So You Thought Fairy Costumes Were All Frills and Lace!
Get the thought right out of your mind that a fairy is a pretty little female with wings. Of course they exist – don’t you, dear Tinkerbell?
But like everything else in the fairy glade there are many different kinds fairies all doing their own thing, helping others, keeping people out of harm’s way and sometimes making mischief.
So what are fairies and where the heck did they come from?
It is said that fairies are the children of Adam and Eve (the first man and woman). Adam and Eve hid them from God. They were ashamed of having sinned by tasting the fruit of the tree of knowledge. They discovered their nakedness. They adopted fig leaves as fancy dress, discovered sex and liked it so much that they made LOTS of babies.
When God found out he banished Adam and Eve from the paradise of Eden and scattered the children throughout the earth.
A nice twist was that he condemned the children to live forever hidden from human eyes. These children were hidden everywhere and evolved into many types of fairies, both male and female. To name only a few:
Pixies. Are fairy folk that are attracted to humans – even to the extent of taking human lovers. They love horses and are known to ride untamed horses. They are both good and bad. Treat them kindly and they’ll return your kindness.
Elves and Dwarves. The name, ‘elf’ originates from a word meaning ‘white’. The dwarves are sometimes referred to as, ‘dark elves’ or ‘black elves’. But I think they must have gotten over the apartheid and intermarried. Some dwarves have elfin names. Gandalf was king of elves. If not divine, these are certainly mysterious and supernatural beings.
Goblins. These creatures are wanderers. They are pretty ugly and are closely related to lizards. They spread from the UK to Europe aboard ships. So some must have got to the other places too. They have no fixed home. They live in mossy places and in the roots of trees. They are mischievous, they like to smoke, and have the ability to conjure up fireballs. A dangerous skill if you live in a forest.
Dryads. Are tree fairies. They are definitely my favourite. All female and usually beautiful. They are favoured by gods and goddesses. Dionysus, the god of revelry and wine frequented them regularly. They are often associated with drunken debauchery. If you want to have a fun party you should definitely invite dryads.
Brownies. Are house fairies. I always think of the story of The Borrowers by Mary Norton.
The Brownies are helpful fairies that hide in the house and only come out at night to work. In old English houses a seat was left vacant next to the fire for the brownies to use. They were supposed to remain hidden but somehow found ways of communicating their presence to humans doing both good and evil deeds. Some even mating with them. So far from being a purely feminine world, theirs is a realm full of mystery and enchantment.
So if asked to come to a fancy dress party in a fairy costume, don’t take offense, take your pick!
Who would you choose?
A word of warning, though! Whatever fairy costume you choose, it is said that you will inherit all of good and all of the bad habits of that fairy. So choose your fairy costume wisely.