Fairies: A Closer Look

     Hello, night owls! Here on The Night Owl Review, we're going to take a look at aspects of the fantasy genre in a sort of fantasy extravaganza, because why on earth not? It's one of the coolest genres out there...and also one of the most problematic. But we'll dive into the flaws later. For now, we're going to take a closer look into one of fantasy's most popular creatures ever.
     Fairies.
     Now, what do you think of when you first hear that term? Well, many might picture tiny, delicate people with wings who dance around mushrooms and flowers in the moonlight. Or perhaps images of Oberon, Titania, and Puck from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream come to mind. But is there more to fairies than smallness, beauty, and mischief?
     You'd better believe there is!
     While there certainly are fairies that fit the bill of the previous examples, a lot of the earliest versions of fairies were quite different. From the British Isles, we get stories of magical civilizations like the Tuatha de Danann and the Aos Si in Ireland along with the Seelie and the Unseelie Courts in Scotland. We also get lots of stories of solitary fairies that cause endless amounts of mischief and grief for those who choose to get in their way that prevailed well through the 19th century in England. Creatures like redcaps, nixies, and pookas are definitely not small and sweet!
     So how have the images of fairies changed over the years and how does modern film/literature reflect that? Let's find out!
     While the origins of the concept of fairies is still under speculation, one thing is clear. The very first fairies were portrayed as a force to be reckoned with. Stories of them always told travelers to be cautious and polite, as one wrong step or one wrong word could have you tripping with them in their moonlit reveries forever...or worse. Many tales tell of them luring lackadaisical young lads off into the fairy realm, swapping human babies with their own, and stealing human brides. As a group (referred to as trooping fairies by William Butler Yeats), they could be a formidable threat to anyone who wasn't smart and may have missed church once or twice.
     However, the solitary types could be even more menacing in their own ways. Solitary fairies provided the core of phantoms and bogeymen for years to come, and the tales they feature in make sure to impress lily-livered minds with their fearful powers. If you want to know some of these baddies, here are a few:

     1. Dullahan  -  A headless horseman who carries his grinning head in one hand and a human spine for a whip in the other. He comes to collect the souls of the dead and nothing can stop him except for gold (which he's afraid of, for some odd reason).
     2. Pooka  -  A shape-shifter who often alternates between the form of a goat and that of a horse (and he can speak in both forms). While a pooka can bring good luck and has been known to be benevolent, he often takes delight in tormenting others. There are several tales where he will find drunks or other lone travelers on the road late at night, give them a long wild ride, and then throw them off into a ditch for good measure.
     3. Redcap  -  A reclusive, dwarfish fairy who lives in abandoned castles. He kills anyone who dares to trespass and he dips his cap in their blood (hence the name...eurgh!)
     4. Banshee  -  Ireland's most infamous lady in white, this spirit serves as signal of impending death to those who hear her cries. In some stories, a banshee is known to haunt whole family lines for several generations.
     5. Gancanagh  -  Also known as the "Love Talker", this fairy isn't as malevolent as he is deadly in his own sinister way. Strolling through the countryside as a handsome man with a clay pipe, he can seduce any woman with a mere whisper or a touch. Should he disappear (and he always does!), the woman will pine after him until she dies of a broken heart.
      6. Grindylow  -  Also known as Jenny Greenteeth, this is an old, ugly, green-skinned water fairy that lurks at the edges of ponds and pools for unsuspecting passersby - often children - to eat. Her ability to scare the living crap out of anyone was used in stories to keep children from wandering into strange waters.

     A pretty dark lineup indeed...and that's not even half of the darkest out there!
     This isn't to say, however, that there weren't good or should I say nicer fairies in early tales. The Scottish forest spirit, the Ghillie Dhu, would help children who were lost in the woods find their way out again. Some brownies (house spirits) would voluntarily tidy a household and even look out over the family within, asking for nothing except food and shelter. And the famous Robin Goodfellow (a.k.a. Puck of A Midsummer Night's Dream) was considered a hero for his use of mischief in doling out justice among country bumpkins during his midnight escapades. However, even the more benevolent fairies were surrounded with the potential for malice, so any and all fairies were regarded with a certain measure of fear. They were respected like a force of nature and they were accorded special courtesies in order to prevent misfortunes from arising.
     How they went from this image to that of the small, pretty winged people in countless paintings and illustrated books, I'm not exactly sure. I know during the Victorian era, many elements of fairy tales and stories were romanticized to either seem more appealing or more socially acceptable. Fairies weren't excluded from this treatment - at least, the trooping fairies weren't. You see many pre-Raphaelite, Romantic, and Golden Age paintings and illustrations where fairies are seen laughing upon the wind, looking as harmless as can be. They also began taking on less of a mobster image and were seen as magical saving graces by doing favors and granting wishes (and serving as a deus ex machina for countless heroes and heroines). True, there were still many creepy solitary fairies, but they were used more as disciplinary threats in brief but effective warnings rather than being placed in full stories.
     Overall, fairies began looking less and less dangerous and more and more whimsical. And on the whole, that's the image a lot of people think of when they hear of the creatures.
     Now, whether or not that image has definitely changed is hard to say. While they've still kept a pretty fluffy image from the Victorian era, artists have tapped into some of the older, sometimes darker elements of fairies and used them to create more interesting fairy characters. Even now in fantasy fiction, writers have developed more powerful and complex fairies in their mystical worlds. While tapping into their origins might just be an excuse to find a replacement for the vampire in romantic novels or for having a magical bad-ass that isn't an elf or a sorcerer, there's no denying that fairies are beginning to emerge as an interesting race in fiction. Who knows? Perhaps they'll become mainstream in the way that elves and dwarves have (thanks for that, Tolkien).
     If you're wondering what renditions of fairies are out there that cling to older elements of fairy folklore, here are a few:

     1. Tinkerbell  -  If you go back and read J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, you will find that Tinkerbell behaves very much the way a traditional fairy does. When she's treated nice, she helps you out and when she's treated badly (or feels she's been treated badly), she'll either fly off or punish you. Her jealousy in regards to Wendy also reflect a fairy's mindset. Even her portrayal in Disney's animated movie shows these traits.
     2. Honeythorn Gump & Oona  -  I decided to link these two together, as they come from the same 1985 Ridley Scott movie, Legend. These two are the epitome of traditional fairies. Gump is very reminiscent of Robin Goodfellow, with his wildness and his connection to the woods around him. His friend and helper Oona is no exception, either. She can change her size and she can transform herself to look like other people. Like Tinkerbell, her feelings are also quite delicate and are easily crushed when she is unrequited by the young hero of the film, Jack (played by a teenage Tom Cruise...we'll talk about this movie next week!)
     3. Jareth, the Goblin King  -  This villain from 1986's Labyrinth possesses the looks, the abilities, and the allure of the older fairy folk. He can shape-shift into an owl, he can transform and conjure objects, he can manipulate time, and he steals babies!! Okay, well, he doesn't necessarily steal them since they have to be wished away in order for him to take them, but it's close enough. On top of that, he binds you to your word, and if you should do something he doesn't like (say, kiss his henchman Hoggle), you're guaranteed to be punished for it. One thing's for sure - you'd better think twice before saying "I wish" around him!

     And there you have it! Coming up Friday, we continue this fantasy extravaganza with a book review/rant on Betsy Cornwell's YA fantasy novel Mechanica. Until then - goodnight, everybody!!

                                                                                                        ~Maud,
                                                                                              Official Night Owl