Mods Wind and Fire have made some observations about fae that explain a lot of the common misconceptions many spirit workers seem to have about faefolk in general. The most common depiction of fae in fantasy series, movies, and storybooks are similar to Thumbelina, Tinker Bell, the fairies of Fern Gully, and the stereotype of the beautiful or cute tiny “fairy princess” with wings who is kind and friendly towards humans. This leads many spirit workers and aspiring fae workers to believe that all fae spirits are going to match this description - and more unfortunately that all fae will be more or less human-friendly.
However, It is common knowledge among most experienced fae workers and fae incarnates that most fae spirits not only consider themselves superior to humans, they have little to no interest in humans whatsoever unless they have an extremely good reason to pay attention to any of them. On top of that, depending on the fae spirit, they may consider human life disposal and not particularly valuable unless they have a particular interest in a human because they consider them exceptional, talented, or desirable in some way. So if this is the case, why is it so common for some people to encounter or hear about “nice” faeries who seem pretty human-friendly and do look similar to the fantasy story stereotype? Mods Wind and Fire think this is likely due to the prevalence of pixies and sprites.
Fae Species and Prevalence
“Fae” is not a single species, but more like a genus that encompasses a very wide variety of many, many distinct fae species. The category “fae” is so broad that there are even many sub-classes of species. There are even fae-like spirits across the globe in almost every culture who identify as being of the same general type of spirits as “fae” - we call these non-European fae-like spirits sidi, and this shows how diverse and broad this category of spirits can be. All fae/sidi spirits are a type of nature spirit, but some are more closely tied to and related to nature than others. Fae/sidi species who are less naturalistic tend to be more likely to be involved in court life and involved in court politics. Fae species more tied to and connected to nature tend to prefer to live in nature as completely solitary or part of a looser clan structure. Any fae can choose to be solitary or court-affiliated depending on their political circumstances, but certain species stereotypically tend to be associated with being solitary or certain courts.
Court-affiliated fae usually look down on solitary fae and more naturalistic fae because they are essentially seen as having little to no political standing (with the exception of the few very politically involved solitary fae) and in some cases as being “wild” or “uncivilized.” I want to emphasize that all fae are a type of nature spirit and tied to nature, but they relate to nature differently and court-affiliated fae have a tendency to look at more naturalistic fae as beneath them.
The “Nice” Faeries: Pixies & Sprites
On the scale between more naturalistic and less naturalistic, sprites and pixies are classes of fae species that lean very far to the naturalistic side. Some have a more simplistic intellect and most tend to behave in more “immature” or “child-like” playful manner, which is why unlike most fae species who are keen to show their sophisticated and wise nature as immortal and “superior” beings. They are all very closely tied to particular elements within nature and actually strongly radiate the energy of that element. Sometimes you can see this in an aura or energy ball of color around them.
So far between Mods Wind, Fire, and Water we know of the following types of pixies: dark pixies (radiating darkness and shadows), dusk pixies (sunset colors, associated with dusk time of day), new moon pixies (associated with the new moon phase), various plant-type pixies, “seasonal” pixies (the fae embodiment of certain seasons which seem to be responsible for bringing on each season), and insect pixies (very closely tied to nature). All these “pixies” are tall enough to stand on the palm of a human hand and have wings. Hence, they look very similar to the stereotypical Tinker Bell, Thumbelina, or Fern Gully type of faery. Sprites are very similar but regular-sized and with lightly less mischievous/child-like traits and somewhat more intelligence than pixies. They look a bit like the Children of the Forest from Game of Thrones but with wings just like pixies. Sprites are also closely tied to nature and particular elements. So far, Mods Wind and Fire have encountered general “nature” sprites (radiating earthy nature energy), water sprites (radiating water energy), guardian plant species sprites (radiating earth and plant energy, generally watch and guard over their specific plant species in an area) and light sprites (shining, yellowish, radiating light energy). Almost all fae species have some kind of elemental association since all fae are a type of nature spirits, but while most fae are of an element, sprites and pixies are more like an actual personification of that element. For example, nagas and children of the sea are both water-associated sidi/fae species, but water sprites actually radiate water energy.
Many pixies and sprites like to live in nature close to the element they are associated with, but that doesn’t mean that the majority of them are solitary either. Some are quite fine with being involved with the courts, and many of them are court-affiliated (perhaps because they aren’t all so great at defending themselves in the wild and court-affiliation comes with a degree of protection). They are usually treated like the “peons” of the courts and have low-ranking positions ranging such as scouts, messengers, servants, etc. Most sprites and pixies don’t seem too bothered by these placements in fae society and appreciate the few perks they do get from court life. In fact, many fae species refer to sprites and pixies as “lesser fae,” and this is not considered a horrible or slanderous term to use. Remember, fae culture is very different from human culture and fae treat not just humans but each other very differently than what humans would find acceptable or polite.
The Myth of the “Nice, Safe” Faeries
Nevertheless, whether court-affiliated or solitary, there is a much larger abundance of sprites and pixies living in nature on earth than most other fae species. The more powerful and more politically involved a fae spirit is, the more likely it is that they will spend most of their time living in a fae realm and not on earth. The fae realms are like the original “homeland” and earth a highly populated but less significant place in fae society. Since many sprites and pixies serve roles like messengers or scouts for the courts, they have more reason to be sent to earth. There are also just more pixies and sprites whether court-affiliated or not living on earth because they don’t mind immigrating away from the homeland of the fae realms as other fae species might.
Being “lesser fae,” both sprites and pixies tend to be less of the haughty and superior-to-humans mindset that other fae species usually have. This higher tolerance for humans and increased potential interest in humans combined with their “cute” appearance and child-like or playful mannerisms lead to misconceptions that these characteristics are representative of ALL fae.
Sprites and pixies can still be dangerous like all fae, but they tend to be more prevalent on earth, more friendly to humans, and look more stereotypically like some movie depictions of fae. MOST OTHER FAE SPECIES are less prevalent on earth (more populous in fae realms), much less friendly towards humans, and do not necessarily fit any movie depictions of fae at all.
Conclusions for Spirit and Fae Workers
It is extremely important to understand this difference when talking about faefolk and attempting to work with them. Confusing pixies and sprites for other types of fae/sidi species is not only inaccurate, but it’s also quite dangerous for you as a spirit worker. Make sure you are cautious with all fae/sidi species (and in general with any new spirit you encounter). Take your time identifying spirits and if you think they might be fae, even if they are a sprite or pixie it’s better to be safe than sorry. If you are new to fae work and would like a tutorial on where to start, check out Mod Fire’s tutorials for introductory fae work for beginner spirit workers and medium/advanced spirit workers.
