Fairies and the Spirit World
by: Richard S. Clifton

Saturday Ramblins, Vol. 2, No. 12 (June 19, 1999)

A belief in fairies, spirits who inhabit a world somewhat below our notice, is found in most cultures worldwide. As the grandson of Irish immigrants, I was raised believing that these tiny creatures inhabited places such as the bottom of our garden. The idea of fairies added a magical dimension to my childhood but where do those beliefs belong today? Is the notion of fairies inconsistent or contradictory to Christian beliefs?

Early on the church decided that there was no room in its belief-system for these beings who were considered to be neither good nor evil, according to Katherine Briggs. Fairies have always been represented in Western traditions as human, almost angel-like creatures -- beautiful and winged. Unlike angels, fairies are portrayed as morally neutral creatures who do not seek contact with the human world most of the time. An important distinction must be made at this point. Fairies are considered members of the spirit world, not the spiritual world.

The word "fairy" is thought to be a derivative of Fata, the Greek goddess of fate. Faye-erie was a state of enchantment induced by fairies. One theory as to the origin of the creatures posits that in pre-Christian Europe fairies were the spirits of the dead. However, with the spread of Christianity, the belief in an afterlife replaced this idea. Fairies have also been explained as the gods of pre-Christian Europe whose rank was reduced in the wake of Christianity. The weakness in these theories is that these creatures are found in folklore around the world.

Fairies are believed to contact humans occasionally, often when they take a liking to someone. They will help that person in some way thus casting them in a minor, angel-like role. However, according to lore, fairies are often mischievous and sometimes dangerous to humans. Among the Irish, some believe that fairies are jealous of humans because we have hearts and emotions, something they lack. Fairies act out this jealousy by inflicting harm and sometimes death.

In the old days, for example, people believed someone who had angered a fairy or refused it something was struck dead. They called it a fairy stroke. The medical term "stroke" as it is used today is believed to have originated with this expression.

Whatever the truth behind the lore in Europe (or elsewhere), fairies and related creatures, pixies, brownies and elves, have been a part of the cultural consciousness in the Western world for millennia. It is not the intention here to encourage belief but rather suggest an explanation for it. There may indeed be, as Shakespeare told us, more in heaven and earth then we have dreamt of.

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page