Western
European folklore embodied a variety of magical beings or "spirits",
all considered to be types
of fairies. Brownies, kobolds, goblins and hobgoblins, changelings,
gnomes, elves, pixies, sprites, lepre-
chauns and hags, are just some examples of the types of fairies that were
depicted in Western European
folklore. Unlike the beautiful, kind-hearted, carefree, diminutive
fairies most often associated with early
19th to mid-20th century Western European literature and Victorian artwork,
these beings were often
depicted in fairy lore as evil-looking, mischievous tricksters and meddlers,
who were either young or old,
male or female, ranging in height from a few inches tall to the size of
an adult human. Who these fairies
were and where they came from was contemplated and debated, in and amongst
the various folk cultures
that believed in them. Explanations ranged from fairies being the
trapped spirits or souls of the dead
who would forever roam the earth, to fallen angels that were cast out
of Heaven, to members of a pre-
viously conquered society now hidden from sight.
Western
European folklore rarely depicted fairies as having wings. If a fairy
had the ability to fly, it
most often flew by way of magic or charmed objects. A most beautiful
depiction of a fairy's ability to
fly without the use of wings, comes from English playwright William Shakespeare's,
"The Tragedy of
Romeo and Juliet" (circa 1595-1597 A.D.). The mischievous Queen
Mab's usual means of travel is de-
scribed as follows:
"Her waggoner
a small grey-coated gnat,
Not half so big as a round little worm
Prick'd from the lazy finger of a maid;
Her chariot is an empty hazel-nut
And in this state she gallops night by night."
Like
the fairies of Western European folklore, these magical beings of Ancient and
Medieval folklore,
and the tales that were told, did not originate merely out of a need for
entertainment. They were often
used to highlight struggles between the forces of good and evil, give
significance to or celebrate sacred
events, explain the wonders of the universe or the powers of nature, strengthen
traditional beliefs, share
customs, rituals and practices, disseminate knowledge or wisdom gained,
guide personal behavior, and
even inspire moral excellence.
In studying the many myths, legends and folktales, a common belief has
emerged that while the fairies
of Western European folklore date back little more than 600 years, they
nonetheless stem from a long
lineage of Ancient and Medieval magical beings that were central to folk
cultures throughout the world,
many centuries before. Such beings of Ancient and Medieval folklore
were often characterized by their
supernatural (or, at the very least, "extraordinary") powers,
qualities, gifts, or skills. They enjoyed the
ability to influence nature and Mother Nature, the universe, the animal
kingdom, and even humans.
They were known to charm, bewitch, protect, even prophesize. They
were often associated with the four
elements of nature (earth, water, fire, air) and a fifth element called
"ether" (the heavens). Those who
didn't live side-by-side with humans, could easily travel back and forth
between the human realm and
their own. They could be either mortal, but long-lived, or immortal.
Whether admired or feared, they
all had the power to deeply move those who were told of them.
Folklore,
of which fairy lore is one element, by nature is rarely written or published.
It travels by way of
oral or behavioral communication, handed down from one generation to the
next, among the members
of a society. Over time, however, folklore has found its way into
published bodies of work, collected by
individuals who wanted to preserve, disseminate and study it. The
earliest believed recordings of folklore
date back to Ancient Egypt (circa 1300 B.C.).
The
fairy lore of the British Isles and Western Continental Europe (collectively,
"Western Europe") is
believed to have originated in the Late Middle Ages, after 14th century
English author Geoffrey Chaucer
first penned the word "fayerye" (Middle English) in his literary
work, "The Tale of the Wyf of Bathe"
(circa 1380 A.D.). It wasn't long after, that "fairies"
(Modern English) and their customs,
rituals and
realms, became popular subjects of folktales and ballads among the various
cultures of the region. Inter-
est was also born among writers, poets and playwrights, who delighted
in incorporating fairy characters
into their original literary works.
Circa
1697 A.D. saw the publication of a collection of fairy-related stories titled
"Les Contes des Fées"
(literally translated as, "Stories of the Fairies"), written
by French author Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy.
Her works not only incorporated fairy characters, but fairy godmothers
and evil stepmothers, as well as
kings, queens, princes, and princesses. Her stories took place in
and around enchanted lands or castles,
and intermingled love and magical spells with struggles between the forces
of good and evil. Each story
most often concluded with a happy ending. Over time, the English
translation of "Les Contes des Fées"
came to be the more widely accepted "Fairy Tales". This
more familiar translation gained greater
significance in the early 19th to mid-20th centuries, when the Victorian
Era and Romantic Movement
sought to reinterpret various elements of Western European folklore, as
well as greatly influence the
many original literary works that would come to be written specifically
for children.
In
the early 19th century, interest in Western European folklore and fairies gathered
great momentum
and became intermingled with a renewed idolization of Medieval Romantic
folklore. As the Victorian
Era embraced a more romantic view of children and childhood in general,
this "golden age" became
synonymous with fanciful play and exploration. The Romantic Movement,
which downplayed the role
of reason and passionately embraced all that was imaginative, spiritual,
and emotionally evocative,
further enhanced this perception of childhood as a time of romantic innocence.
All of these elements
significantly influenced how Western European folktales were retold, how
fairies were redefined, and
what original literary works were written and for whom.
During
the Victorian Era and Romantic Movement, the "fairy tale" developed
into an actual literary
genre. The classification that more narrowly defined the literary
works of Madame d'Aulnoy, now em-
braced a larger body of narratives such as folktales, fables, märchen,
and other variations. Original
literary works of a fanciful nature, written especially for children,
also fell under this new classification.
However, while such literary works were imbued with now charming embellishments
of fairy lore, they
no longer required the inclusion of a fairy character to be classified
as "fairy tales".
The
fairy artwork that came out of the Victorian Era and Romantic Movement, drastically
redefined the
earlier characterization of the fairies of Western European folklore.
The once evil-looking, mischievous
tricksters and meddlers, that ranged in age and height, were now transformed
into the beautiful, kind-
hearted, diminutive, winged beings that the 21st century is most familiar
with. The original literary
works of the time that sought to incorporate fairy characters were greatly
influenced by this visual trans-
formation. This redefinition of the fairy and its relation to all
things beautiful, romantic, innocent and
hopeful, came to replace the now almost forgotten characterization of
the earliest fairies of Western
European folklore.