The middle English word Fairy, origin from the Old French word Faerie,. It's defined as an enchantment, or Illusion. Faery’s have been spoken and written of since ancient times all around the world including Egypt.
In the lore of fairies, and also in fairy stories, these spectral creatures were often viewed as “of a nature between spirits and men…” (MacCulloch, 1912). In general fairies had either a human-like appearance or were spirit/ghost-like creatures. In some shape or form fairies are a world-wide phenomenon. Wherever fairies occur, they have some similar characteristics in common. In many respects fairy beings resemble human beings. The ‘faeries’ have been called the ‘wee folk’, the ‘good folk’, the ‘fair folk’. Fairies can be solitary, as portrayed in fairy stories these spectral creatures were often viewed as possessed .
Fairies, Forests, and Mushrooms.
All occupations found in primitive communities were followed by fairies that included hunting, dancing, herding and farming, as well as being skilled smiths, shoemakers, weavers and spinners. (Briggs, 1957)
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0015587x.1957.9717577
Thus comes the stories of magical forests, fairy rings, and fairy mounds. It makes sense that these people who spent their lives living with nature, and tradesmen who created useful things would have told of their own experiences among each other. As the stories spread across the countryside their experiences take on new twists as they pass word of mouth from person to persons.
For my Purpose here I will use the English (Briggs 1957) model of classes of Fairies
The English Fairies classes;
Trooping Fairy - Heroic, or Homely
Solitary Fairy-small Fairy families
Tutelary Fairy- guardian,protector,patron
Nature Fairy -personify's a particular form. or force of nature
Supernatural Fairy - Hags - Monsters
So off I went to Prove it.. I will share what I have and stories that I have . I'm not a professional by modern day terms but I am well assimilated with the wild, and how it all works.
