A mythical being with supernatural powers, most commonly depicted as a tiny woman of great beauty with delicate butterfly or dragonfly wings, however, there are many different varieties.

Fairies do not wholly exist in the three dimensional universe but move between worlds and at times even dwell in the twilight planes that are neither here nor there.

Because they move from world to world, sometimes existing in more than one place at a time, it is common for them to be visible one moment and invisible the next. They may also appear very young and a short time later appear very old. Another common effect is shimmering, where the entire body or parts of the body are transparent or seem to blink in and out.

They are mostly humanoid and may be described as "funny" or "wrong" looking with it often being difficult to pinpoint exactly what is out of place.

Like the most common fairy mentioned above, many fairies have insect wings or other animal parts such as claws, horns, monkey tails, frog legs, fish tails, or goat ears.

They may also appear mixed-up, for example the hands or feet are on backwards, or the feet are where the hands should be and vice versa. They are also commonly disproportionate, heads are very large, legs are very long or short, joints are overly large, and so on.

Fairies are everywhere. They are most often sighted by the youngest of humans and many fairies have a soft spot for human children, others do not.

They interact closely with the Earth itself and with all of the living things that the Earth supports. Their powers range from great to small and are used for both good and evil. None are all powerful and even those with great power are only able to affect small areas or small numbers of living things at a time.

Never take fairy power lightly. They are working in realms that most humans cannot access and therefore have little defense against. Even the most insignificant seeming fairy should be treated with the utmost respect.

Repeated use of a fairy creatures true name may draw the attention of that creature. This is not recommended since fairies are highly unpredictable and often mischievous. As a result most types have several nicknames.

Also known as fae, fey, faeries, the little folk, the little people, the old people, the good people, good neighbors, the lordly ones, the green men, the gentry, the mothers' blessing and others.

See Also: Creatures by Type: Fairies