Asrai:
Small, delicate water faeries. Sometimes a fisherman might find
one with his catch, and tales are told of fishermen who chose to take the small faerie
with them, despite it’s cries to be set free. One bound an Asrai in the bottom of his
boat, but when it touched him the cold of it’s hands marked him for life. By the time
he reached the shore the Asrai had vanished, leaving only a puddle of water behind.
Banshee:
Also bean si. Irish banshees are attached to old families and
will keen before the death of a family member. If several join their voices then someone
very great can be expected to die. A banshee has long hair and a gray cloak, and her eyes
are red from weeping. In Scotland the bean-nighe washes the grave clothes of those about
to die, and is said to be the ghost of a woman who died prematurely.
Boggarts:
Mischievous brownies, often those who have been wronged by
humans. They enjoy playing tricks on humans and often cause a great deal of trouble. A
farmer and his family once prepared to leave their home because they had been so tormented
by a boggart. Upon learning that the boggart intended to move with them they chose to
stay, feeling that it was better to suffer it’s tricks in their own home than in a
new one. Eventually it grew tired of it’s mischief about that farm and moved on.
Brownies:
Known also as the Welsh Bwca, and the Highland Bodach, one of the
most well known of the faerie folk. A brownie is generally a small man no more than a yard
high, dressed in brown clothes, who often come out at night to attend to work that is left
unfinished. They can become quite devoted to their household, performing a variety of
chores about the farm and providing good counsel if needed. Their devotion to their master
might also make them unpopular with the servants, whom they might punish for wrongdoing.
In return for their help they expect only a bowl of cream
and a cake to be left for them. Any offer of reward or clothing will drive the brownie
away, as a 16th century brownie song points out: "What have we here, Hempen Hampen!
Here will I never more tread nor stampen." Brownies who have had repeated bad luck
with humans often became boggarts.
Changelings:
One of the most enduring habits of the faeries has been their
desire for human children. Sometimes after stealing a child they would leave a stock of
wood, given the likeness of the child with faerie glamour. The illusion of life would soon
fade and the ‘child’ would be buried, with no one the wiser. Most frequently it
was a faerie child, or an ancient faerie willing to be fed and cared for by a human
'foster mother', who replaced the child. Sometimes parents could recover their own child
by tricking the changeling into revealing it's age by setting up empty eggshells and
pretending to brew in them. This would so surprise the old faerie that he would reveal his
nature.
Coblynau:
Welsh mine goblins. Small grotesque creatures about eighteen
inches tall, otherwise dressed much as miners. Unlike some faeries they are good natured,
and it is very fortunate to see or hear one as their knocking in the mines will show where
a rich lode of ore might be found. Although the coblynau seem to be quite busy with their
work they are only going through the motions, accomplishing nothing.
Daoine Sidh:
The heroic faerie race of Ireland, sometimes known as the Gentry
or the Good People. They are the faeries of medieval romance, of human size and shining
beauty who spent their time pursing the pastimes of the medieval nobility. Their homes
were made under the hills and lakes, and in the land of Tir Nan Og. Among the faerie kings
was Finvarra, who is sometimes thought to be the king of the dead.
Ellyllon:
Tiny Welsh faeries, who are fond of toadstools and fairy butter.
Often they will perform helpful tasks around the household much like the brownies.
Elves:
Generally refers to the Scandinavian faerie folk, divided into
light elves and dark elves. In Scotland faeries of human size were often known as elves,
and their land as Elfame. In England the people referred to small faeries as elves,
although the name was not felt to be flattering by the faeries themselves.
Ganconer:
(also Gean-cannah) Known as the ‘Love talker’, a
handsome faerie who smoked a short clay pipe and appeared to country maidens. After an
encounter with a ganconer the maid would pine away with the desire to see him again.
Goblins:
An evil, malicious spirit, usually small and very ugly. The
Hobgoblins, while mischievous, were thought to be more kindly disposed towards humans and
include brownies in their number.
Gwragedd Annwn:
Welsh water faeries. They are quite beautiful and can sometimes
be won as wives by mortal men. If, however, a husband should violate a taboo, such as
striking his faerie wife, she will return to her own people.
