Fairies weren’t always cute – they used to drink human blood and kidnap children

[Eldorado]

When most people think about fairies, they perhaps picture the sparkling Tinker Bell from Peter Pan or the other heartwarming and cute fairies and fairy god mothers that populate many Disney movies and children’s cartoons. But these creatures have much darker origins - and were once thought to be more like undead blood-sucking vampires.

In The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies (1682), folklorist Robert Kirk argued that fairies are “the dead”, or of “a middle nature betwixt man and angels”. This association is particularly prominent in Celtic lore. Writing in 1887, Lady Jane Wilde popularised the Irish belief that:

fairies are the fallen angels who were cast down by the Lord God out of heaven for their sinful pride…and the devil gives to these knowledge and power and sends them on earth where they work much evil.

https://theconversation.com/fairies-werent-always-cute-they-used-to-drink-human-blood-and-kidnap-children-170305

[GlitterRose]

 

 

[GlitterRose]

And here's something a bit darker...

 

[quiXilver]

In the Norse and Celtic traditions they were revered and feared.

[jethrofloyd]

[Trelane]

"Fairies weren’t always cute – they used to drink human blood and kidnap children"

We just call them politicians now.

"Mr. Epstein  holding on line two Mr. President..."

[Orphalesion]

But... as I always say when this comes up. Fairy Godmothers are also a type of folkloric fairy creature, as are many others that act benignly towards humanity, why are they less valid than the ones who are dangerous?

I mean, they still weren't the cute pixies of children's picture books, they were powerful entities that commanded, and demanded respect and could dole out punishments when disrespected. But in the Alpine tradition, for example, while there are also fairy creatures that are always/mostly dangerous, there are also those that can be helpful or that (more or less) harmless tricksters. Sylvans, Bergostane, or as I mentioned above, the trio of Fairy Godmothers that shows up at a child's birth and bestows good fortune and blessings (or that tells of a tragic future) a motive that is descended from the Fates of Greco-Roman mythology. And the fable of the fairy bride is a widespread, old archetype where it's the human groom that keeps the fairy bride against her will.
And while it's true that the 19th century whitewashed fairies to some extend, it's also true that Christianisation made them nastier than they probably were before.

Because that's what a lot of Fairy creatures are; small gods; respect them and they might bestow blessing upon you (or at least don't harm you), disrespect them and they will punish you. 
In Norse Paganism the Elves (a broad term which included what we would call Dwarves) were just one step below the gods, at several points in the Edda you can find the phrase "How fare the Aesir, how fare the Elves?" In old Celtic myth, they *were* the gods. And of course Christianity had an interest to turn them into demons and devils.

[+joc]

This thread is just @Eldorado begging someone to play this song...here ya go...

...it's my pleasure! 

 

[Poncho_Peanatus]

jinn's and fairies are one and the same...

[Poncho_Peanatus]

forgot to post the link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHQWsAuN5H8

[MissJatti]

Some parts of India faries are still  considered evil

[Y. Wolvenberg]

Small Worlds a Torchwood episode with fairies.

[Resume]

On 11/11/2021 at 5:54 AM, Poncho_Peanatus said:

jinn's and fairies are one and the same...

Non-existent?

[Poncho_Peanatus]

3 hours ago, Resume said:

Non-existent?

maybe maybe not, not debating their existence, but they are probably cultural relics of a time prior to organized religions, be it Allah, Jesus or Odin

Edited November 14, 2021 by Poncho_Peanatus

[rashore]

20 hours ago, Poncho_Peanatus said:

maybe maybe not, not debating their existence, but they are probably cultural relics of a time prior to organized religions, be it Allah, Jesus or Odin

Not prior to, but along with. Deities create these critters along with everything else in the lores. Allah created jinn, Odin the fae of Norse, Yahweh the angels/demons followed by God the angels/demons, and so on. Most cultures that have a creator deity have it create the supernatural critters along with everything else. Some faiths also have other deities that create their wee folk, like in Greek lore. 

 In most lore that has the wee folk, there are good and evil counterparts with some traditions having ambivalent forms as well. Many aren't cute and can be downright terrifying. Cherubs in the bible are not cute chubby children like how they are now. In some other cultures the wee folk have remained more true to their original forms too. 

It can be argued that the God creation of angels and demons was created later as part of the New Testament piggybacking off the Old Testament and Yahweh as well as other cultures lores. When the New Testament and Christianity was being created, those cultural areas had already picked up a lot of lore from other cultures. The creation of the New Testament shows a distillation of many other cultures divine and wee folks into a more refined artifact in angels and demons.

Some wee folk haven't gotten cuter, but have shifted lore areas. Banshees used to be wee folk as a woman fae, then shifted more into spirit, then has shifted into full ghost in current lore. Some seem to have shifted over into the UFO/alien lore or urban legends. Sometimes a deity will jump lore too, like Coatlicue has translated to La Llorona. The original was way more fierce than the current artifact of the lore. Some previously more wee folk animals became more urban legends/cryptids and ghost legends. Ghostly hitchhikers and roadside tormentors can harken to older wee folk legends.

Our current era still creates or recreated the occasional fae, or what would be considered in the pantheon of fae if they had been created way back when. Slenderman is a remarkable example as the first successful digital era creation. 

[Commander X]

On 11/6/2021 at 6:01 PM, Eldorado said:

When most people think about fairies, they perhaps picture the sparkling Tinker Bell from Peter Pan or the other heartwarming and cute fairies and fairy god mothers that populate many Disney movies and children’s cartoons. But these creatures have much darker origins - and were once thought to be more like undead blood-sucking vampires.

In The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies (1682), folklorist Robert Kirk argued that fairies are “the dead”, or of “a middle nature betwixt man and angels”. This association is particularly prominent in Celtic lore. Writing in 1887, Lady Jane Wilde popularised the Irish belief that:

fairies are the fallen angels who were cast down by the Lord God out of heaven for their sinful pride…and the devil gives to these knowledge and power and sends them on earth where they work much evil.

https://theconversation.com/fairies-werent-always-cute-they-used-to-drink-human-blood-and-kidnap-children-170305

This may not be as far fetched as many would think...