Creature Feature: What The Fae is Going On?

Creature Feature created by Michael is a feature that focuses on the wonderful world of fantasy, science fiction, and horror creatures. 

Fae:

Farewell, thou lob of spirits. I’ll be gone. 

Our queen and all our elves come here anon.
Midsummer Night's Dream Act 2, Scene 1

 Aww, fae, they go by many names and have many different attributes, yet most are typically little tricksters. Or little devils as you might say. Well in some cases not so little. The word fae is French meaning a fairy, which is derived from Latin word fata meaning the fates. Fae can sometimes refer to any magical or mythical creature, but for many, it describes a specific creature with magical attributes that is oftentimes child-like and with wings. They have been called many different names depending on the culture they derive from the fairy, changeling, spirits, pixies, brownies, and many more. 

So where did fae, fairies, originate from? That is one that is tough to pinpoint as they have much different folklore that has been combined from many different cultures. These beginnings have combined Celtic, Germanic, and Greco-Roman elements; and most believe it started in the Christian churches. Remember how I called them little devils, well that is one of the many beliefs or folklore based on these creatures. One popular story is that when the angels revolted, God ordered the gates of heaven closed: those in heaven remained angels, those in hell became demons, and those caught in between became fairies.Others have stated that were thrown out of heavens, but they were not evil enough for hell so instead, they got stuck here on Earth.

Fae are very human-like in facial features, but are magically inclined and have wings. Many faes are small in stature, with some being child size and some being very tiny. They sometimes have green eyes, and oftentimes are barefoot. They are known in many stories for their malice and their deceptions. In some folklore, they are able to take on the form of animals. And there are many different types of fairies from many different cultures.

In literature, their earliest such recorded account dates back to 13th Century. They have been featured in many books, plays, and movies over the course of English literature. Here are just of the most common or most current examples of such

Plays Midsummer Night's Dream and The Tempest

Books:
 Peter Pan, Wicked Lovely Series, The Iron Fey Series, Stardust, Artemis Fowl Series, Mortal Instruments Series, Throne of Glass series, and many more

Movies:

Pinocchio, Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, Stardust, Cinderella, among many others

There are lots of fairies that I have enjoyed reading about and watching over the years. If I had to pick my favorite it would most likely be Holly Short from Artemis Fowl. She always had a certain spunk about her and was able to see Artemis for he truly was.

"Hey," snapped Holly. "This is not the time to blame Artemis."
"thank you," said Artemis. "Finally." 
"There will be plenty of time to blame Artemis later, when this is resolved."