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The Celtic peoples have many references to fairies in their myths and legends, and their nature is described in widely different ways. They are also known as 'the little folk', but this can also refer to leprechauns, goblins, menehune, and other mythical creatures. (full apologies to believers). In Ireland, the fairies were known as the Sidhe, and in Scotland, the Daoine Sith, or a great many variant names.
The height of fairies was not always as consistent as is held to be the case today. Traditionally, faeries were often of human height or taller.
One consistent belief amongst the Britons was that the fairy people were weak against cold iron, leading to many of the iron related superstitions that have existed, some of which survive to this day. (For instance, the tradition of placing a horse shoe on one's door.)
This belief has prompted some historians and mythological commentators to speculate that the fairies are actually derived from a folk memoryFolk memory is a term often used to describe stories, folklore or myths about past events that are passed orally from generation to generation. The events described by the memories may date back tens, hundreds or even thousands of years and often have a l of the people that inhabited the island of Great BritainGreat Britain (often abbreviated as Britain is an island lying off the western coast of Europe, comprising the main territory of the United Kingdom. Great Britain is also used as a political term describing the combination of England, Scotland, and Wales, before the Celts arrived. These people would have been armed only with stoneRock is a substance composed of minerals and classified according to mineral composition. Rocks are generally clasified by the processes that formed them, and are thus separated into igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. Igneous rocks are formed fr, and hence iron would have been the decisive Celtic advantage.
In contemporary belief, fairies are often characterised as fundamentally benevolent in demeanour; this does not, however, hold true in many historical manifestations. The belief in Changeling children, for instance, where the fairies would steal away a mortal child and replace it with one of their own, was widespread in mediaeval times; this motifMotif In literature, a motif is any recurring element that has symbolic significance. For example, it could be a thing, a place, or a statement. The green light in The Great Gatsby is a motif, as is the repeated statement, "My father said that the reason appears in the folk-songsFolk music in the original sense of the term, is music by and of the people. Folk music arose, and best survives, in societies not yet affected by mass communication and the commercialization of culture. It normally was shared and performed by the entire Thomas the RhymerThomas the Rhymer (also Thomas Rhymer or Thomas Rymer is the better-known name of Thomas of Erceldoune a 13th Century Scottish soothsayer. Many people have encountered him in fictional form as the protagonist in the ballad Thomas the Rhymer ( Child Ballad and Tam Lin, among others.
A more modern take on fairies can be found in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett, most notably in The Wee Free Men and Lords and Ladies, which combine Nordic and Celtic elf and fairy myths to explore human perceptions and the origin of folk memories.
An issue of the Sandman graphic novel series by Neil Gaiman deals with the "real" Oberon and Titania visiting a performance of Shakespeare's play. The issue won the World Fantasy Award for best short story.
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