On the Origin of Fairies

So, Where Do the Fairies Actually Come From?

At the end of our series, we address the question that has pestered folklorists for generations.

Mar 10 •

Annwn, Otherworlds, and Kingdoms Under the Earth

In the late Middle Ages, the fairy emerges as a distinct, folkloric figure.

Mar 9 •

A Midsummer Nightmare?

William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" includes one of the most famous literary depictions of fairies. How do Oberon and Titania compare to…

Feb 19 •

Robert Kirk and the Fairy Romantics

Today, we're diving into Reverend Robert Kirk's seminal work, "The Secret Commonwealth" (1691), and how over a hundred years later, Sir Walter Scott…

Feb 11 •

The Battle of the Victorian Fairies

In the well-to-do households of Victorian cities, fairies were being scrubbed and starched to suit a new, child-friendly image. But in the countryside…

Jan 29 •

Flower Fairies, Photographic Hoaxes, and the Post-War Imagination

In 1920, photographs of the Cottingley fairies took the world by storm as "evidence" of an eternal, elfin realm. But the image of the flower fairy was a…

Jan 20 •

On the Other Side of the Mist

Fairy folklore has enchanted audiences for centuries. In this series, we'll explore how the fairy has evolved over time, and what this says about our…

Jan 12 •

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