July 19, 2016 Terry Kast
Fairies have been spoken of in whispers in Ireland for centuries. The fabled creatures are sometimes malevolent but are often portrayed as friendly if properly appeased.Fairiesare mythological creatures said to have magical powers. They like to live in stone piles or cairns, in holes in trees, and underground. Legend tells us that if you make friends with the fairies near you, they will us their powers to protect you, bless you, and might even bring you gifts of food, or tend your garden. According toEncyclopedia Britannica, "while the term fairy goes back only to the Middle Ages in Europe, analogues to these beings in varying forms appear in both written and oral literature, from the Sanskrit
gandharva (semidivine celestial musicians) to the nymphs of Greek mythology and Homer, the jinni of Arabic mythology, and similar folk characters of the Samoans, of the Arctic peoples, and of other indigenous Americans. The common modern depiction of fairies in children’s stories represents a bowdlerization of what was once a serious and even sinister folkloric tradition. The fairies of the past were feared as dangerous and powerful beings who were sometimes friendly to humans but could also be cruel or mischievous.
Fairy myths are mainly associated with the Celtic cultures of Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall, and Wales. To this day, fairy dwellings are protected in parts of Ireland.
There are dozens of explanations for the origins of fairies. Some believe that they are fallen
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angels who were left stuck between heaven and hell. Some believe they are spirits of the dead. According toWikipedia"At one time it was a common belief was that fairy folklore evolved from folk memories of a prehistoric race. It was suggested that newcomers drove out the original inhabitants, and the memories of this defeated, hidden people developed into the fairy beliefs we have today. Proponents of this theory claimed to find support in the tradition that of cold iron as a charm against the fairies, which was viewed as a cultural memory of invaders with iron weapons displacing inhabitants had only flint and were therefore easily defeated."
Kneeling Fairy With Bird, Fairy Charm[/caption] Fairy Gardens became popular during the Victorian era and today, miniature, fairy-sized gardens and fairy doors can be found in homes and gardens across the globe. Many people also like to accessorize their gardens with fairy charms to lure fairies who, being the obsessive creatures that they are, might be inclined to pull weeds, water, and chase off unsavory characters.
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Filed in: Celtic mythology, fairies, fairy, fairy doors, fairy jewelry, fairy lore, Gift ideas, Irish history
