Woodland faeries are a race of fairies that live in the woods of the world, often within the Old Woods. This race appears to go by several names, including 'fairy', 'faery', Fairie, among others.
Background[]
They are an immortal race.[1][2] The denizens of Fairie are jealous of their privacy, only allowing those to see them if they intend them to. The inhabitants of Fairie are unpredictable and easily offended. Anyone who entreats them for a boon must be careful not to offend them.[3] The light of the Fairie brightens the forests they live in, without the light the forests seem dark and threatening.[4] The faeries can be cruel and kind, generous and mean, fair and intolerant, and unpredictable--always capricious and unpredictable.[5]
The faeries always live forever in the same place, and cannot leave the Wood, at least for very long.[6]
Faeryfolk though often deceitful are never truly untruthful. A faery might conceal the truth with a clever tongue.[7] Faeries were not evil creatures, but they were not necessarily truthful, nor did they hold much goodwill toward humankind. Faeries were more likely to mislead a human from the path in the woods rather than show him a straight road to their woodland palace. It was safest to never cross their paths, and to only speak softly to them, for faeries were said to be easily insulted. An insulted faery was a dangerous enemy for a human to have. It was best to stay clear of them entirely.[8]
Time is often odd when spent in the presence of faeries. More time can pass than it seems while in their presence.[9]
Culture[]
Woodland faeries take the appearances of others very seriously.[10]
It is believed to give a faery ones own name, may give the faery the power over the person.[11] It is considered rude for another to bare another's name directly[12]
It is considered rude by their kind to speak with a veiled face. [13]
Woodland faeries celebrate holidays such as the Spring Feste and have parties such as the faery fête. These parties are filled with revelers and dancing.
The woodland faeries of the Old Wood view time in aeons rather than years.[14] Thus they do not comprehand the concept of birthdays. As they are an immortal race they can live a very long time indeed.
The Spring of the Wood and the Heart of the Wood, the Queen and King of the Wood are joined together, and thus allowing faery magic to exist.[15] This matchup is for eternity lest the balance of nature change leading to an ice age which lasts an aeon or two. As they are immortal and could rule the Old Wood for eternity. Thus their daughter is not a princess as understood in human culture but a faery maid. She will never rule the woods, and the loss of her mothers life would destroy the balance. This puts a limit on all wood faery kind, and even limits how far they can get from their kingdom before they weaken and lose their powers..
They are believed to kidnap babies (see Changeling).
They are members of the Fairie.[16]
Physiology[]
Some of the males of the race look like young boys of thirteen to fourteen.[17] With darkly green hair cropped close to the head with eyebrows the same color. Others have pointed greenish beards with arched eyebrows.[18] Though some males do have white hair.[19]
The females of the faeryfolk often appear as young girls of perhaps twelve or thirteen years. Anyone who took a second glance was bound to notice the green highlights that streaked their hair and their startling bright inhuman eyes[20] Some were blue both deep and bright, like the base of a candle flame[21], or limitless blue like the summer sky.[22] Others had soft brown eyes.[23] Others have eyes of glowing green or unblinking emerald.[24][25]Other eyes appeared dark and empty[26], or deep, a stare as distant as a cat's, or like dead things.[27] For some their eyes have been described as being silver in the moonlight like the scales of a fish.[28] The eyes are without whites.
Other faeries have raven-black hair[29], some the color of wheat[30]silver blond[31], or hair of gold[32]. Some of the female fairies tresses fell in a forest of braids from head to the ankles.[33]
The faeries are bright figures clad in garments of silk and cloth-of-gold[34], or clad in shimmering white or shimmering green.[35][36] Spider-silk dresses of spring colors; light green, yellow, and palest blue, pink like lilies, lavender like violets[37], or the purist rose red[38]. Male faeries dressed in clothes such as; green trousers and boots, and stainless white tunic. [39]The king often hides his features by wearing a gray cloak covered his shoulders. The hood of the cloak fell down to cover part of his face. A thin, white gauze veil hid the rest of his face (as the beauty is too much for other folk)[40]. He usually lifted the veil when speaking to others, as it was considered rude by his kind to speak with a veiled face.
