Real Creatures of Myth and Legend

As we grow up, most of us stop believing in the strange and wonderful creatures of our bed-time stories. Like Santa and the Easter Bunny, our passions for fairies, dragons, unicorns, and sea serpents fade as we acquire more and more cognitive ability.

But maybe our disbelief is misplaced; as "grown-ups", we all know that both Santa and the Bunny who once frequented Spring festivals in the European countryside both were once real things. It is said that all legends grow from a grain of truth. Do we pass judgment too hastily on the other miraculous critters of mystery?

Historically, faeries (or fairies, if you prefer) are cut from the same cloth as the more-oft believed-in corporeal spirits, angels and demons. Their tale pre-dates every modern religion, yet at least one of these groups of supernatural beings seems to be an integral part of almost every faith.

According to Christian legend, when Lucifer led his rebellion against God, the angels took sides. Those that remained loyal to God remain with Him in Heaven; those that followed the Morning Star were cast down, and became demons. But, there was also a third group of immortals, one that did not take a side. These few, who remained neutral, were punished for failing to support their creator, but not so severely as those who raised their hands against Him. Instead of being cast into the fire, they were exiled to Earth, and they are called the Fey - Faeries.

Most other legends of the fair folk run along the same lines: angels are good spirits, demons are evil, and the Fey are somewhere in between. Remember, Christianity does not have an exclusive on believing in heavenly winged supernatural beings; angels have captivated the faithful all across the world long before Abraham ever dreamed of moving out of his ancestral homeland to serve his Lord.

Faeries are among the oldest of mythical beings, yet more people believe in them today than in the possibility of space aliens (whether or not said aliens have visited Earth). Part of the reason for that faith may be due to a handful of actual fairy photos that were taken around the turn of the 20th Century.