Fairy
Also known as peri (Arabia and Persia), faery, faerie, fae,
fay, fair folk, good people, and countless other names
Of all the types of little people, fairies appear most in folklore and literature. Since stories about them vary, it is hard to describe them accurately. However, it is generally agreed that they are quite small and very beautiful, and generally benevolent, with many supernatural powers. Fairies love music and dancing, and, like elves, often leave rings of extra-green grass in the meadows where they dance. They can be seen by animals, but only rarely do they allow humans to see them. Humans sometimes wander into their magical realm, where time and space work differently than in the human world. They are known to steal humans on occasion--sometimes as midwives, sometimes as changelings.
Stories
The Faerie Queene--The classic work about Titania, Oberon, and the Faerie kingdom by Edmund Spenser.
Gifts from Fairies--Good and Bad
Sources
Kneightley, Thomas. The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves, and Other Little People. New York: Avenel Books, 1978.
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