gale
views updated May 29 2018
- Abonde, Dame good fairy who brings children presents on New Year’s Eve. [Fr. Folklore: Brewer Dictionary, 3]
- Ariel sprite who confuses the castaways on Prospero’s island. [Br. Drama: Shakespeare The Tempest ]
- fairy godmother fulfills Cinderella’s wishes and helps her win the prince. [Fr. Fairy Tale: Cinderella ]
- Grandmarina fairy who provides everything for Princess Alicia’s happiness. [Br. Lit.: Dickens “The Magic Fishbone” ]
- leprechaun small supernatural creature associated with shoemaking and hidden treasure. [Irish Folklore: Benét, 579]
- Mab, Queen fairies’ midwife delivers man’s brain of dreams. [Br. Legend: Benét, 610]
- Oberon and Titania King and Queen of the Fairies. [Br. Drama: Shakespeare A Midsummer Night’s Dream ]
- Pigwiggin his love for Queen Mab ruptures her harmony with Oberon. [Br. Poetry: Nymphidia in Barnhart, 824]
- Puck the “shrewd and knavish sprite” who causes minor catastrophes and embarrassing situations. [Br. Drama: Shakespeare A Midsummer Night’s Dream ]
- Tinker Bell fairy friend of Peter Pan. [Br. Lit.: J. M. Barrie Peter Pan ]
Allusions--Cultural, Literary, Biblical, and Historical: A Thematic Dictionary
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oxford
views updated May 11 2018
fairy a small imaginary being of human form that has magical powers, especially a female one. The word is recorded from Middle English (denoting fairyland, or fairies collectively), and comes via Old French from Latin fata ‘the Fates’.
Fairies were traditionally seen as impinging on the mortal world with dangerous effect, but the perception of them as powerful beings inhabiting a parallel world to that of humankind gradually dwindled, and by the 17th century they were largely figures of a literary tradition.
In the 20th century, the question of whether fairies might exist was raised by Arthur Conan Doyle, who published The Coming of the Fairies (1921), based on the experiences of two Yorkshire schoolgirls from Cottingley who had apparently been visited by, and taken photographs of, fairies. Conan Doyle, a keen believer in the supernatural, was convinced, although (as was revealed in 1983 by the original authors) the photographs had in fact been faked by the two girls.
fairy godmother a female character in some fairy stories who has magical powers and brings unexpected good fortune to the hero or heroine; the term is recorded from the mid 19th century.
fairy money money or gold given by fairies to mortals, which is said to turn to dried leaves and crumble rapidly away; John Locke uses the image in his Essay concerning Human Understanding (1690).
fairy ring a circular area of grass that is darker in colour than the surrounding grass due to the growth of certain fungi. They were popularly believed to have been caused by fairies dancing.
fairy tale denoting something regarded as resembling a fairy story in being magical, idealized, or extremely happy.
The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES
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oxford
views updated May 29 2018
fair·y / ˈfe(ə)rē/ •n. (pl. fair·ies) 1. a small imaginary being of human form that has magical powers, esp. a female one.2. inf., offens. a male homosexual.•adj. belonging to, resembling, or associated with fairies: fairy gold.
The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English
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oxford
views updated Jun 11 2018
fairy †fairy-land; †fairy-folk; †magic; diminutive supernatural being. XIV. — OF. fa(i)erie (mod. fēerie), f. fay FAY; see -ERY. Cf. FAERIE. The application to a single being is peculiar to Eng.
Hence fairyland XVI, fairy-tale XVIII.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD
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