Types

Types of Fairy

There are two main types of fairies. One belongs to a nation of fairies who live in Elfland with a king and queen. Time does not exist in Elfland. No one grows old or dies. The other kind of fairies usually attach themselves to a household and are very independent. They choose a family they like the look of and move in. These two main kinds of fairies have different names, depending on what part of the world they are from.

Brownies: From Scotland, Brownies are a friendly species of fairy folk. They live with families and work around the house when everyone is asleep.
Dwarfs: These are good blacksmiths and skilled at making clothes, baking and making prophecies. they can appear and disappear at will. Sometimes when a dwarf likes you, he may give a gift which will turn to gold. Dwarfs feature in many Teutonic and Scandinavian legends.
Elves: These are said to have no souls. They originated in Germany and although they can be mischevious, they can also prove helpful to those they see as deserving or in need.
Goblins and Gnomes: Both are bad-tempered creatures who were originally French household spirits. They like to live in dark places, but can be useful around houses, usually those attached to a work place. Gnomes like working underground and are very fond of mines, where they dig for treasure.
Land Wights/Landvaetir: These are recognised especially in Northern Europe and are guardians of the earth, with certain fields and hills being sacred to them. No living creature or plant should be destroyed within the hallowed ground. Other wights also acted as guardians of villages and settlements.
Leprechauns: These originate from Ireland and are approximately 60cm tall. They work as shoemakers and are very wealthy. They can be stingy with their money and have pots of gold which they bury at the end of rainbows so no one can find them.
Trolls: These can be either giants or dwarfs and live in caves by the sea or in mountain ranges. Fishermen used to be terrified of them.

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