The History of Fairies

This video explores the fairies of Ireland & England and the roles they played in Irish and English culture through the ages.

MUSIC
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STILLS
Spain, Tarragona senior man watching a big pine
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Fairies playing with butterflies
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Fairy flying on the back of a moth
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Impish fairy in a bindweed flower
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Princess Nobody - Fairy and Nymphs
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Princess Nobody and the Fairies
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Princess Nobody and the Fairy Prince
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Princess Nobody - Fairy hide and seek
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Antique illustration of children fable book
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Princess Nobody - Fairy knights jousting
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Bathing Beauty
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Bathing Beauty
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Two Women Wearing Swim Suits
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Old engraved illustration of Botany, Pelargonium zonale and scarlet geranium (Pelargonium inquinans)
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Old engraved illustration of a Medicinal plants
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Shakespeare - A Midsummer Nights Dream
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angels - lucifer
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Outline of the continent of Europe
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Book
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Book
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Undine by Daniel Maclise
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British London satire caricatures comics cartoon illustrations: Spiteful sprites
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Antique illustration from fables picture book: Tom Thumb
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Princess Nobody and the Fairies
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Depiction of 17th century witch trial
Leaders of the First Crusade
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Antique photo of paintings: Awakening of Titania
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Romania, Sucevita, Exterior
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Fairy appears young lovers -1867
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Antique photo of paintings: Sea Maiden
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Antique photo of paintings: Fairy Kiss
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British London satire caricatures comics cartoon illustrations
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Fairy ring of death cup (fly agaric) mushrooms
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Young woman in gaelic nature-inspired fantasy costume
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Fairy Godmother introducing the sisters
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Antique illustration of children fable book
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Fairy King sat on a toadstool
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San Petronio's basilica, Bologna. Late gothic fresco depicting Dante's Inferno with Mahomet, the prophet of Islam. Giovanni da Modena.
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Old engraved illustration of The Earth, Annual Revolutions and Seasons Of The Year - Popular Encyclopedia Published 1894
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Aeronautics, Aerial Machines Old engraved illustration , Popular Encyclopedia Published 1894
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flint silex stones
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Neolithic tools and weapons
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Antique children book illustrations: Fairy
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Old engraved illustration of Progressive development of Man - evolution illustrated with the six skulls in ascending order

[juju.sleeps]

When I was in art class a random untouched book fell and then the sink water turned on. The teacher said "Oh, it's the cheeky fairy that lives with me here."

[AliciaNyblade]

Those who think fairies are just the sugary-sweet, glittery Disney type are really missing out. Thank you for showing them as they really are: Enchanting, yes, maybe even helpful to humans if they're so inclined, but always mischievous. The fairies are alchemists. They teach that everything has its price, that to gain something, you must give something of equal or mirrored value in return.

[StKezziah]

I'm from the west of Ireland and grew up learning about the faeries! To this day our farmers do not cut down lone trees or bushes in the middle of their fields for fear of bad luck from destroying fairy trees!

[FlorSilvestre]

"While the sidhe had no religion, they did seem to fear some aspects of Catholicism" same

[vishalsingha]

I am from India and we too have fairy related myths in our folklores. My grand-mom says if lucky enough you could see them during dawn, dancing amidst flower plants, it’s believed that some even made contact with humans, she told us how a great grandfather had once made contact with one and had fallen in love with the fairy, it’s believed the fairy frequently made visits to him and had also been with him on his deathbed when he took his last breath.

[hypocritespun]

My daughter saw a fairy in a house in Michigan.. I remember my daughter running and crying to me. I asked her why was she crying and she said she saw a little winged person. That's when she described the fairy wearing gold. My daughter did say the fairy had said "you" to her. That's what scared my daughter. I told her not to be afraid from what she described the fairy sounded beautiful and was probably in disbelief that my daughter could see her.

[alishapannell]

I love fairy mythologies you should do elves as well

[LAMODÉLISTE]

In the Philippines folklore we call fairies “Diwata” or “Engkantada” (female) or “Engkanto” (male)
And they all have these traits.

[royalblukitten]

I'm starting to believe that these fairytale creatures (dragons, fairies, elves, etc.) actually existed. Cause it doesn't make sense that all these different places from around the world have them all in their culture. Just using different names for them depending on where they from.

[brynbloom]

I live on the Isle of Man, a small island half way between Ireland and England. Up the hill from my flat is a literal Fairy Glen complete with a fairy circle.

[sophisticatedwrat]

I grew up learning about fairies. They were taught as mythology but they always fascinated me. When I was young I would put "food" out for the fairies to eat on places I designated as fairy spots. It was fun.
I also grew up having my parents read the flower fairy poems by Cicely Mary Barker and my brother and I would always pick which fairy we wanted to be.

[daisymeadow]

I’m currently writing a thesis on faeries, I love these kinds of stories!

[TheUnluckyEverydude]

Please do Japanese spirits next. I've always found kami absolutely fascinating.

[TimTim-vptk]

As an Irish person this pronunciation kills me.

[bethlehemairahvillareal]

In some weird reason we also have it here in the Philippines, part of our culture, we call them "Engkantos". We don't just cut trees or flowers especially when your new to the place. I just find it weirdly amazing because this myth of ours is known even before the colonization of Westerners in our country yet we kinda have similarities in describing these mythical creatures and it makes me think that maybe they are true

[chloejohnson]

I went through a serious fairy obsession phase around nine to ten years old. I was always peeking at butterflies, hoping some of them were really fairies. I also loved that book about gnomes.

[MrMythos]

Question to all those watching: Have you ever seen a fairy glen?

[AverytheCubanAmerican]

This must be the work of...
*FAIRY GODPARENTS*

[SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Who granted the fish a wish?
The fairy codmother

[aurorav.]

I believe in fairies. My grandmother had a plant called "encantada", it's vine climbing all over her porch with beautiful white flowers something like orchids but bigger. Nobody has that climbing plant except my grandmother. But the amazing part is it doesn't smell anything during the day but as soon as it's midnight it will have this beautiful fragrance that seems to envelop the whole room where I sleep at her house and for some reason, it always wake me up but not the others. I miss that plant. When my grandmother died, my mother inherited it, she had a new house built but the people who built the house destroyed the plant and eversince, I'm so scared to be in that house. It seems to have lost its protection from bad spirits.