Five Faery Facts

A word (okay, a page) about faeries. Since there is much confusion about them and so many mythological versions of their characteristics, I feel the need to define exactly what they are. Faeries are humanoid creatures that separated their world from ours during the Middle Ages. Since then, sightings and contact with them have become increasingly scarce.

Now to clear up a few misconceptions that you may have been wondering about, here are Five Faery Facts:

1. Faeries do not have wings. There are many stories that depict faeries as little tiny creatures with wings and sparkly auras. Those are actually pixies. Faeries are quite humanoid. 

2. Faeries are not immortal. They will die by the same causes as any human, but have advanced technology/magic spells to avoid many illnesses and to stop deadly wounds. Basically, they are just harder to kill. The lifespan of a faerie has been known to double that of a healthy human’s: 100-200 years.

3. Faeries do not live among us. They do enjoy visiting, however, and have mastered their disguises so they can appear to be humans. This is not difficult, since their appearances are similar. They also enjoy turning themselves into birds and other animals, so watch out if you feel like you are being stalked by a suspicious sea gull, crow, or owl. They are not just after your food.

4. Faeries don’t exist for us or because of us. They do not live to watch over us or lead us to our happy endings, and every source I've researched insists that we share no common ancestor. Some faeries have taken it upon themselves in the past to be benevolent to humans, however, and that is how the Faery Godmother Society got started.

5. Faeries are not perfect. While many faeries believe this to be true, it is merely a common misconception. Most of them may have beautiful, perfect faces reminiscent to those you might see in a Japanese anime, and their hair may be long, extremely well-kept, and the kind that blows exquisitely in the wind, never getting caught in the mouth or eyes -- no, they are not perfect. And no, I will not take that back.

There have not been many confirmed sightings of faeries since the Middle Ages except in remote regions of Europe, and even then, none that are widely believed. Medieval Europe was the breeding ground for faery stories, primarily because so many portals to the faery world were left open there, but it is definitely not the only continent to have experienced faery interference and contact. I myself have (sadly) never been to Europe, and have had more than enough contact with the Faery World.

The reason for the separation of our two worlds and the closing of the doors is still not clear. My sources have suggested that some of the rumors may be true, that humankind grew too greedy and too brave to leave the Faery World alone, or that the magic of the faeries was too great a source of envy and fear, and threatened to bring about war.

What I do know for certain, is that towards the end of the Middle Ages, the Faery King Alder III declared a law that forbade (I love that word) any faeries to enter the Human World and let themselves be seen and remembered. If any contact was made with a human, the faery in question must “modify the human’s memory, ensuring that no gateway to the Faery World will ever be found, and no human memory of the faery in question will be left completely intact” (Royal Proclamations, Proclamation MCXVII; King Alder III. p. 1119).

The first faery to seriously break this law did so in May, 2008 A.D. He was sloppy, and failed to alter the human’s memory after making said memory.

            I’m sure you guessed it: the human was me.