"The realm of fairy-story is wide and deep and high and filled with many things: all manner of beasts and birds are found there; shoreless seas and stars uncounted; beauty that is an enchantment, and an ever-present peril; both joy and sorrow sharp as swords. In that realm a man may, perhaps, count himself fortunate to have wandered, but its very richness and strangeness tie the tongue of the traveller who would report them. And while he is there it is dangerous for him to ask too many questions, lest the gate should be shut and the keys be lost."
-- J.R.R. Tolkien, "On Fairy-Stories," in The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays

Across the world, the 'faerie' conjures thoughts of wooded glades, secret groves, enchantment, hidden wisdom and beauty. The word faerie is derived from the latin 'fata' (fate). Likewise, the words 'fey' and 'fay', which describe a state of enchantment, is given to faeries, who are thought to have powers of bewitchment. They are also known as the fair folk, green people, wee folk, good neighbors, silent people, elves, nymphs, sprites, imps and goblins.

Faeries are closely tied to nature and are often regarded as nature spirits rather than people. Even when thought of as 'wee folk', faeries display a kinship to nature that is uncommon with mankind. In Gaelic myth, faeries are sometimes called the 'sith people' with the word 'sith' meaning 'silent' as they are thought to move about the woods as silent as air and blend in with the natural surroundings. In Nordic tongues, the word 'elf' is a derivitive of alfar and is closely associated with mountains and springs. Likewise, the term 'green children' was used in medieval literature to describe these children of the earth.

In Celtic Europe, solitary faeries are thought to be spirits of nature and can be either good or malicious. They are said to be present whenever the rustling of leaves is heard, blades of grass are bent or with the swirling patterns of frost. Though such faeries can be malicious, they are rarely encountered by humans. They are invisible, spirit beings who take no delight in the world of man. Indeed, they perfer the untouched hollows, flowery meadows, mountain streams and cool caverns.

In contrast, 'trooping faeries' are the substance of faerie myth. In Wales, they are known as the Tylwyth Teg and live along side men in clans. Legend tells of a door way into a mountain which, on every New Year's day would open and bid all welcome to a secret garden inhabited by the Tylwyth Teg. Once a mortal entered and dared to steal a flower from the garden and when he emerged from the mountain side, the door behind shut and was sealed up forever. Thus barring mankind from ever again entering the realm of the faerie.
In Ireland, the Daoine Sidhe (Dwellers of the Faerie Mounds) are thought to be the remenants of the defeated Tuatha de Danann of lore. They are called the 'people of the hills' and it is within the faerie mounds that they make their homes. It is said that the Sidhe are mighty warriors and ride steeds faster than the wind. The Queen of the Sidhe is said to be an enchantress and the most beautiful woman 'above or below'.

There are many more classes of faerie folk throughout Europe...too numerous to mention here. The mythology of the Faerie is as complex and beautiful as the silken web of a spider and in that web our hearts have been bound to this enchanting creature. Perhaps the faerie is real, at least as real as our imagination, and the bewitchment comes not from the by chance meeting of the fair folk but from the childhood dreams there of..

This is a copy of a post which I still find relevant to this thread although I posted it elsewhere.

Okay back to the serious stuff; fairies! Now I've been doing a wee bit of research and it seems there was no more fairy rich country in Western Europe than Scotland.
I mentioned in earlier posts about the fairy glen's that we have in Scotland as well as the Clootie well.

Hugh Miller (1802-1856): Was one of Scotland's finest scientists and is considered the father of geology. However he had another passion, collecting the rural recollectons of rustics (Hey I made that up myself). Geographically where I showed the picture of the Clootie Well just a few miles further along there is what's known as the Fairy Glen at Eathie.

In his book THE OLD RED SANDSTONE Miller recalls this story of that very same place on a Sunday morning when A herd boy and his sister were herding in the Glen that they saw a massive procession of mounted fairies start to move up the glen. All were on horseback and all had a glum, grey, dishevelled appearance, ugly and of stunted growth and gave off the air of defeat as they passed by. The male child then asked of one of the riders;
"What are you little Mannie? And where are you going?"
The little rider looked at him and said;
"Not of the race of Adam.....The people of peace shall never more be seen in Scotland."

Quite literally thousands of them passed up the glen. It astounds me that I find myself just a few miles from that site. I have been there many times and there is a wonderful feel to it.

However this is an essentially non-gaelic speaking area, further west people speak Gaelic and there is an old rhyme (Which does not rhyme of course in English) but curiously these are the words of 'the fairy rhyme'

We are not the seed of Adam,
And Abraham is not our progenitor;
But we are the offspring of the Haughty Father
Who out of Paradise was driven.

Now you have to understand that what I'm giving you is a 'slice' of Scottish folklore...there is far much more to this than meets the eye we have fairies of different types in Scotland...we have the famous Brownies who attach themselves to a single place or a single individual. They always act alone and are genial but for whatever reason they can become suddenly aggressive.
There are many, many more of all types and descriptions.
But now I drop the bombshell. Are you ready???

I am a sociologist...I study patterns of behaviour. a pattern has emerged between fairies and UFO's and I have to agree with Maurice Fleming the author when he says;

"The whole UFO phenomenon can be viewed as simply an extension of the body of belief that embraced fairies, mermaids, gruagachs, kelpies and Brownies."

To say that is not to dismiss away the many UFO's and their crews. But we have to look at the similiarities at the social and psychological level (And I have argued this in other threads) -
Fairies abducted people - So do UFO's
Fairy abductees lost track of time - so to do alien abductees
Fairies stole children to reproduce their stock - so too it is claimed do aliens
Fairy abductees lives are changed by the experience - so too with alien abductees.
The fairies were described as of stunted growth and grey - remind you of anything??

There are other similiarities but I won't list them all...you think of some! You'll soon see what I mean.


Okay you can all kick me now!!!

Ben x

I've also read that faeries are regarded as some as the children of Adam/Lilith, Lilith/Fallen Angels, Lilith/Other Men, Fallen Angels/Human, are Fallen Angels. This is the first connection I've read about in regard to faeries and aliens..but yes, I understand the connection you are making