Gwyllion:
Welsh mountain faeries, who would mislead travelers on dark
mountain roads, although cold iron seemed to be a defense against them. In stormy weather
they might visit a person’s house, where they would be greeted warmly for fear of
what they might do if offended. Gwyllion were friendly to goats and might take their form.
Leanan Sidhe:
"The Fairy Mistress". An Irish faerie who is the spirit
of life. She inspires poets and minstrels, but those inspired by her have brief earthly
lives. The Lhiannan Shee of the Isle of Man was less benevolent, she would appear as an
irresistibly beautiful woman but any man who yielded to her was ruined.
Leprecaun:
A solitary Irish faerie who might be seen working on a shoe.
Anyone who could capture him would become prosperous, but as a general rule the human who
tried this did not succeed.
Mermaids:
Among the most well known of supernatural creatures, mermaids
have the bodies of beautiful women from the waist up, but the scales and tails of fish.
They are often seen atop a rock at the edge of the sea, singing and combing their hair.
Mermaids might be caught and held for the wishes they could grant, and on occasion they
were courted by human men and bequeathed great skills in medicine to their children.
Mermen were generally regarded as violent creatures who could raise storms and wreck
ships.
Merrows:
Irish mermaids, their appearance often comes before a storm.
Female merrows are beautiful and might fall in love with mortal fishermen, while males
were quite unattractive but extremely jovial and friendly to mankind.
Pixies:
Generally small faeries dressed in green. They could assume
mortal size but could be recognized by their red hair, pointed ears, and upturned noses.
Pixies would often mislead mortals, who might wander about for hours without being able to
find their way. Such folk are said to be pixy-led and might only save themselves by
turning their coats inside out. Pixies also have the habit of stealing horses and riding
them in circles at night. Like brownies they will help out any mortals they grow fond of.
Redcap:
A nasty sort of goblin, fond of living in ruined towers and
castles where evil deeds had been done. Described as a short old man with long teeth and
claws, the red cap he wore gained it’s color from being dyed in blood.
Seelie Court:
(or Blessed Court) The name given to the Scottish faeries.
Benevolent to those they favor, they might give gifts of bread and corn to the poor and
help folk in their tasks. Anyone who did them a kindness was well rewarded, but like all
faeries if they felt they had been insulted or injured they would punish the person
responsible.
Selkies:
A faerie folk of the Orkney and Shetland Islands, who put on seal
skins and appear to be seals as they travel in the water. On land they shed their seal
skins and have human form far more attractive than mortal men and women. Selkie men would
often come ashore to court mortal women, and any children born would have webbed hands and
feet. A selkie maiden was sometimes won as a bride by a man who would steal her seal skin
as it lay on the beach, so the selkie could not return to her home.
Trows:
Shetland faeries. Some are similar to Scandinavian trolls, they
live beneath the ground and must take care to avoid sunlight. If a trow is caught above
ground when the sun rises he cannot return to his home until the sun sets again. King
Trows were exclusively male and would leave their homes to court and marry mortal women,
though as soon as her baby was born the mother would die. Other trows could be much like
faeries in general, helpful to those they found favorable and offended by any gifts set
out for them.
Tuatha de Danann:
The people of the goddess Dana were traditionally an early race
of Ireland who were forced to take refuge beneath the hills after the arrival of other
people. They were masters of magic, and over time faded in nature and became known as the
Daoine Sidh, though they could still be more majestic than mortals.
Tylwyth Teg:
"The Fair Family" of Wales, they have fair hair and
dress in white. They are sometimes called Bendith y Mamau, "Mother's blessing".
Like other faerie folk they are fond of dancing and singing, and are partial to golden
haired mortals. They will give wealth to their favorites, but if this is mentioned to
anyone else it will vanish.
Unseelie Court:
The Sluagh, or the Host, are the unsanctified dead who fly above
the earth, stealing mortals and take great pleasure in harming humans. Unlike other
faeries they are never kindly disposed towards mortals, and many solitary faeries of
malicious nature, such as the redcap, are also part of the Unseelie Court.
