Category: Faerie Realm

• 

• 

Stories of Changelings have been passed down for centuries and involve the Fae leaving deformed or sickly faerie infants in place of a human baby shortly after it’s born. One belief surrounding Changelings is that the Fae take human children, leaving a faery in its place.

A Changeling could be identified by a few characteristics, including being old, ugly, having minimal growth, or advanced and intelligent for its age.

Parents and family members were frequently blamed for Fae kidnappings. A newborn that received too much adoration or praise might garner unwanted awareness from the Fae, who desired attractive or charming babies.

Fear of Changeling Fae abductions was prevalent throughout European folklore, but similar beliefs have been found in multiple cultures.

Changeling stories are thought to exist due to the rise of Christianity, and the belief that infants are vulnerable to demonic possession. Stories were told claiming Fae prey on unbaptized babies. 

There was a continuous dread of Fae kidnappings, and all sorts of drastic precautions were sought to avoid replacements. If a child was suspected of being a Changeling, they may be exposed to all kinds of strange mistreatment, including abuse and torture.

Placing a child on a shovel held over the fire was a common technique of discovering a Changeling. It was believed the Fae would come to rescue the Changeling if they were blasted with iron nails or forced to spend the day on a hillside or manure mound.

Long into the Victorian era, complaints of parents abusing alleged Changeling children persisted.

On a happier message, a mother was occasionally told that being kind towards a Changeling will lead to the recovery of her own child, which did happen in each instance.

Changeling, in European folklore, a deformed or imbecilic offspring of fairies or elves substituted by them surreptitiously for a human infant. According to legend, the abducted human children are given to the devil or used to strengthen fairy stock.

Britannica – Changeling folklore

Nymphs are nature spirits who materialize as gorgeous women and are part of Greek and Roman mythology. These types of Fae are often called goddesses, and it’s believed the word nymph is derived from the Greek word for bride.

The nymphs were frequently linked with fertility and the elements air, fire, water, and earth.  They were not immortal, but they lived exceptionally long lives and were typically friendly to men.

Overall, nymphs are classified according to the natural element they are connected with and what they protect.

A Nymph can be thought of as a forest spirit due to its connection with flora and fauna, flowing waters, cool grottos, and caves. While nymphs can be found in all corners of the world, most live in forest settings such as woodlands or grasslands.

However, some nymph species prefer bodies of water like lakes, rivers, and oceans. An example of this would be the famousCalypso, who was a sea nymph, which is also known as an Oceanid.

There are a few more types of Fae nymphs who have their own names:

• Acheloids (rivers)
• Alseids (glens and groves)
• Auloniad (mountain pastures and vales)
• Crenae or Crinaeae (fountains or wells)
• Dryads (originally oak trees, but later all trees and forests)
• Hesperides (evening and golden light of sunsets)
• Hydriads (rivers, streams, and lakes)
• Leimoniades (meadows and pastures often protected sheep and fruit-trees)
• Meliae (the ash tree)
• Melissa (honey and bees)
• Muses (water and springs)
• Naiads (springs and rivers)
• Napaea (wooded valleys, glens or grottos)
• Oceanids (sea)
• Oreads (mountains)
• Undines (water nymph who becomes human when she falls in love with a mortal man)

Nymphs love bright colors, and they’re often more visible during the summer months when the flowers are in full bloom.

They are not immortal but are believed to live for thousands of years. They were often companions of gods and goddesses and entertained them with music, dancing, or divination.

Leprechauns are solitary Fae and short, bearded men who wear a suit and tie and often make their homes in old churches or castles. These types of Fae love music and are talented musicians often playing a fiddle, pipe, or harp.

A leprechaun is often described as dressed entirely in green, although sometimes he wears a red coat, brown pants, and a tall hat.

He typically wears a leather apron and seems to be fixing a shoe with his small hammer and pounding away.It is this tapping that indicates his proximity, but people should avoid approaching.

It’s said that Leprechauns are always mending the shoes of trooping Faeries because they’re often worn out from so much dancing and traveling.

Sometimes called a Fairy Banker, Leprechauns have rights to massive amounts of wealth and gold that he does not part with easily. He guards his wealth zealously, does not keep it near his home, and it’s thought he uses a rainbow to indicate its location. Hence the belief you can follow a rainbow to the pot of gold.

Although in modern culture, Leprechauns are often depicted as humorous, cheerful, and friendly, this idea couldn’t be further from the legends.

Leprechauns are often cunning, self-centered, vengeful, and love isolation. They are just as likely to play a nasty trick on an unsuspecting human as they are to provide help or kindness.

Leprechauns were commonly appeased by local households due to their antagonistic behavior and animosity toward people. Dairy, bread, tobacco, and alcohol were frequently left outside doorsteps, and refusing to do so would invite havoc on the families, homes, and land.

A Lady of the Lake is a magical water faery and enchantress who lives in lakes and ponds to keep watch over them and maintain their purity. Their legends and mythology have spread across many cultures, and no one knows their exact origins.

In Arthurian legend, she is a mystifying faery queen who (along with three other faery queens) brings Arthur’s injured body to Avalon.

Some people believe a Lady of the Lake is a representation of the Morrìgan. Other’s believe she’s the Celtic goddess Àine or Coventina. It’s also been speculated that they descended from a mermaid.

Traunsee in Austria is said to be home to a stunning, but evil, Lady of the Lake. On moonlit nights she can be found near the waterfall. Any mortal who sees her will suffer great tragedy and sorrow. Fishermen are reported to vanish from the lakeshore and never return.

Dryads are wood nymphs and tree spirits who live in trees. Their names come from the Greek word Drys, meaning oak.

Dryads are known for fiercely guarding trees and you’lloften find them chatting to the trees they protect. These types of fae believe it’s their duty to punish anyone who commits crimes against Nature and their wrath is not something you want to encounter.

It’s often said if the tree a Dryad is protecting dies, so would the Dryad.