The Origins of Fairies
Many think of fairies as tiny creatures with gossamer wings flitting about in a wood or a secret place in your garden, but history and folklore talk about them much differently.
In centuries gone by when belief in fairies was commonplace most people didn’t like to mention them by name, preferring to refer to them as the Little People or the Hidden People.
There are many explanations attributed to fairies. Some say that they are ghosts, spirits of the dead or were fallen angels, existing in another dimension – not worthy of Hell or good enough for Heaven.
There are so many different kinds of fairies – some tiny creatures, others grotesque, some fly. What appears to be common to most is that they can appear and disappear at will.
The oldest record of fairies in England is by the historian Gervase of Tilbury in the 13th century. Brownies and other hobgoblins are guardian fairies. They are useful ones and do housework and chores around the house. Most of the nature fairies are perhaps descendents of pre-Christian gods and goddesses or are the spirits of trees and streams.
Fairies in Modern Times
Belief in fairies still exists. Only in 1962 a Somerset farmer’s wife told how she had lost her way on the Berkshire Downs. No problem though as she was put on the right track by a small man in green who appeared at her elbow and then disappeared equally quickly.
A woman on holiday in Cornwall with her daughter came across a small green man with pointed hood and ears. They were so alarmed they ran for the ferry, cold with terror. Another eye-witness account in the 20th century. – so should we believe in fairies?
