fairy
Sign in to saveA fairy (also fay 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 magical, metaphysical, supernatural, or preternatural qualities.
AI overview
A fairy is a mythical creature found in European folklore—particularly in Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, and French traditions—typically depicted as a human-like spirit with magical or supernatural powers. Fairies matter to cultural history because they appear across multiple European societies, reflecting shared beliefs about the supernatural world and revealing how different cultures imagined magical beings that inhabited their legends.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Mythical creature.name
- Fairy
- Mythical creature.image
- Falero Luis Ricardo Lily Fairy 1888.jpg
- Mythical creature.caption
- 1888 illustration by Luis Ricardo Falero of a modern fairy, with butterfly wings
- Mythical creature.Grouping
- Legendary creaturePixieSpriteTuatha Dé Danann
- Mythical creature.Region
- Europe
- Mythical creature.First_Attested
- In folklore
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
30 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Historical development
- Descriptions
- Origins
- Demoted angels
- Demoted pagan deities
- Fairies as demons
- Spirits of the dead
- Hidden people
- Elementals
- Characteristics
- Classifications
- Changelings
- Protective charms
- Legends
- {{lang|ga|Tuatha Dé Danann}}
- {{lang|ga|Aos Sí}}
- Scottish {{lang|gd|Sìthe}}
- In literature
- In visual art
- Christian belief in fairies
- Fairies in Non-European culture
- In chess
- See also
- General
- Popular culture
- References
- Citations
- Bibliography
- External links
A fairy (also fay 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 magical, metaphysical, supernatural, or preternatural qualities.
Myths and stories about fairies do not have a single origin but are rather a collection of folk beliefs from disparate sources. Various folk theories about the origins of fairies include casting them as either demoted angels or demons in a Christian tradition, as deities in pagan belief systems, as spirits of the dead, as prehistoric precursors to humans, or as spirits of nature.