It’s pitch black, you awaken and the night is still.
The fire has died.
Behind you a sound like a child crying... but somehow distorted.
A trail of blood leads away from your bedding into the dark, there is a sour smell of dead flowers and rotten milk.

Fairies... a thread
1/

This may seem like a very strange way to describe a fairy!

Today fairies are cute (even twee) creatures. They tend to be depicted as diminutive magical humans, often beautiful girls or women, with insect wings.

But their story is a much more convoluted and ancient thing 2/

The word Fairy, comes from the french 'faierie' from the Latin 'faie'. The origins of the use of this relate to women who practices magic, healing or witchcraft known as 'Cunning women'.

Thus its similarity to the French 'Fille' for girl or woman. 3/

For many years we see fairies become the embodiment of unknown forces of nature; Invisible creatures to explain strange noises you hear in the forest, mysterious tracks, or a small bite on the udder of a cow.

Remember people were outside much more than we are today. 4/

Now for centuries fairies were malevolent and vindictive creatures. Some believed they were fallen angels who didn't quite reach Hell but became stuck in between in the earthly plane.

These broken angels resented humans and sought to cause us nothing but pain. 5/

Fairies were associated with elements; air, earth and water. Water fairies could be kelpies (water horses) or merrow (merfolk).

In Norfolk the sound of pebbles in the tide at night were also the bells of an underwater fairy church, tempting listeners to drown themselves 6/

Changelings were another kind of fairy, they could replace your loved one with a fairy clone. Often these were newborn babies but it could be a brother or wife.

There are cases well into the 20th century of people murdering a loved one for being a 'Fae' 7/

Here mental illness and even neurodivergent people might become mixed up with the myth:

In the 18th century so-called 'fairy boys' could help you clean up your barn for food and money, but they were mute, liked order, and would count everything over and over again. 8/

Legends of little people are abundant around the world. Through the spread of western colonialism the word 'fairy' would also encompass other legends and stories.

The Aziza are African beings that live in forests and can bring good luck and magic. 9/

In Hawaii, there are the Menehune. little people that could create master craftworks overnight.

Mant structures, walls and bridges are attributed to their work. 10/

The Jogah of Iroquois legend were tiny spirits that would take offerings of tobacco or fingernails in bowls they would build into the earth.

Some lived underground keeping snakes away from humans, others would kick and throw rocks with their supernatural strength. 11/

Now if you google these creatures you will see the standard humanoid appearance with delicate insect wings. The western 'fairy' narrative has influenced the way these other stories are seen and depicted.

As with mermaid like creatures, they have become homogenised. 12/

But how did fairies turn from bloodthirsty child thieves to Tinkerbell?

Well a lot can be laid on the Victorians and Edwardians.

During industrialisation there was a resurgence in depictions of the beauty of nature in art and literature. Fairies were a kind of nostalgia.13/

Also a love for pagan gods and spirituality took off, although in the shadow of the catholic church these deities would need to be recast as something more delicate, mythical and safe.

Fairies therefore allowed for acceptable neopaganism to creep into art and culture.14/

Fairies were a way to celebrate the powerful forces of nature, as they always have been, but the Victorians had to sugarcoat them to make them acceptable.

One way of doing this, was to write them into stories for children to neuter them whilst keeping them around. 15/

Fairies are ancient gods trussed up in tutus, they are bloodwitches wrapped in taffeta, they are the snap of twigs behind you, the eyes in the dark. They are stories from across the world told by ancient storytellers painted white and covered in rouge.

Fairies are AWESOME! 16/