Z is for Zip Tiny winged faeries dressed all in green. This is the traditional view of sprites — an umbrella term for various fae. Folklore Celtic Myth and Legend by Charles Squire, [1905] –a land of perpetual pleasure and feasting, described variously as the “Land of Promise” (Tir Tairngiré), the “Plain of Happiness” (Mag …
Y is for Yumboes Faeries have been described as the Good People or the Good Neighbours in many cultures. In African Folklore, the Yumboes are known as the bakhna rakhna, “Good People”. Folklore The Fairy Mythology Illustrative of the Romance and Superstition of Various Countries. by Thomas Keightley, [1870] When evening’s shades o’er Goree’s Isle extend,The nimble Yumboes from the …
X is for X-Factor Living alongside the fae, we know that we need a way to protect ourselves. After all, they can go where they please. Folklore The Magic of the Horse-Shoe With Other Folk-Lore Notes by Robert Means Lawrence, [1898] IRON AS A PROTECTIVE CHARM Some writers have maintained that the luck associated with …
W is for Warrior Knowing that an ultimate warrior, one adept at all forms of combat, can protect you from all the enemies you’ve made with your loud mouth sounds like an awesome idea. Or maybe that’s just me. Folklore The Master-Singers of Japan, by Clara A. Walsh, [1914] Wisdom dwells oft in warriors, and …
V is for Veil Something, someone, keeps the living and the dead from having to share the same space. Folklore The Divine Comedy of Dante [Henry F. Cary, translator (1888)] Inferno: Canto III Dante, following Virgil, comes to the gate of Hell; where, after having read the dreadful words that are written thereon, they both …
U is for Unnatural People controlling or bringing back the dead has long been the subject of horror. Folklore BYGONE BELIEFS:BEING A SERIES OF EXCURSIONS IN THE BYWAYS OF THOUGHT BY HERBERT STANLEY REDGROVE, [1920] Mediaeval ceremonial magic was subdivided into three chief branches–White Magic, Black Magic, and Necromancy. White magic was concerned with the …
T is for Tooth In South Africa we have the tooth mouse, but it seems the tooth fairy is much more popular in other countries. Let’s look at these tooth-obsessed creatures. Folklore The Good People: New Fairylore Essays edited by Peter Narvez In the normative Tooth Fairy ritual, the child, following parental instructions, places the …
S is for Solitary Fae wandering the world on their own, doing things without others — they have to be weird, right? After all, humans who do things on their own are considered weird — especially writers. Folklore Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry Edited and Selected by W. B. Yeats, [1888] SOLITARY …
R is for Rabbit I love watching hares run and graze. Though I might accidentally call them rabbits, it’s not that big a deal: at least I’m not calling them something outside of their family. Besides, I write fiction and that place where reality and fantasy meets isn’t really keen on technicalities (until revision time). …
Q is for Quandary When I was about seven or eight years old, a teacher told a story where fairies painted flowers. The point of the story was that one fairy didn’t work, but rather played and left her painting until the very last moment when it started raining and all the paint washed off, …
