Where Have the Faeries Gone?

The Aversion and Attraction of Good Folk in the New World

In the universe of fantastic creatures from myth and legend, people around the world know of the Fae or Faeries. The famous Fairy Godmother from Charles Perrault’s Cinderella, Tinkerbell from J.M. Barry’s Peter Pan, and the Blue Fairy from Carlo Collidi’s Pinocchio are but a few examples of the winged, magical figures we’ve come to know and love for centuries. That is why it’s so strange to discover a dearth of the Good Folk in the New World.

In America, one has to ask — Where Have All the Faeries Gone?

In the short history of the United States and its fledgling folklore, these wondrous creatures of imagination have somehow been denied entrance at the gates of the United States. Known by many names, faeries have been called imps, bogies, brownies, sprites, pixies, pucks, and even sylphs, leading one to wonder how such beings could be so strangely absent from American lore.

The Fae have long been a staple in the catalogue of imaginary creatures across Celtic, Slavic, German, English, and French mythologies. According to some historians, the term “faerie” meant “enchanted, and was born out of Persian folklore, that identified these magical figures as the Peris. The otherworldly Peris were angelic beings mentioned in antiquity in pre-Islamic Persia as early as the Achaemenid Empire. They were described to be fair, beautiful, and extravagant nature spirits supported by wings. This may have influenced migratory Germanic and Eurasian settlers into Europe, forming the initial constructs of the faeries we know today.

These cultures not only believed in the existence of these enchanted entities, they built a large part of their mythologies around them. To this day, you will find incredible stories about the Good Folk, and their active presence in the daily lives of people around the world. For many, the Faerie Realm is as real and tangible as the one we live in.

But, though faerie tales continued to flourish throughout Europe, the Middle East, and elsewhere, something prevented their stories from taking hold in the new world. In many European cultures, the Fae were seen as intermediaries, who could provide humans help and support against negative forces. Conversely, The Fae could be agents of chaos, causing trouble and turmoil for those who rubbed them the wrong way.

In his book, “Witches, Ghosts and Signs,” Patrick W. Gainer points out that:

“The belief in the existence of faeries, who could dispel the harm of witches was not accepted by the early settlers, who believed that good could only come from God. In European folklore, faeries could be benevolent spirits from another world, not from heaven. The puritan influence from England had banned the belief in faeries and that influence was quite strong in the early American settlements.”

As many of the first American settlers were escaping from religious persecution, they inadvertently brought a more pragmatic, less fanciful view of the world around them. Strict religious views saw otherworldly matters in terms good versus evil. Anything that was not from God (good), must be from the Devil (evil).

Since faeries existed on an imaginary plane, somewhere between our earthly realm and heaven & hell, they were viewed as fictitious and non-existent, figments of an active imagination that should not be believed. Ultimately, there was no room for faeries in the puritanical battle between heaven and hell, and the salvation of the human soul.

So, instead of stories about wizards, dragons and Faerie Folk, early American settlement stories were filled with themes of witches, ghosts, and dealings with the Devil, focusing on the fate of those who followed the righteous path to salvation, or the bargained away eternity on the road to hell.

Despite the push to eradicate faeries from American lore, some later settlers remained steadfast in maintaining their beliefs in the imaginary. Quietly, they kept their stories alive within their small communities, creating new sets of regional tales that survive to this very day. For example, Scottish immigrants brought the Brownie to Canada and the U.S. beginning in the seventeenth century. Tales are told from various Americans of signs of brownies living in older Colonial homes., while some Scottish American people claim to have attracted these sprites into their homes using offerings and other tactics.

Those of Finnish descent snuck the Tomtra in with their luggage as they came to America. If you are Finnish American or have Finnish blood, the Tomtra may take up residence in your home. The difference between the Tomtra and Brownie is the former is a bit more mischievous. It will protect your home from invaders, spiritual and physical, but it will also play tricks when it is bored or irritated.

Native Americans have kept their beliefs in the Faerie World as well. The Shoshone tribe believe in a race of tiny people they called the Nimerigar. These tiny people live in the Rocky Mountains and are aggressive to outsiders. If anyone comes near their territory, they shoot poisoned-tip arrows at them.

So, over time, the tales of the Fae have made their way into American culture, yet remain conspicuously absent from the original myths and legends of our founding mothers and fathers. And in a strange way, maybe that is the way the Good Folk prefer it. For faeries are notorious for hiding in plain sight, and perhaps, they find it much easier to thrive in places where no one believes in them anyway.

For the Good Folk know, it’s right when you start believing, that you begin to see…