folklore fairy midterm

hidden people

supernatural beings who coexist with humans but remain mostly hidden

(common in Icelandic and Northern European folklore)

liminality

the quality of being “in between” worlds

fairies are often encountered here 

(examples: night/ crossroads)

folklore

the collective stories, traditions, and beliefs of a community that are passed down orally

functionalism

the theory that folklore serves a purpose (or function) within society

example: moral instructions/ lessons

rites of passage

ceremonial events that mark transitions in human life

example: birth, marriage, death, coming of age

synchronic and diachronic mapping

synchronic: study of folklore using a specific time

diachronic: study of how folklore progresses over time

(similar to archaeology definition)

social supernatural

supernatural beings that mirror human society

(comment on human social norms and structures)

euphemism (good people etc)

polite and indirect  ways to refer to hidden people

avoid offending them 

example: the good people/ the fair folk

who was Arnold van gennep?

folklorist who developed the idea of rites of passage and liminality in cultural transitions

studied how humans marl transitions culturally

where does the word fairy evolve from?

latin word: fata

who/ what are Fata and Parcae

roots of fairies

fata = roman fate godess

Parcae = the fates

(both linked to destiny and supernatural control)

fata shifted from divine beings of faith to more localized nature spirits/ fairies

describe folkloric fairies

small (usually)

human like

magical beings

behavior ranges from mischievous to evil

how does fairy society reflect peasant society?

mirrors real class structures and values

example: farming/ land, fertility, morality

uasal

gaelic term

noble or high born

reflects hierarchy among fairies

milieu dominant

the dominant environment that shapes a story or belief

example: forest, mountain, lake

(where most folklore stories take place)

what is glamour?

fairy power of illusion 

often hides true appearance 

what are some examples of aquatic fairy figures?

nixies: water spirit (German and Scandinavian)

mermaids

selkies: Irish seal fairy, marriage

fairy homes vs zones of encounter

homes = where fairies actually live (ex: underground)

zones of encounter: where fairies hang around and are seen by humans (ex: transitional spaces, forest)

liminal zones

threshold areas 

boundaries between worlds 

example: twilight/ crossroads

how does time work in fairy realm?

time may move very fast or very slowly

(minutes there often equals years in human realm)

fairy calendars

seasonal based

tied to solstices, equinoxes, and festivals

what are some common fairy behaviors?

trickey, dancing, stealing, rewarding, punishing

fairy behavior: private vs public

provate: live like humans, self sufficient

public: parasitic/ symbiotic

what is a fairy rade?

fairies ride through the night (often on horses)

what does being fairy-ridden mean?

a person is possessed or influenced by fairies

what are fairy markets?

magical markets where humans amp fairies trade

(symbolize temptation)

fairy-knot/ elf-knot 

tangled hair attributed to fairy mischief

changeling

a fairy left in exchange for a stolen human

(babies, children, adults)

how does fairy morality work?

there is no fully good or fully evil

morality is situational

what are taboos?

behaviors forbidden when dealing with faires

hard to figure out, differs between fairies

(common ex: eating their food/ drink, speaking their names)

folk and scholars theories of fairy origin

folk theories: fallen angels, spirits of the dead 

scholarly theory: survival of pagan deities (the belief)

what is the fence sitting angel idea?

idea that fairies are neutral angels

tuatha de danann

pre-christian Irish god

later reinterpreted as fairies

nymph, dryad, nereid

greek nature spirits 

example: trees, woods, water

vila, rusalka, mavka

slavic nature and water spirits

bean si (banshee)

Irish spirit who’s wail foretells death

what are fairies as the dead/ ancestors?

purists of the deceased

what are fairies as nature spirits

they are the personification of natural forces

what are fairies as diminished gods

dietes/ gods reduced in statues due to christianization

what is fairy euhemerism

the theory that fairies were based on real ancient people or gods

how does Mesopotamia and Greece connect to fairy folklore

precedents and parallels

hybrid monsters?

odysseus and calypso

myths of human supernatural relations and temptations

lamashtu/ Kuba

Mesopotamian female demons who harm children

stole them/ killed them

caused infertility

Lilith

jewish female demon (demoness) or night spirit

entered homes through windows

brought sickness, infertility, and nightmares

jinn

arabic spitits

sometimes good sometimes bad

Donnie di fori

“women of the outside”

Italian fairy like beings

where dies the word elf come from

old English 

aelf

or 

proto-germanic albiz

what did the fairies/ elves of medieval Britain and Ireland do? (culture)

developed local fairy traditions

elves in the eddas

divided into light and dark

and swarthy elves (dark skin)

described as light elves dwelling in Álfheimr and appearing fair and beautiful, and dark elves who live underground with swarthy complexions. They are significant entities associated with nature and ancestry, capable of both great good and terrible harm

clergy vs folk views

clergy saw fairies as demons

folk saw them as neighbors