Types Of Fairies

Fairies
The original fairies, or faeries, bestowed gifts upon newborn children, such as beauty, wealth and kindness. In the subsequent centuries they continued this original function, but expanded their activities into other types of meddling in human affairs.
Fairies can only be seen clearly by animals and seldom by humans, although if one is fortunate enough, one might catch a fleeting glimpse. There are a few exceptions however. The first is when fairies use their power (known as 'glamour') to enable a human to see them. Also, during a full moon on Midsummer Eve a mortal witness fairy dances or celebrations. And finally, by looking through a self-bored stone (a stone in which a hole has been made by tumbling in the waters of a brook; not found on a beach) one can see fairies distinctly.
The rulers of the race of fairies are Queen Titania and her consort Prince Oberon, their court being in the vicinity of Stratford-on-Avon. Other synonyms and euphemisms for fairies are: the Little People, the Green Men, the Good Folk and the Lordly Ones.
The name is probably a combination of the words fae "friend" and eire "green." So Faerie means "Green Friend."

Sidhe
Sidhe (pronounced 'shee') literally means "people of the (fairy) hills". It is the Gaelic name for the fairies in both Ireland and the Highlands of Scotland. Usually these fairies are attracted to those who are beautiful as well as wealthy.

My Favorite
Puck
Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, is a character from Shakespeare's play "A Midsummer Night's Dream". With his flute, made from a willow twig, he accompanies fairies on their moonlight dances. He is closely related to the Irish Phooka and the Bwca from Wales.

Seelie Court
The Court of the kind and benign fairy host, usually seen around twilight in long solemn processions. These fairies help the poor with gifts of corn and bread. The opposite of the Seelie Court ("Blessed Court") is the evil Unseelie Court.

Unseelie Court
The evil counterpart of the Seelie Court is always unfavorable towards mankind. The part which flies through the sky at night is called the 'Horde'. Mortals unfortunate enough to cross the Horde's path are taken along for a hell-ride. These poor victims are beaten and pinched and forced to participate in the bizarre nocturnal activities of these creatures. The Unseelie Court ("Unholy Court") solely consists of those of the fairy-like beings which are the most ugly and evil.

The Plant Rhys Dwfen
("children of Deep Rhys") are a tribe of fairies who inhabit a small land which is invisible because of a special herb that grows there. They are handsome, less than average in height, and grateful to those who treat them fairly. They often visit markets in Cardigan where they pay such high prices for goods that ordinary buyers can not compete with them. When visiting the main land, they assume human form.

Basque Fairies
Basque fairies, related to the Celtic little people. The Laminak live underground in beautiful castles.

Cosanzeana, Ileana
by Samantha Anselmi di Cardano
In Romanian folklore, Ileana is the original concept of feminine beauty, the most beautiful amongst the fairies: her eyes look like the sun, her body is like the sea and her garments are made of flowers. When she sings, pearls and gold flow out of her mouth. She gives flowers their perfume, but she has the facility to take it back. She appears to men only once a year, on St John's day. The wind loves her, but can never catch her. Her own brother fell in love with her, therefore she -- in order to avoid incest -- plunges herself to the depth of the ocean and turns into a fish and then into the moon.
Ileana is also represented as a young woman who will marry only the man who bests her, that is to say, the one who is stronger than her or otherwise, the one who hides himself so well that she cannot find him. A wicked emperor asks her hand in marriage. She accepts on the condition that he prepares for her a bath with milk from wild mares. The emperor's servant manages to prepare such a bath. The emperor enters the bath first, but the servant's horse blows hot breath onto the milk, which starts boiling and kills the emperor. Then, the horse's breath becomes pleasantly lukewarm so that Ileana takes a bath with the servant and marries him.
Sometimes, Ileana appears as the royal warrior of the Land of Women. She steals the baptismal font from the River Jordan, at the moment when the font's guardian is sleeping. He makes a curse that the thief be it a woman, turns into a man or vice versa. For this reason Ileana becomes an emperor.

Sprite
by Emily Jacques
A sprite is a kind of fairy or elf. Sprite comes from the Latin word spiritus or spirit and once meant "soul" or "ghost." Sprites are used in many folktales. Sprites are creatures of the element water. They are found only in places where it is serene and cool. They like to play with nymphs or torment butterflies. (The butterflies don't really mind.) Sprites have one very important job, which is going around and changing the colors of a tree's leaves in Autumn. They have many cans of bright paint in every shade between red and yellow. This makes sure they don't run out. Sprites are very creative. They are muses, artists, and poets. They are some of the most creative fairies. Some even decide to bond or marry a human or elf and stay with them their whole lives.
The word is possibly a variation of "spirit".

Daoine Sidhe
by Micha F. Lindemans
The divine folk of Old Irish folklore. After the * Tuatha Dé Danann were defeated by the *Milesians (Gaels), those members who decided to stay in Ireland formed the Daoine Sidhe. They live in hollow mounds, hence the name sidhe which literally means "people of the (fairy) mounds". In Connaught they are ruled by Finbheara, who holds court beneath the fairy hill of Knockma. His wife is the fair Oonagh. In Munster, there are three fairy queens: Cliodna, Aine (said to be the mother of Earl Gerald, who sleeps under the castle of Mullaghmast), and Aoibhill.
The Daoine Sidhe are fond of battles, hurling (a kind of field hockey) and are skilled chess players. Many a mortal challenged Finvarra to a game and lost all his possessions, for the king has never been beaten. These fairies are small and this is responsible for the name of daoine beaga, "little folk". They may ride out to hunt, or stir up an eddy of dust, or engage in battles, or steal children, or prevent butter from forming in the churn.
Finbheara is pronounced as Finvarra, Cliodna as Cleena, and Aoibhill as Evil.

Danu
by Micha F. Lindemans
The Irish/Celtic earth goddess, matriarch of the Tuatha Dé Danann ("People of the goddess Danu"). Danu is the mother of various Irish gods, such as the Dagda (also mentioned as her father), Dian Cecht, Ogma, Lir, Lugh, and many others. Her Welsh equivalent is the goddess Don.

Tuatha Dé Danann
by Micha F. Lindemans
In Irish-Celtic mythology, the Tuatha Dé Danann ("People of the goddess Danu") are the Irish race of gods, founded by the goddess Danu. These gods, who originally lived on 'the islands in the west', had perfected the use of magic. They traveled on a big cloud to the land that later would be called Ireland and settled there.
Shortly after their arrival they defeated the Firbolg at the first battle of Mag Tuireadh. In the second battle of Mag Tuireadh they fought and conquered the Fomorians, a race of giants who were the primordial inhabitants of Ireland. The Tuatha Dé dealt more subtly with the Fomorians than with the Firbolg, and gave them the province of Connacht. There was also some marrying between the two races.
The Tuatha Dé themselves were later driven to the underworld by the Milesians, the people of the fabulous spanish king Milesius. There they still live as invisible beings and are known as the Aes sidhe. In a just battle, they will fight beside mortals. When they fight, they go armed with lances of blue flame and shields of pure white.
Important members are of the Tuatha Dé are: Dagda, Brigid, Nuada, Lugh, Dian Cecht, Ogma, and Lir. The goddess Danu can also be identified with the Welsh goddess Don.
The Epic of the Tuatha Dé Danann is the first Cycle of Irish storytelling.

Milesians
by Micha F. Lindemans
Properly, the inhabitants of Miletus; but the name has been given to the ancient Irish because of the legend that two sons of Milesius, a fabulous king of Spain, conquered the country, and repeopled it after exterminating the aborigines (the Firbolgs).

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