36 Facts About Faeries

Here are some fun facts about faeries. (Which is the plural form of fairy.)

1. After King Arthur was mortally wounded, faeries carried him to Avalon. His current coma status is: It’s complicated. He is prophesized to return one day when Britain is in dire need of him. (He must have been sleeping during World War 2 and Covid-19.)

2. Ireland’s famous poet, W.B. Yeats travelled around the world interviewing people about their experiences with faeries and other supernatural beings. He actually wrote an entire book on faerie lore titled Celtic Twilight.

3. Leprechauns are a type of faerie that like to play tricks on people. They’re also rumored to hide gold at the base of rainbows.

4. In Scotland there are evil fairies (called the Unseelie Sidhe) that will play terrible tricks on people.

5. In Irish folklore, the faeries were defeated in a battle by the humans and banished to living underground. That’s why some faeries play tricks on us. They’re carrying a grudge.

6. Faeries are allergic to iron. If they see any, they’ll panic and run for the hills.

7. Tinkerbell was modeled after an actress named Margaret Kerry. Disney used her as a live-action reference. That’s why Tink’s movements and mannerisms look so realistic.

8. Tinkerbell first spoke in Hook. Before Julia Roberts took on the role, the character of Tinkerbell never used English.

9. Faeries like to tangle children’s hair when they’re sleeping.

10. In 1927 the Fairy Investigation Society was formed in Britain to gather information on fairy sightings.

11. Many people who live in Java claim to see fairies.  Java is an island of Indonesia. It’s about the size of England, and is the world’s most populous island.

12. Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, believed in faeries. He wrote a book about them once. It was called The Coming of the Fairies and was based on photographic evidence collected by two young girls.

13. In Ireland, people are superstitious about cutting down hawthorn trees because they think fairies live inside them. Some farmers will leave the trees alone even if they’re growing right in the middle of their crops!

14. Some UFO enthusiasts believe it’s not aliens we’ve been seeing, it’s faeries.

15. A European myth states that faeries are fallen angels who weren’t good enough to stay in heaven, but weren’t bad enough to be sent down to hell.

16. The fairy king Oberon (as seen in the Shakespeare play A Midsummer Night's Dream) made love potions from pansies.

17. In rural Ireland, faeries were referred to as “the good people” because the peasants were worried about offending them.

18. “Fairy rings" are dark green circles found in meadows.  People believed this was a dancing place for faeries, until it was later proven that the discoloration of the grass was being caused by fungus. Woops.

19. One old myth says that faeries would sometimes steal human children and replace them with faerie changelings. So, if you wake up one day and your brother or sister is acting like a jerk, they might have been swapped by faeries.

20. If you offended a fairy, it might play tricks on you like a poltergeist. You could be sitting in your kitchen and all the drawers could burst open and the plates would go flying at the walls. This would get expensive. So maybe just be nice to supernatural things. (And regular things.)

21. In European folklore, some faeries would help humans with household tasks, like laundry and washing the dishes. They would be paid with glasses of milk. Which was probably less than minimum wage and maybe a reason why all the faeries left. Who knows?

22. A book written in 1691 called The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies studies the fairies of Aberfoyle in Scotland. The author believed it to be non-fiction.

23. Faeries used their magical powers to help crops grow faster, sweep floors, clean dishes, and break the curses used by witches.

24. Eating a primrose might make it possible for you to see a fairy for a limited amount of time.

25. Most fairy lore comes from the British Isles, so if you’re looking for faeries, then that’s a good place to start.

26. Faeries are easily offended and can quickly turn evil if they feel you’ve slighted them beyond forgiveness.

27. Faeries are attracted to moss.

28. A male fairy is called a folly.

29. Faeries don’t like it when you take their picture. You must ask their permission first or they’ll play nasty tricks on you, like vanishing themselves from your photos!

30. Faeries don’t have any use for human money, which is why they trade it for children’s teeth. The real question is, what are they doing with the teeth?

31. Just like a unicorn, if you see a fairy you will have good luck. Unless you insult the fairy. Then you’re gonna have a real bad day. Perhaps that’s what happened to you last week?

32. Faeries wear brightly-colored clothing that they make and design themselves.

33. The name of foxglove flowers comes from “little folk’s gloves.” It believed that faeries wore the flowers around their wrists.

34. If you want to attract fairies to your garden you need to plant roses, bluebell, and thyme. You’ll also need some moss. Then you must leave food offerings for the faeries. Things like tiny cakes, candies, or other sugary treats work best. Sometimes faeries will assume an animal shape to eat the food.

35. Most faeries prefer to travel in groups, or bands. If you meet a fairy who’s by herself, then she might be wicked!

36. The best time to see a fairy is at dusk on the night of a full moon. The second-best time is at sunrise.