They appear in extremely variable forms from beautiful young women to ugly earthy gnomes to diminutive household pixies and many other kinds.
The word 'faerie' and all its variants were not widely used in Britain until post-medieval times, before this the much older word ‘elf’ was used.
All images and text on this site (c) M. Maiden 2006 - 2018
Elves and the Sidhe
An elusive people, considered morally ambiguous and often tricky and dangerous to deal with. History records many folk methods to protect against the attentions of these beings, as well as advice for surviving interactions with them and visiting their realm.
Although humans were often wary of them, there are tales of beneficial relationships and even marriage between the faerie realm and humans, though even then it might not end well.
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