If a Faerie Eats a Berry
If a faerie eats a berry
And it’s very, very sour
Is her face extraordinary?
Does she grimace for an hour?
Do her eyes become all starry?
Does she cry, and is she dour?
If a faerie eats a berry
And it’s very, very sour?
If a girl finds a pearl
And it’s white and smooth and round
Does she whirl? Does she twirl?
Does she skip and leap and bound?
Does she give it to a squirrel?
Tell her teacher what she’s found?
If a girl finds a pearl
And it’s white and smooth and round?
If a young boy gets a new toy
And he breaks it by mistake
Does he hide it and just play coy?
Does he throw it in the lake?
Does he find another young boy
And then trade it for some cake?
If a young boy gets a new toy
And he breaks it by mistake?
If a faerie eats a berry
And it’s very, very sour
Is her face extraordinary?
Does she grimace for an hour?
Do her eyes become all starry?
Does she cry, and is she dour?
If a faerie eats a berry
And it’s very, very sour?
Are faeries fairies? They may be, and in many contexts the spellings are merely variants, with the Celts using "ae" and the Anglo-Americans "ai." Both words, and others such as the Fates, are derived from the Latin "Fata" or goddesses of destiny. (The word "fate" itself, however, is from "fatum" -- oracle, prediction -- so fate and the Fates, strangely, have different genealogies!) Or, in other analyses, they are derived from the Gaelic "fear shidhe" [it sounds like FAR HEE}, man of the mound; likewise banshee derives from "bean sidhe," woman of the mound.
ReplyDeleteFairy/faerie-like spirits were common in pre-Christian times as household or guardian spirits, nymphs, satires, selini, disir, even the Valkyries. Before the Roman conquests, Celts were dominant in much of Europe, but after the Romans adopted Christianity and imposed it on its subjects, the old Celtic deities lost stature though they continued in folklore or became regarded as demonic servants of the Devil.
However, faeries connote grown-up mythical beings with connections to druidism and witchcraft (like the Morgan le Fay of Arthurian legend)and are often portrayed as having a dark side. For instance, they were thought o kidnap children in the night and feed them such rich, delicious food that they could never return to their own kind; in some tales the stolen children were used as pets, slaves, or sacrifices. Often regarded as the guardians of plants and animals, and in some cases were portrayed as ruthless beautiful females who hated humankind because of its destruction of nature. In some versions they are regarded as being descended from the Gaelic gods and are associated with earth spirits and elementals. They range in height from a few inches to skyscraper-tall and may be male or female. Various kinds of faeries exist, including the Irish sidthe, the Welsh y Tylwyth Teg ("the fair folk"), and the Scotch seelie and unseelie. However, they are rarely described as having wings.
Fairies, on the other hand, are characters in "fairy tales" and other stories for young children -- flower or mushroom fairies, Peter Pan's Tinkerbell, Cinderella's fairy godmother. (Some people may have "faerie" godmothers, too, but only if they are descended from faeries or are reincarnated faeries.) They tend to be playful, helpful, friendly, and tiny (or sometimes human-sized), winged females.
Broadly speaking, they are either Social or Solitary. The former lived in clan-like societies ruled by a king or sometimes a queen, they dressed in green, and they enjoyed feasting, singing, and dancing. The solitary ones wore hermit-like and generally wore red, brown, or gray jackets.
As is often the case, the tales about these imaginary beings are inconsistent and even contradictory, depending on local tradition or authorly purpose.