Fairy

Blud

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Tradition: Russian Mythology
Alternative Names: Блуд
Category: Fairy

The Myth

Blud is a malevolent supernatural being from Slavic folklore that causes people to lose their way. It confuses travellers, leading them in circles and making them wander aimlessly without being able to find the correct path. Its presence turns familiar roads and forest trails into bewildering mazes, leaving its victims disoriented and unable to reach their destinations.

Blud is not necessarily seen directly, but its influence becomes apparent when a person suddenly loses their sense of direction and repeatedly returns to the same place. The creature is associated with both literal and figurative wandering, drawing people away from the right path and into confusion. Its name is also connected with moral transgression and illicit desire, reflecting its association with temptation and the Devil in traditional Slavic Christian beliefs.

Sources

“Blud.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blud

Sânziană

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Tradition: Romanian Mythology
Alternative Names: Sânziene, Sânziana
Category: Fairy

The Myth

The Sânziene are gentle Romanian fairies associated with the summer solstice and the natural world. They are closely connected with flowers, especially the yellow bedstraw (Galium verum), which itself is called sânziană in Romanian. On Sânziene Eve, the fairies are believed to dance through the air, blessing crops and bringing health to people. They are powerful supernatural beings who generally remain unseen, and men who encounter them during their nocturnal dances risk being maimed, losing their hearing or speech, or being driven mad.

Sânziene is celebrated on June 24, when the most beautiful maidens of a village dress in white and spend the day gathering flowers, always including the sânziană flower. They weave the flowers into crowns and return to the village at nightfall, where they meet their beloveds and dance around a great bonfire. The crowns are then thrown onto the roofs of houses: if a crown remains on the roof, the household will receive a good harvest and prosperity, while a crown that falls to the ground foretells death within the house. People also jump over the dying embers of the bonfire to purify themselves and gain health. In some Carpathian regions, a great wheel of hay is set alight from the ceremonial fire and rolled down a hill, representing the setting sun as the days begin to shorten after the summer solstice.

Sânziene Eve is also considered a night when the heavens open and supernatural forces become especially powerful. Magic and love spells are believed to be strongest, while plants gathered during the night acquire extraordinary magical properties. Strange and sometimes dangerous supernatural events are expected to occur to those wandering alone, particularly in forests and other secluded places. In Romanian tradition, the Sânziene are therefore both benevolent bringers of fertility and health and dangerous beings who punish those who intrude upon their hidden celebrations. A Romanian folk song describes the Sânziene as the “sisters of the Sun,” further emphasizing their connection with the summer solstice and the power of the natural world.

Sources

“Sânziană.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 5, 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A2nzian%C4%83

Puck

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Tradition: English Mythology
Alternative Names: Robin Goodfellow, Goodfellows, Hobgoblin
Category: Fairy

The Myth

Puck is a mischievous supernatural spirit of English folklore who can appear as either a domestic fairy or a spirit of nature. As a household spirit, Puck may remain around a particular home for long periods, becoming familiar with the inhabitants while making noises, playing tricks, performing jokes, and generally causing harmless disturbances. Despite his reputation for mischief, he can also be helpful, performing small household tasks such as fine needlework, butter-churning, or other chores during the night. A household that treats him well may receive his assistance, while one that displeases or neglects him can suffer his pranks.

Puck expects offerings in return for his services, traditionally white bread and milk. If these are not provided, he may take what he believes is owed to him. He can therefore shift quickly between helpfulness and troublesome behavior, and his services may be undone by his tricks when he becomes offended. He is generally portrayed as solitary and familiar with the household he inhabits. The names Robin Goodfellow and Goodfellows were also used for such spirits, with flattering names such as “Goodfellow” or “good folk” serving to appease supernatural beings known for their mischievous nature.

Puck can also appear as a more dangerous nature spirit rather than a household helper. In this form, he belongs to the wider fairy world and may lead travelers astray or perform mischievous tricks in the countryside. His character is fundamentally ambiguous: he can be a useful domestic servant, a playful jester of the fairy court, or a troublesome supernatural creature whose harmless jokes could become more serious if his goodwill was lost. Shakespeare’s famous Puck reflects this older English tradition of the shrewd, mischievous fairy, although the folklore figure itself existed independently of the literary character.

Sources

“Puck (folklore).” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 5, 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puck_(folklore)

Sluagh

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Tradition: Irish Mythology, Scottish Mythology
Alternative Names: Sluagh na Marbh, Sluagh, Host of the Dead, Fairy Host
Category: Fairy

The Myth

The Sluagh, or Sluagh na Marbh, were a supernatural host of the unforgiven dead who traveled through the skies in Irish and Scottish folklore. They were imagined as the souls of the dead flying together through the air, often forming a crescent-shaped mass resembling a great flock of birds. Their appearance was especially associated with the Western Isles of Scotland, where the gathering of the dead around Halloween was also understood as a gathering of the fairy host.

