Over the centuries fairies have been believed to be altogether different beings by different cultures.  The folklore surrounding fairies claim that they can be evil or good depending upon which culture one hears the tales from.  They are traditionally believed to possess magical powers that vary from culture to culture and the descriptions of fairies are as varied as the peoples from which the folklore about fairies originates.  

Believed to be a supernatural, metaphysical or preternatural being, fairies have been variously described as appearing in an attractive human form or a repulsive form such as a troll.  Fairies have also been said to be able to shape shift into animal forms.  Other folktales relate how fairies can change into the form of a baby or older person that they have taken in order to fool the families of the victims.  Sometimes said to be tall, fair and human in appearance, other times said to be small and sprite like, wings were not a common trait of ancient fairy folklore.  Originally it was believed that fairies flew by magic without a need for wings.  It wasn’t until the Victorian era that fairies were romanticized and described as having beautiful wings like those of butterflies or dragonflies.  

Where do fairies come from?  Again, it depends on the culture from which the folktale originates.  Ancient Europeans believed fairies to be the dead or possibly just one class of dead people.  Alchemists believed fairies to be elementals or the basic materials that make up everything in nature.  Fairies were also claimed to be angels that had been demoted and still other folklore claims that fairies are demons.  One interesting folktale says that fairies were a hidden race of people, possibly a conquered race or the lost children of woman hiding them from God.  Some Celtic cultures believed fairies to be gods and goddesses. 

Fairies are believed to be both mischievous and malicious however historically they were thought to be evil.   To ward off their pranks and more importantly ward off the evil caused by fairies, folklore provided remedies.  Said to be poison to fairies, cold iron was commonly used to ward off the evilness of the fairies.  Other remedies included herbal charms and avoidance of places inhabited by fairies.  It was a common practice of the Celts to bribe fairies with butter and cream or a piece of bread in order to gain their favor or to ward off their evil. 

As folktales evolved about mythical fairies, they became more and more diminutive with beautiful wings.  As a matter of fact, wings are one of the most common attributes of fairies in society’s folktales today.  Films of today, such as Peter Pan, portray fairies as tiny, winged, beautiful creatures that are beneficial and good. 

One very common belief in many cultures, especially Western cultures of today, is the story told to children about the tooth fairy.  It is a common practice for children to place a baby tooth that he or she has lost under their pillow or near the bed in the belief that the tooth fairy will take the tooth and leave them money or “fairy gold” in exchange for it.   One must be careful with the gold that is left because it is believed that fairy gold will turn into something less valuable.  This folklore about fairy gold is a fact.  We found out when we were children that the fairy gold always seemed to turn into something like candy or gum within hours of receiving the currency.  But this only served to verify the existence of fairies to our young minds.