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This is a discussion topic about fairies. If you don't believe in fairies, please refrain from posting.

Some people in this guild might already know that the fairy calendar is divided into two times of the year, the seelie time which is the two lighter seasons of spring and summer, and the unseelie or darker half of the year with autumn and winter.

Not all fairies are the happy carefree sprites depicted in popular culture, and many fae can have malignant intent. Many fairies are born from the dreams of mortals, and mortals have just as many nightmares as they do dreams. Another common misconception is that there is only one or two types of fairies, when in all actuality there are almost as many different types of fairies as there are cultures in the world. Each culture has it?s own unique types of fae, but I?ll generally be talking about western culture fae unless otherwise specified. That means a lot of Celtic fairies as well as other fae kinds from Europe.

Unseelie fae are not always evil. The fae of the unseelie court are more progressive and free thinking generally. Of course the also tend to be more selfish, and less likely to do beneficial things without some sort of ulterior motives.

There are two things to remember in regards to unseelie fae.
1. They do as they please when they please. They can be capricious, and are usually quick to anger.
2. Never underestimate the ire of a pissed of fairy.

One of the fae that most people would agree are almost the exact opposite of the stereotype is the redcap: a somewhat gruesome group of fae that derived their name from dipping their hats in the blood of their slain enemies. They are generally depicted with large sharp teeth and as being built of sturdy stock. Most widely known for their uncouth and rude demurer, as well as for their capacity for cruelty, most other fairies would go to great lengths to avoid their company.

Another kind of fae also known for being of the darker bent are sluagh. This type of fae is generally horribly thin, and thrives on scaring small children by any means possible. They feast upon sour milk and stale food, and seek out knowledge and secrets that are sometimes better forgotten.

Of course there are things much worse than an upset fae, but I am not going to discuss things such as fomorians and thallains in this thread.

I think one of the most interesting things about fae is that people are always trying to understand them through human logic. Calling them "chaotic" is perfect, because they normally act in ways humans can't understand or predict, by their own logic. I think that's what can make them so dangerous.

There is no way to really predict which way a fae may construe your actions.

I think I've also heard rumours about names? For example, names have an extraordinary amount of power if you can find out theirs I think?

I despise the misconception that the fae are not scary. So much so, that I dressed as one on Halloween. The modern image of the fae is a little too clean cut. In fact, I find the idea of the fae rather interesting, especially with what I've come to find being termed as fae kidnappings, where people (especially babies) have been known to vanish. Has anyone ever thought about this in relation to the idea of alien abductions and encounters that are percieved by modern popular culture? I wonder if there are connections to these two phenomenons. If I'm mistaken in my reasoning please tell me, because I have little or no knowledge of the fae. (And in no way do I mean to suggest strictly that aliens are behind fae kidnappings, but rather that it's possible that 1) Fae are aliens of today, 2) aliens today are fae then, and/or 3) Fae and aliens that as experienced are one and the same. This does not imply that aliens are non-existant, but rather that lifeforms we percieve as encountering are not alien lifeforms. They are merely alien in so far as they are in a sense otherworldly in appearance.)

And this brings up what I wanted to pose: 1) I would be delighted if someone could list some sources for fae lore - articles and books. Is there anything scholarly written on the concept of the fae? (Even if it's only literary?) 2) I'm hopeful in thinking that no one here is thinking Changeling: The Dreaming when they are talking about the fae. I acknowledge that White Wolf borrows from myth and occult, but their stuff is largely fictional. It seems some of the things brought up in this actually may be percieved by the uninformed as borrowing from that game. Particularly the "Otherkin" Faes, who might as well be percieved as Changeling LARPers gone wild.

No offense meant. And I'm a rambling pingu.