The Sluagh were capable of descending upon a person from any direction and carrying them away through the air. They could transport their victims enormous distances, flying from one island to another, and were generally feared as dangerous beings to mortals. Yet their nature was not entirely hostile: some traditions remembered the Sluagh rescuing people who had become trapped in dangerous clefts among the rocks. Their ability to appear suddenly from the sky and carry humans away made them an especially terrifying presence in the remote landscapes of the Scottish islands.

The Sluagh were therefore imagined as an airborne supernatural army, neither entirely belonging to the world of the living nor completely separated from the fairy realm. Their name means a “host,” “army,” or “crowd,” fitting their appearance as a great collective of spirits rather than a single creature. As the Sluagh na Marbh, the “host of the dead,” they represented the restless or unforgiven dead moving together through the night sky, particularly during the supernatural season surrounding Halloween.

Sources

“Sluagh.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 5, 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sluagh

Joan the Wad

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Tradition: English Mythology
Alternative Names: Joan-the-Wad
Category: Fairy

The Myth

Joan the Wad is the Queen of the Pixies, the tiny supernatural beings traditionally associated with Cornwall and Devon. Her name is connected with the Cornish term wad, meaning a torch or bundle of straw. She is therefore closely associated with light and with the mysterious glowing lights that appear on lonely moors at night.

Joan the Wad is associated with Jack o’ the Lantern, the King of the Pixies, and the two may appear as supernatural will-o’-the-wisps. In this form, they wander across lonely moors and can lead travelers astray in the darkness. Joan’s torch can therefore be dangerous, drawing those who follow its light away from safety when the weather is bad.

Yet Joan’s light is not always harmful. She is also believed to use her torch to guide travelers safely home and bring them good fortune. Her supernatural light consequently has a dual nature: it can mislead those who encounter it on the moors, but it can also illuminate the way toward safety and prosperity.

Sources

“Joan the Wad.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 5, 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_the_Wad

Houles Fairy

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Tradition: French Mythology
Alternative Names: Gwenn Fadoù, Houle Fairies, Good Ladies
Category: Fairy

The Myth

The Houles fairies are magnificent supernatural women who inhabit the coastal caves and caverns known as houles, along the Channel coast from Cancale to Tréveneuc, the Channel Islands, and parts of Cotentin. They are usually described as tall and beautiful blond women, most often dressed in grey garments. As they grow old, they are said to become smaller and cover themselves with seaweed. They are immortal, immune to illness, and immensely powerful, although salt can strip them of their immortality. Some traditions say that until they are baptized, they have worms in their mouths. Their enormous sea caves are luxurious Otherworldly dwellings containing everything they need for baking, teaching, music, dining, and daily life, and the great houle at Saint-Briac is even said to contain workshops where golden ships are built.

The fairies live together in communities and are generally benevolent toward humans. They bake their own bread, tend their flocks, do their own laundry, marry male fairies, and are served by warrior goblins known as Fions. They are often called the “Good Ladies” because of their willingness to aid people, providing food, enchanted objects, and other forms of assistance. They can nevertheless become dangerous when insulted or when humans attempt to acquire the supernatural sight needed to see through their disguises without permission. Most are contemplative and peaceful, although the fairies of the Grouin houle are an exception, being cursed and hostile creatures who bring misfortune. Some Houles fairies are also royal or descended from magicians and possess the ability to perform extraordinary or monstrous transformations.

The Houles fairies are closely tied to the mysterious Otherworld of the Breton coast. They rarely have much to do with the sea itself despite living beside it, although some stories suggest that they once possessed the ability to walk upon water. Their beauty and enchanting voices have also led them to be compared with mermaids, particularly because they can lure young fishermen. Some tales describe older, more obscure fairies resembling the groac’h, while others bring them into contact with creatures such as the “man of the sea.” The Houles fairies were regarded as powerful supernatural beings who lived alongside the human world in their hidden coastal caverns, protecting their secrets and rewarding those who treated them with respect.

Sources

“Houles fairy.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 5, 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houles_fairy

Morgan le Fay

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Tradition: Welsh Mythology, French Mythology
Alternative Names: Morgen, Morgana, Morgaine, Morgante, Morgane, Morgayne, Morguein, Fée Morgane
Category: Fairy

The Myth

Morgan le Fay is a powerful and mysterious enchantress of Arthurian legend, traditionally portrayed as an extraordinarily magical woman whose nature can be both benevolent and destructive. She may appear as a fairy, sorceress, witch, goddess, or human woman, and her relationship with King Arthur varies between traditions. In her earliest appearances she is closely associated with the supernatural world and with Avalon, the magical Isle of Apples. She is particularly renowned as a healer, possessing the power to cure even wounds that seem fatal. She is also sometimes described as a fairy queen or goddess, and her supernatural nature remains present even in traditions where she is portrayed as human.

In later Arthurian traditions, Morgan becomes Arthur’s half-sister, the daughter of Igraine and Gorlois, while Arthur is the son of Igraine and Uther Pendragon. She marries King Urien and has a son, Yvain, but becomes a powerful and unpredictable enemy of Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. She learns magic from Merlin and becomes especially hostile toward Queen Guinevere. Morgan takes numerous lovers in different traditions, including Accolon and sometimes Merlin, while also possessing an unrequited love for Lancelot. She repeatedly plots against Arthur and his kingdom, sometimes attempting to bring about his downfall, and in some versions becomes one of his greatest enemies. Yet her relationship with Arthur remains strangely ambivalent, since she can oppose him while also retaining a connection to his protection and healing.

