What is a Fairy?

It very much depends on what version of the folklore you are basing this on. The cute, fluffy kind that sprang mainly from the Victorian's view that anything that was small, had wings and could grant wishes had to be good is a huge step away from their origins of spirits of the dead, demons, demoted angels, elementals, etc.

Many people include elves, brownies, banshees, bogarts and the rest in this fairy realm and most folklore seems to include a reference to some kind of fairies. They were originally considered to be less friendly to humans who tended to refer to them as "the good folk", "the lords & ladies", "the gentry" and so on as well as putting out food (fresh milk & bread, cream, in fact any luxury they might enjoy) to stop them from playing some of their more malicious tricks. Fairies would be just as likely to lead you astray from your path so that you become lost (ie, Midsummer Night's Dream) or steal you away to lead a half life in their fairy realm.

Fairies came in many shapes and sizes. From cute, butterfly winged delicate creatures to human sized; they come ugly or beautiful, vicious or helpful so it was always considered a good idea to keep them sweet in case you attracted the wrong kind.

Fairies have become a favourite with artists like Disney with the Blue Fairy in Pinnocchio and the painters Richard Dadd (the Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke) and Arthur Rackham (from Tales of the Brothers Grimm to Midsummer Night's Dream). Modern writers like Terry Pratchett also explore their world with Pratchett looking back past Victoriana to a time when an iron horseshoe was hung over every door to stop them getting into your house - these are not nice elves at all but do seem to bring back that edgy feeling to our relationship with them. And who could forget the elemental, child stealing fairies from Torchwood, Series 1 who came to steal a child and were prepared to destroy the world if they were stopped...

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