Fairies have been used to death in all kinds of fantasy stories. While usually appearing in things more intended for a younger audience, fairies have also been used in darker, more mature fantasy stories. This is much more in line with their original origins however, as they weren’t supposed to be lovey-dovey sprites of magic and joy.
Let’s take a look at some things you probably didn’t know about fairies yet.
Poltergeists
Despite not locking children up in television sets from the 80’s, there’s a striking resemblance between what we consider to be a poltergeist and what is considered an angry fairy. So whenever you step into a haunted house, just remember that you might be in the presence of a fairy. Yay!
Landscape Influence
Especially in Ireland, a lot of the landscape has been heavily influenced by fairies and their presence. We’re talking fairy hills, fairy forts, fairy trees, … All of it was considered taboo, and you couldn’t build a road or give away a house next to one. People always claimed bad things happened to those that cut down fairy trees or disrespected the fairies.
Changelings
Up until the 19th century, people were convinced that their infant was swapped by the fairies and not their actual child. And as you did back in those days, this meant that these infants would be subjected to extreme amounts of torture and cruelties to force the fairies into swapping their child back. Such light-hearted folklore!