After Arthur is mortally wounded at the Battle of Camlann, Morgan’s oldest supernatural role returns. She is associated with Avalon and takes Arthur away to the magical island so that his wounds can be healed. In some traditions she is accompanied by other magical sisters, while later stories portray her as the immortal queen of Avalon. Thus, despite becoming increasingly villainous in medieval romances, Morgan ultimately remains tied to the Otherworld and to Arthur’s final journey. She is a figure of extraordinary duality: capable of healing and destruction, protection and betrayal, desire and vengeance, while standing between the human world and the magical realm of Avalon.

Sources

“Morgan le Fay.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 5, 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_le_Fay

Wanne Thekla

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Tradition: Belgian Mythology
Alternative Names: Wanne Thekla
Category: Fairy

The Myth

Wanne Thekla is the queen of the elves, witches, and spirits of the air in Flemish folklore. During the night, she descends from the supernatural world to the earth, where she dances and leaps beneath the darkness.

During her nocturnal visits, Wanne Thekla drinks at the Pottelberg. When morning approaches, she leaves the earthly world once again, sailing away aboard a magnificent ship that carries her along the River Leie.

Sources

“Van aardmannetje tot zwarte juffer: Een lijst van Nederlandse en Vlaamse elfen en geesten.” Abe de Verteller.
https://abedeverteller.nl/van-aardmannetje-tot-zwarte-juffer-een-lijst-van-nederlandse-en-vlaamse-elfen-en-geesten/

Ly Erg

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Tradition: Scottish Mythology
Alternative Names: Ly-erg
Category: Fairy

The Myth

The Ly Erg is a dangerous fairy of Scottish folklore, particularly associated with the Glenmore Forest. It appears dressed as a soldier and can scarcely be distinguished from an ordinary human warrior, except for its right hand, which is permanently red as though stained with the blood of its victims. While wandering through the countryside, the Ly Erg approaches bodies of water and waits for travelers to pass.

When someone comes near, the creature raises its red right hand and challenges them to single combat. The challenge is impossible to survive: anyone who accepts and fights the Ly Erg will die within a fortnight, regardless of whether they defeat the fairy or are defeated themselves. The red hand is therefore a warning of the fate awaiting anyone who accepts its challenge.

One tale tells of three brothers who encountered the Ly Erg and chose to fight it. All three engaged the supernatural warrior in combat, and each died immediately after the encounter. The Ly Erg consequently became a terrifying figure of the Scottish wilderness, appearing like an ordinary soldier until its blood-red hand reveals the supernatural danger behind its challenge.

Sources

“Ly Erg.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 5, 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ly_Erg

Aos Sí

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Tradition: Irish Mythology
Alternative Names: Aos Sídhe, Daoine Sí, Daoine Uaisle, Daoine Maithe, Sídhfir, Fair Folk
Category: Fairy

The Myth

The Aos Sí are a supernatural people of Irish folklore, traditionally associated with the mysterious mounds and hills known as sí or sídhe. They are often described as extraordinarily beautiful beings, although they can also appear terrible or hideous. Their nature varies across tradition: they may be understood as descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann, spirits of nature, divine beings, ancestors, or, in another tradition, fallen angels whose sins were not great enough to send them to Hell. In stories connecting them to the Tuatha Dé Danann, they withdrew into the Otherworld after the arrival of the Milesians and came to dwell beneath the earth in their hidden halls and fairy mounds.

The Aos Sí inhabit fairy hills, ancient mounds, fairy rings, sacred trees such as whitethorns, lakes, and forests. These places are their homes and are fiercely protected, and people who disturb them may suffer supernatural retaliation. They can drive intruders away, kidnap humans, or take children and replace them with changelings. Their presence is especially associated with liminal moments such as dusk and dawn, when the Otherworld is believed to come closest to the human world, as well as festivals such as Samhain, Bealtaine, and Midsummer. People therefore traditionally avoided offending them and left offerings to win their goodwill, often referring to them indirectly as the “Good Neighbours,” the “Fair Folk,” or simply “the Folk.”

The Aos Sí encompass many different supernatural beings and manifestations. The bean sídhe, or banshee, is a woman of the fairy mound whose wailing announces an approaching death, while other related beings include the fairy lover leanan sídhe, the fairy cat cat-sìth, the fairy dog cù-sìth, and the supernatural hosts known as the sluagh sídhe. The sídhe themselves are the mounds, halls, courts, or residences of these beings rather than the name of the people who inhabit them. Across Irish folklore, the Aos Sí therefore form a vast supernatural community inhabiting a hidden Otherworld that exists alongside the human world, capable of granting blessings and gifts but also bringing illness, misfortune, madness, or death when their boundaries are violated.

Sources

“Aos Sí.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 5, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aos_S%C3%AD