What comes to mind when you think of fairies? Most might think of a beautiful human-like miniature figure with wings of a butterfly. Fairies are not always in this image, they actually have many shapes and sizes. They also carry different meanings. Fairies have been around for ages, appearing in many stories myths and legends, originating mainly from European folklore. Fairies are often associated with plants and springtime, depicted as pure figures who possess magical powers. In the tales of fairies, they are more often than not mischievous creatures with dark and evil intentions. The Latin root word for fairy is ‘fay’ meaning fate. This could signify the purpose of fairies within myths, fairies in stories are constantly messing with the fates of humans. Fairies in these myths may be of the more cartoonish variety and signify simply love, magic and springtime, but most signify things like death, sexual depravity, abduction and general immorality. This exhibition looks at representation of fairies within art of many different mediums and time periods. The works selected are meant to show the images of fairies that go beyond popular connotations of fairies just as human-butterflies. As seen, the images of fairies depicted here gradually become darker and darker. Spring Fairy tutu from Cinderella (1968) designed by Jürgen Rose, Jürgen Rose, 1968, From the collection of: The National Ballet of Canada You cannot examine fairies without looking at fairy tales. One of the most popular and beloved fairy tales is Cinderella. This tutu was made for the National Ballet’s first production of Cinderella that premiered in 1968. Along with the Fairy Godmother, Cinderella was visited by four other fairies, each representing the flowers of spring. This exquisite tutu is a costume meant for one of the spring fairies. This object perfectly encapsulates the more typical and popular culture representation of fairies. Landscape with Nymph and Satyr Dancing, Claude Lorrain, 1641, From the collection of: The Toledo Museum of Art Nymphs are a classic example of a different type of fairy. They are still beautiful figures associated with springtime, but are life-size maidens. Nymphs come from ancient Greek mythology and usually represent a location like a river or a forest. They are constantly admired for their beauty and are victims because of it as well. Within Greek mythology nymphs are constantly chased and raped by their admirers. The satyr seen dancing with the nymphs is another mythological creature known to sexually assault women. This pastoral scene by Claude Lorrain is very picturesque and lovely. But the subjects of this painting are often in myths featuring a sexual aggressor. Scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream. Titania and Bottom, Edwin Landseer, (1848-1851), From the collection of: National Gallery of Victoria Another popular depiction of fairies is in Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. This is a depiction of Titania, Queen of the Fairies, at the moment when, drugged with a love potion, she becomes enchanted with the artisan Bottom, who has been magically turned into an ass. The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke, Richard Dadd, Around 1855, From the collection of: Tate Britain This is a depiction of the fairy Queen Mab and her fairy carriage. Queen Mab first appears in Mercutio’s speech in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. She is described as a fairy midwife who appears in people’s dreams and puts blisters on the lips of unchaste ladies. This painting has an element darkness to it as the artist Richard Dadd painted this work in the Bethlem Hospital where he was sent after murdering his father and being declared insane. The Water Sprite, Ernst Josephsson, 1882, From the collection of: Nationalmuseum Sweden This is a depiction of a water sprite. Sprites along with pixies and elves are in the same mythological grouping of fairies. According to myth, the violin music of the Water Sprites tempts people into the water, where they drown. Princess Tuvstarr gazing down into the dark waters of the forest tarn., John Bauer, 1913, From the collection of: Malmö Konstmuseum This painting is by John Bauer, a Swedish artist very well known for his depictions of fairies. This painting depicts the tale of the princess Tuvstarr and Skutt the Moose. The Moose takes the princess from the Dream Castle meadow to the great forest. There she meets elves who take her crown away from her. Then the witch of the woods steals her silk dress and in the end the deep tarn takes her golden heart. The princess does not want to leave the pond, but stays with her heart and lose because of that both mind and memory. The Princess and the Trolls, John Bauer, 1913, From the collection of: Nationalmuseum Sweden This is another fairy depiction by John Bauer. This painting is of Helena Nyblom’s tale Bortbytingarna (The Changelings). The story is about a troll father who is so taken with the little princess Bianca Maria that he steals her from her cradle and replaces her with his own troll child instead. ‘Changelings’ occur often within fairy myths, fairies abducting children and replacing them with their own. The Nightmare, Henry Fuseli, 1781, From the collection of: Detroit Institute of Arts The creature shown here on top of the woman is an incubus. An incubus is a male creature that appears in dreams of young ladies and rapes them. Help!, Faizrakhman Abdrakhmanovich Aminov, 1959/1960, From the collection of: Museum of Fine Arts of Tatarstan This is a drawing of Gabdulla Tukai’s fairy-tale Shurale, derived from Russian folklore. A Shurale is a creature that brings people into middle of the forest and tickles them to death. This contemporary-made figure of fairies perfectly embodies the nature of fairies. These figures are typical in their bug-like wings and tiny size. But they are also very ugly and somewhat creepy looking like how many fairies appear in all types of folklore. Credits: All media This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.
