The Encyclopedia Of Demons And Demonology

F
fairies Beings who occupy a middle realm between
Earth and heaven. Fairies have magical powers and are
sometimes associated with DEMONs and FALLEN ANGELS.
In lore, they are capable of bewitchment and POSSESSION,
requiring EXORCISM.
Fairy originates from the Latin word fata, or “fate,”
and evolved from faerie, a state of enchantment. According
to lore, fairies themselves do not like the word; they
prefer to be called by more respectful names, such as “the
Good Neighbors,” “the Gentry,” “the People of Peace,”
“the Strangers,” “Themselves,” “The Seely (Blessed)
Court,” and other terms. Fairies are often referred to as
“the Little People.” In medieval times fairy sometimes described
women who had magical powers.
Fairy Origins
Fairy beliefs are universal and ancient, and there are a
variety of explanations of their origins. Celtic fairy lore
is particularly strong and absorbed Christian elements.
In Irish lore, the fairies are descended from the Tuatha
de Danaan, the early inhabitants of Ireland. When the
Mil invaded, the Tuatha de Danaan used supernatural
powers to become invisible and withdraw into the hills.
From them arose the gods, demigods, heroes, and the
fairies.
Other explanations for the origins of fairies are the
following:
• Souls of the unbaptized and pagan dead, trapped
between heaven and Earth
• Guardians of the dead, living in an otherworld that
exists between the living and the dead. They have
the power to take people, and when they do, those
people die
• Ancestral ghosts
• Fallen angels cast out of heaven with LUCIFER, sentenced
by God to the elements of the earth, where
they act as demons
• Nature spirits who are attached to particular places
or to the four elements, for example, sylphs of the
air, gnomes of the earth, undines of water, and salamanders
of fire
• Supernatural creatures who are shape-shifting monsters
or half-human, half-monster
• Small human beings, primitive races like the Tuatha
de Danaan that went into hiding in order to survive
In more recent times, fairies have been compared to
extraterrestrials.
Descriptions and Characteristics
Fairies usually are invisible save to those with clairvoyant
sight. They are best seen at dusk. In lore, they do not
like to be seen by people and will often punish people
who see them accidentally, including striking them blind.
If they choose to be visible, fairies can bestow the gift of
clairvoyance (and healing) upon mortals.
Descriptions of fairies cover a wide range, from tiny
lights to winged creatures and, most often, small people.
They tend to be either ugly—even monstrous—or beau-
84