Call them fairies, wee folk, faeries, sprites or pixies, common folklore has it that fairies are small, gentle, magical winged beings that are otherwise human in appearance. They can be good or evil or a little of both and are thought to travel between the real world and another hidden world of their own. Some believe they are a lower form of angel, others believe they are a hidden race of people, but whatever you believe fairies and their escapades in mythology and literature are downright fascinating!
So how well do you know your fairies? Here, without further ado, are five famous members of the faerie world:
Tinkerbell
“I DO believe in fairies, I DO believe in fairies” … who can forget that suspensful moment from Peter Pan? The lovely Tinkerbell, (originally a mender of pots and pans in the JM Barrie novel, hence her name) said to have been created from a baby’s laugh, is deservedly the most popular and best loved of all fairy characters. Speaking in a language which sounds like the tinkling of a little bell, Tinkerbell (or Tink as she’s sometimes known) bestows upon mortals the gift of flight by sprinkling them with pixie dust.
Fairy Godmother
Sometimes a good fairy, like the one in Cinderella, sometimes a bad fairy like the one in Shrek, the fairy godmother changes the course of peoples’ lives with a wave of her wand. Whether she’s using her powers for good or for evil, the Fairy Godmother is a force to be reconned with!
Ariel
Long before Ariel in the Little Mermaid there was Ariel the airy fairy in Shakespeare’s play, the Tempest. Ariel had been rescued from an evil witch by Prospero the magician, and returned the favor by becoming his loyal servant Unlike other spirits who are forced to obey the magician, Ariel is a willing helper and sort of Prospero’s “spirit in chief”. Ariel uses his musical gifts to put some of Prospero’s enemies into a deep sleep and calls upon his other spritely talents to wreak mischief and confusion upon others.
Puck
Also apearing in a Shakespeare play (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where he alternately goes by the alias of Robin Goodfellow), Puck is a mischievous woodland fairy of myth and folklore. Puck was said to have wreaked a bit of havoc by souring the milk of unsuspecting dairy farmers and leading nighttime travellers astray as they passed through his woods. Not that he’s all bad – he’s said to do small household chores for his family of choice when he’s in a good mood! However he’s better known for his pranks and practical jokes.
The Tooth Fairy
The eccentric tooth collector who trades money and gifts for baby teeth,the tooth fairy is an authentic turn-of-the-century American creation which has caught on in other countries and cultures. You may be wondering, what exactly does the tooth fairy DO with all those teeth? Some say he/she builds a castle out of them, others say they are thrown into the air, each becoming a little star twinkling in the night sky.
