Fairies...An Introduction

This is the first of three posts about fairies.I am still short on personal experiences so if you are a believer and have an experience to share, please do so in the comments or Email to nursesnaturally@gmail.com.

From wikipedia
"The word fairy derives from the term fae of medieval Western European (Old French) folklore and romance, one famous example being Morgan le Fay. "Fae-ery" was therefore everything that appertains to the "fae", and so the land of "faes", all the "faes". Finally the word replaced its original and one could speak of "a faery or fairy", though the word fey is still used as an adjective.

Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term fairy offers many definitions. Sometimes the term describes any magical creature, including goblins or gnomes: at other times, the term only describes a specific type of more ethereal creature.[2]"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faeries

Another source discussed the origin
"Fairy peoples are thought to have descended from the race of Elves. Elves are an ancient race of magical, slender creatures with pointed ears thought to be extinct. Unlike fairies, they lack the ability to fly, which may have made the fairies a more adaptable race. Elves were once very closely associated with the land and with nature and fairies took over many of their roles in this tradition. Fairies are now air, water, fire and tree spirits. These are also the four points that make up a pagan pentagram (air, water, fire and earth) and the fifth point is spirit, which the fairies incarnate represent.

Throughout most of the former celtic nations : Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany and Germany, the fairies are becoming things of the past. Even though fairies are commonly believed to exist today, from the eighteenth century and on they have been seen less and less. Once firmly ensconced in the minds of men, the fairies may now be in decline. That people do not often see them any more makes some argue that the fairies will eventually disappear as men stop believing in them."
http://www.bronwenskye.com/fairyhistory.php

Next posts will address some cultural experiences and two commonly believed stories of encounters.