fairies are actually everywhere because they are elementals. Conscious little energy forms that are usually associated with plants and other natural objects. Elementals are found in trees, flowers, flames, rivers, mountains and lakes. Many psychics can see them and many others can easily sense their presence. It's just that not many people believed in them so not much is told in other areas of the world. You see, there are many many kinds of fairies... not just the little winged ones we see in fairy books as kids. Here let me outline some of them:

Some types of fairies live in communities, in the hollow hills, or fairy mounds. Others are more solitary in nature. The spirit consciousness that ensouls a plant or location. A spirit formed of one of the elements. The four elementals are salamanders (fire), sylphs (air), undines (water), and gnomes (earth). Each category has a King that is ruler of all elementals in the category.

We have the Asrais (delicate, female fairies), Brownies (traditionally attached to humans and their households, friendly and helpful), Dwarfs, Elves, Gnomes (Earth elementals), Goblins (ugly fairies living underground), Leprechauns (fond of gold, tricky and roguish), Mermaids (water creatures), Pixies (mischievous beings who enjoy practical jokes on humans), Sidhee (subterranean dwellers), Trolls (do not like daylight) and the Water Fairies (unpredictable, as they can be friend or foe).

Classes And Types Of Fairies

There are far too many types of fairies to mention them all here. Many believers choose to divide them all into two groups, the trooping fairies and the solitary fairies.

Trooping fairies can be large or small, friendly or sinister. They tend to wear green jackets. These are the fairies that are said to create fairy rings with their dancing and who speed the growth of flowers with their presence.

The category of solitary fairies includes the Brownie and the Leprechaun. Many hold the belief that most in this category are of the sinister type and are best avoided. The Brownie however, is an exception.

If you want to find more detailed information about specific fairies and their names, I recommend two books, A Witches Guide to Faery Folk by Edain McCoy, and An Encyclopedia of Fairies by Katherine Briggs. Both books have an extensive listing of fairy names, types and terms.
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@streetcar... In addition, associating fairies with the dead embraces several ideas. Fairies as fallen angels is a Christian concept. Fallen angels were seen as devilish in nature. They were cast out of heaven and condemned to live in the hills and rocks. Devout Christians frowned upon fairies, thinking them evil.

The popular image of the Devil with horns and the cloven hoof does not come from Christian theology, but belongs to the pre-Christian folk gods and nature spirits. Early Christians set out to change the way the pagans worshiped to the way they felt was right. They had two methods of dealing with pagan beliefs and practices that they could not abolish.

If they felt that the belief was capable of being good, they used it; building churches where temples had been, placing saints days upon ancient festival days and occasionally even identifying some of the old gods with saints. All the gods and beliefs that they felt were not worthy of being sanctified, they denounced as devils or demons. When this happened, the devil (who, by the way didn't exist before Christianity), acquired many of the characteristics of the pagan gods and nature spirits.
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It is said that if one travels to fairyland, there is a misconception of time as we know it. Hours can seem like seconds and a week like only hours. The old tale of Rip Van Winkle is thought to be an example of lost time due to fairyland entrapment.

I remember when I was a kid, my grandmother and my nanny would make sure I sleep after lunch (for the siesta). It is known that these elementals come out at ungodly hours. Too often, they would tell me the story of one of our neighbors who was "kidnapped" by "fairies" and was returned after some time. The kid said it was just a couple of hours, but it had been days. He said, everything was green in the fairy world. And that they were afraid of salt. To this day I still wonder why. And it was believed a fairy princess had fallen in love with him.

Now, try something...

Do you have an elemental in your garden, or in a nearby pond or stream? If you are very still maybe you can hear them singing, or see them dancing or even talk to them. But first of all, you have to believe. Try talking to them. Just like old folks do when they say, "Tabi po!" or "Let us pass" as you walk through a pathway in the woods... These elementals appreciate kindness.

Also, fairies do not like unkempt places. So if you have a clean kitchen, try lighting a candle. If the flame dances to a tune, you might have a "salamander" with you. Try lighting two candles. When only only one flame dances, you snuff it out... observe that it will move to the next flame and then it dances.

[MyMaria]

This is one of the most controversial fairy pictures (taken in 1917) to date:

[img width=500 height=466]http://www.cottingleyconnect.org.uk/fairyoriginal.jpg[/img]

oh.. and these too..

[img width=371 height=500]http://www.cottingleyconnect.org.uk/gnome.jpg[/img]
[img width=377 height=500]http://www.cottingleyconnect.org.uk/sunbath.jpg[/img]

[Sanosuke]

cool pics.. are there more of it?

[peg]

nice topic and mga posts.. i likey!

[nolex]

how can fairies be distinguished from any other unusual creatures? like the elves, etc...

i really wanted to see a fairy to take away my doubts...

[MyMaria]

@nolex
Someone had advised:

Go into your backyard and softly whisper invitations for them to visit you. Ask them to help you see them.

They are probably already visiting you, just because you have a sweet attitude towards them. It's just a matter of learning to sense their presence, and your own imagination will help. Ask yourself "if I COULD sense a fairy, where would it be standing? if I COULD see it, what would it be wearing and would it be male or female or animal? if I COULD hear it, would its voice be high or deep, silken or gruff, and if I asked its NAME what would it tell me?"

Don't laugh. These questions get your inner intuition started, and that is how fairy to human contact begins.



Or to check if you have a fairy in the house, try offering a couple of sweet stuffs, like strawberry syrup, chocolates, cookies, candles and the like.. make a sort of small fairy house or altar, preferrable near a stack of books or something ^_^

P.S. Fairy names are so hard to spell and most of all, pronounce...

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The pictures may seem fake... but if you look closely, you'll know what I'm talking about.

[nolex]

^^^ hmmm sounds interesting.. i've gotta give it a try..

[d]

maybe no...
but wouldn't it be great to have them really for real?

[usrolla]

how i wish i could see a fairy! kanang friendly lng...do they talk to people?