Glamor...

Could make a ladye seem a knight
A nutshell seem a gilded barge
A sheeling seem a palace large
And youth seem age and age seem youth
All was delusion, nought was truth.
The Lay of the Last Minstrel
Reginald Scot

Glamor is the word for the magical abilities that are always attributed to faeries. Much of it stems from the faerie's own mutable nature. Although always very small naturally, most faeries can change their form to appear any size or shape. There is usually some clue that lets a careful observer tell that a creature might be a faerie in disguise. For instance a horse might have that spark of intelligence in its eyes that an animal just shouldn't have. Faeries masquerading as humans usually have some exaggerated feature or abnormality, such as pointy ears, a long nose or club feet. A faerie may of course try to hide such features. Certain faeries are known to prefer certain forms, the Hyter sprite for instance, commonly takes the from of a sand martin.

Although often portrayed in their natural forms as possessing wings, these appendages are not needed by faeries to fly. In addition to being of highly mutable nature, they are also in their normal form quite insubstantial as well. By letting themselves become almost gaseous in consistency, a faerie can float through the air with ease. Taking it even farther, faeries can become so insubstantial, that they are nearly impossible to see. Humans who are busy with much more important concerns are not likely to see a faerie in its true from, and if they do, will probably just catch sight of something out of the corner of their eye, and then lose it again. Most animals being much more alert and perceptive than humans are not as easily fooled by the wee folk. Dogs, cats, and horses will often become agitated by the presence of invisible faeries. Humans are able to see invisible faeries when they apply a special ointment to their eyes, this ointment is made only by faeries who will be quite upset by its misuse.

Some faeries possess an even stronger glaymor. They are able to affect objects other than themselves. Many of these are trickster faeries, who use these abilities to create mischief. These abilities most often include illusions, which can distract or confuse men. Faerie food and gold are not to be trusted for they are rarely what they seem.

Many faeries us glaymor as a means of instantaneous transport. Just before departing a place many faeries are heard to utter "Horse and Hattock", or some other magical phrase, occasionally including the destination as well. Bold mortals are sometimes able to tag along with the faeries by repeating the same cry. They may however end up in an unusual place (in many stories the King of France's wine cellar seems to be the final destination for partying faeries).


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