7
votes
Whence comes the association of Leprechauns with rainbows?
What appears to have happened is a 20th Century conflation of two different legends, one involving leprechauns and gold and another involving rainbows and gold.
There is really no evidence ...
- 1,623
7
votes
How Do The Fairies In Irish Mythology Spend Their Time
Check out: Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland by Thomas Crofton Croker
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/39752
The Brothers Grimm translated Crokers Fairy Legends and provided a ...
- 581
6
votes
Accepted
Who and what are the winged "faries" that feature in fairytale?
David is correct. In English winged fairies are sylphs or sylphids.
sylph (n.)
1650s, "air-spirit," from Modern Latin sylphes (plural), coined 16c. by Paracelsus (1493-1541), originally ...
- 176
5
votes
Accepted
Who was the Erlking?
The tale of the Erlking follows a common motif in Germanic folklore; a forest-dwelling evil creature, ensnaring human victims. Unfortunately, neither Johann Gottfried Herder's Erl King's Daughter nor ...
- 2,998
5
votes
Who and what are the winged "faries" that feature in fairytale?
I suspect that these things become confused over time, as they often do.
If I had to guess however, I suggest that a reasonable explanation if you wanted to make the distinction, the 'Winged Fairies' ...
- 534
4
votes
Anglo-Saxon and Faeries
I certainly hope you weren't looking for Tolkien Elves or Santa's Helpers.
"Elves" appear to be a part of the pagan Anglo-Saxon belief system; the word is Germanic in origin.
However, it's hard to ...
- 1,623
4
votes
Accepted
The structure of the Fae courts
Sanderson, Stewart F (December 1957). "The Present State of Folklore Studies in Scotland", may answer your question. The one thing I believe is universal in the two courts is matriarchal ...
3
votes
Accepted
What is the earliest example of the tiny, insect-winged fairy archetype?
Fairies were not traditionally winged in folklore, and it seems unlikely that Michael Drayton imagined Nymphidia with wings; the first mention of winged fairies is usually dated to 1712. Fairies were ...
- 483
3
votes
Whence comes the association of Leprechauns with rainbows?
According to Ancient Origins
Leprechauns are now understood to be the fairy tales of the past and fanciful stories to tell when one sees a rainbow.
I'm afraid I can't find anything else either.
...
- 433
3
votes
Why are mermaids naked?
A number of reasons: mermaids are part of nature, not culture, Classical depictions of marine deities and other spirits show them naked, and because mermaids are supposed to be sexy.
- 5,920
3
votes
Accepted
Is this a real myth? Pembroke Welsh Corgis as mounts for fairies
This got too long for a comment, so I hope it's all right to post here. The Writing in Margins blog is mine, so I'd like to offer a few addendums.
It's always hard to disprove something rather than ...
- 483
3
votes
What's a good source on Fairies online?
You can find a lot of sources on Internet Sacred Text Archive ...
You have to scroll down to approximately 7/8 and you can find all the fairy texts you need. Or ctrl-f fairies.
- 6,718
3
votes
What do faeries do with kidnapped human children?
"Is there some sort of consensus as to what fairies actually do with them?"
No. Because there is no consistent Hiberno-British folk mythology. Any apparent or alleged consistent anything about that ...
- 354
3
votes
Anglo-Saxon and Faeries
Alaric Hall wrote his thesis on elves in Anglo-Saxon belief. His website also has a lot of his papers on elf-lore.
- 5,920
2
votes
Are there any close analogues to the Fairy King & Queen Titania and Oberon, in Indian/Hindu mythology?
There is the Lore of the Yaksha & Yakshini. As well as Kinnara & Kinnari.
Also Refer to a Tangential Piece of mine if you so feel.
The Mythos of 'Yakshi'
2
votes
What's a good source on Fairies online?
Katherine Mary Brigg's The Vanishing People: Fairy Lore and Legends, is a good source, as well as Evan-Wentz's The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries and Robert Kirk's The Secret Commonwealth. They're ...
- 5,920
2
votes
Accepted
Where did the idea come from that fairies must tell the truth?
Great question. The short answer is that the development of faeries being literally unable to lie is a more modern take1. There's no question faeries could be deceptive in earlier traditions, but ...
- 464
2
votes
Is this a real myth? Pembroke Welsh Corgis as mounts for fairies
This is most likely a recent invention by Corgi breeders & enthusiasts. From "Did fairies really ride corgis?":
The earliest source I can find is the poem "Corgi Fantasy" by ...
- 5,388
1
vote
When did many kinds of Fairies become small statured or tiny?
So, the idea of many fairies being small or tiny can be traced back to the writings of folks like Shakespeare and Drayton in the medieval and Renaissance periods. In their works, fairies like Puck ...
1
vote
Is there any folklore reference to fairies being divided into Summer and Winter Courts?
I think it is explicitly spelt out in Pwyll Lord of Dyfed if you speak welsh. Arawn's rivals name is Hafgan. Haf is welsh for summer.
- 111
1
vote
What is the earliest example of the tiny, insect-winged fairy archetype?
From "How Did Fairies Get Their Wings?":
Search Google images for “fairies” and you find pages of diminutive human-like magical creatures with insect wings, often with pointed or animal ...
- 5,388
1
vote
Where did the idea come from that fairies must tell the truth?
Is there any surviving older source that records fairies or other beings as unable to lie, or even just keeping to a strict code of honesty?
Yes! there's a lot of research in this field. You would be ...
- 415
1
vote
Whence comes the association of Leprechauns with rainbows?
I think the answer is that they hide their gold where no one can find it - as an article in Time magazine puts it:
Irish folklore described leprechauns as crotchety, solitary, yet
mischievous ...
- 5,920
1
vote
How Do The Fairies In Irish Mythology Spend Their Time
In Irish mythology, the fairies called the Aos Si (the People of the Mound), fairies would protect their homes in fairy rings, hawthorn trees, and the woods. They would also spend their time ...
- 338
1
vote
Accepted
Do Welsh fairies marry human women?
I can't find any specifically Welsh stories about a fairy husband with a human wife. Below I've listed the closest relevant motifs that I can think of. (Note I'm only including stories where the ...
- 464
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