Fairies...bright and shiny...

Fairies. What are they? They exist within the folklore of many a country. Appearing as beautiful maidens with wings so lovely.

The root of the word fairy comes from the Old French word Faerie, which is in turn derived from the Latin word fata, meaning "fate". Yes. Fairies are magical beings believed to be able to control fate.

Faeries have been stereotyped as diminutive beings of kindly disposition. But once upon a time, fairies were portrayed as being neither small nor kind.

Folklore concerning fairies nowadays have degraded to simple childish stories of tiny people dancing in rings, living in hills and flowers and other such nonsense.

Yet fairies of past contexts appeared as a varied lot of individuals, ranging from little green men to fiery maidens with wings of flames. In fact, there have even been refferences to demons and devils as faeries.

Thinking back on what we know, the word fairy could encompass close to anything that holds a certain degree of power over us. "Fata". That is what they are. And of course, the ultimate fairy of all.

The devil himself.
So remember this. Never judge a book by its cover. You never know when the fairy that you're talking about might be the Dark One himself. Beware of fairies...