FAQs
What are fairies and what culture? ›
A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, and French folklore), a form of spirit, often with metaphysical, supernatural, or ...
What are dark fairies called? ›The Unseelie Court describes the darkly-inclined fairies. Unlike the Seelie Court, no offense was deemed necessary to bring down their assaults. In Scotland, they were seen as closely allied with witches.
What is a male fairy called? ›Some people believe that only girls can be fairies, while others believe that there is a male equivalent called a "faun" or "satyr". Ultimately, it comes down to personal interpretation.
What do fairies actually look like? ›Fairies have been generally portrayed as human-like in appearance with magical powers, allowing them to alter their size from unusually small to human-sized. In Orkney, Scotland, fairies were portrayed as short in stature, dressed in dark grey, and sometimes seen in armor.
What do dark fairies do? ›The Dark Fairy has powers over nature. Plants grow more rapidly in her presence and she can conjure plants which may not be native to a certain location like the trees she grew in Kam'ien's palace; trees which only grow on the Fairies' island. She was also capable of summoning storms and rain.
What is a dark fairy? ›A Dark Fairy is either a Fairy who has turned to evil or whose powers become fueled by Evil and Darkness more like a Witch's powers while the powers of normal Fairies are fueled by Light. A Dark Fairy can also be a person who is able to become a Fairy but instead of gaining good magic gains evil magic.
What do fairies want from humans? ›Fairies love shiny things, particularly things no one else seems to want, like old buttons, charms and paperclips. They don't however like human money. That is why they like to give it away when they collect your teeth.
Are fairies fallen angels? ›Writing in 1887, Lady Jane Wilde popularised the Irish belief that: fairies are the fallen angels who were cast down by the Lord God out of heaven for their sinful pride…and the devil gives to these knowledge and power and sends them on earth where they work much evil.
What is the enemy of a fairy? ›Therefore, iron became known as the enemy of the 'fairy folk. ' In Wicca, wands are usually made from hazel or rowan — grown things of natural origin, reinforcing the connection with the seasons and cycles of nature, with which we work in harmony.
What are the 6 types of fairies? ›Fate: The Winx Saga changes that formula by introducing six core elements that every fairy's magic connects to – fire, water, earth, air, light, and mind. Aisha's “waves” magic simply becomes water magic, Musa is a mind fairy, and so on.
What animals are associated with fairies? ›
Deer, mice, cats, wolves and birds are favoured forms amongst the fairies. In fact, if you find a fallen bird feather while walking in nature, it's considered a gift from the fairies. Animals that are coloured red-and-white are considered most strongly connected to the fairy world, including the Fairy Cow.
What is a fairy lover called? ›The leannán sídhe ( lit. 'fairy lover'; Scottish Gaelic: leannan sìth, Manx: lhiannan shee; [lʲan̴̪-an ˈʃiː]) is a figure from Irish Folklore. She is depicted as a beautiful woman of the Aos Sí ("people of the fairy mounds") who takes a human lover.
How to attract fairies? ›Rocks—fairies are attracted to all kinds of shiny stones like agate, quartz, or crystal. Use them to decorate your garden and give the little ones a place to sit. Shiny things—fairies love to look at their reflection, so include shiny things like a mirror or a dish of water in your garden design.
Where do real fairies live? ›Depending on the region, fairies are said to live in woodland communities, underground kingdoms, or inhabit lakes, hills, or stone or grass circles — often along with centaurs, elves, ogres, gnomes and other such animals.
Do fairies have a God? ›The ultimate goddess of fairies could be said to be Danu, the ancient Mother Goddess of the Tuatha de Danann, from whom all the Gaelic fairies descended, and whom they still worship as their High Goddess.
What culture believes in fairies? ›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. angels who were left stuck between heaven and hell. Some believe they are spirits of the dead.
What is the cultural origin of fairies? ›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 ...
What is the religion where you believe in fairies? ›Faerie Faith is a Wiccan branch from the "Old Dianic" tradition (later renamed McFarland Dianic) through the work of Mark Roberts and his high priestess, Epona.
What country is known for fairies? ›In olden times, Irish believed that fairies in Ireland were neither human nor ghosts but rather natural beings with supernatural powers. They are small. They can die; just as they can give birth to children. They can be generous and bring good luck and fortune.