The faeries have bright green blood, bare tracings of green veins can be seen through their skin[41]. There skin is of the palest milky white, and bare tracings of green veins can be seen through their necks.[42]They have slender fingers on their hands, the skin is milk-white, the nails cloudy as if made out of pearl. Tracings of green veins can be seen through the skin.[43]
Most are about as half as tall as adult humans, waist heigth. With the appearance of small children.Some of the faeries are tall, stretched out and impossibly thin next to the shorter ones[44]. Others are tall and slender.[45] They move with supple grace. They have faces of exquisite, otherworldly beauty.[46] They have white pointed ears with pink-tinged tips projecting from silky tresses[47]. They are are able to move them like the ears of horses, even flattening them against their head.[48]The ears stick out through their hair, and almost touch the top of their heads.[49] They are all tall, all slender, all with faces of exquisite, otherworldly beauty. Particulary the king, whose appearance is barely tolerated by fellow faeries, and will cause a mortal human to feint.[50] The queen only slightly easier to bare, she has an incredible seductive beauty that is more difficult to resist, the closer she is to the woods.
They speak in light and lilting tones, and have their own language.[51]Some have voices like birdsong and the chirp of the cricket.[52]Still others voices while beautiful were flat and emotionless.[53]
Fairies do not often have to sleep.[54] But for them there was, the dreamless slumber of the faeries, where darkness surrounded and touched them. It was a darkness known and cherished by the fairies.[55]
Although immmortal they are vulnerable to physical weapons like bows and spears, and will bleed to death. Without spring, they will ultimately succumb to the cold and die as well. But it takes longer than it affects humans.
The king is the Heart of the Wood, and cannot leave the forest. If was to leave he would die. The Queen of the Woods can travel further outside the boundies of the wood, but she too weakens the further she is away from the woods. If she travels too far from the woods she would die as well. All other fairies can leave the Wood and travel but further, but also become weakened, and lose strength and power the further they are away from the woods. The more sick they become, their hair starts to fall out in clumps, and skin begins to turn yellow like old brittle bones.[56]
When a faery dies she becomes burdened by frost, appearing as if merely asleep.[57] The color of their eyes fade to white in death.[58]
Woodland faeries[]
Behind the scenes[]
In the Kingdom of Sorrow, the race are said to be faeries or faeryfolk (singular: 'faery'). Interestingly, the faeryfolk of the Old Wood are called "faeries" (spelled with an 'e'). There is a reference to Valanice growing up in a land with "fairies" (spelled with an 'i')[59]. This is a nod to the Good Fairy in KQ2, which is spelled with an 'i'. It is also a nod to the fairies representing different races of fairies. It also a nod back to 'fairy' being more name for the fairies of world of Daventry in general.
In See No Weevil, the race is referred to as faeries as in Kingdom of Sorrow. The Cyclopedia specifies that they are "woodland faeries".
In The Floating Castle, the race is referred to as the Fairie, and they are described as fairies (the common name in Daventry for the fairy races).
In Geological/Astronomical time "Aeon" can be a billion years. However, its more likely that use of aeon is less specific and refers to indefinite period of time.
References[]
- ↑ KQTFC, 74
- ↑ KoS, pg
- ↑ KQTFC, 73
- ↑ KQTFC, 75
- ↑ KQSNW, 161
- ↑ KOS, 55
- ↑ KOS, 4
- ↑ KOS, 28
- ↑ SNW, 168
- ↑ KoS 26
- ↑ KOS, 55
- ↑ KoS, 4
- ↑ KOS, pg
- ↑ Kingdom of Sorrow
- ↑ KoS, pg
- ↑ KQTFC, pg
- ↑ KoS, pg 62
- ↑ TFC, pg73
- ↑ KoS, pg 26
- ↑ SNW, pg
- ↑ SNW, 159
- ↑ TFC, 71
- ↑ KOS, pg
- ↑ KOS, 191
- ↑ SNW, 160
- ↑ SNW, pg58
- ↑ KoS, 26, 27
- ↑ KoS, pg 315
- ↑ KoS, pg
- ↑ TFC, 71
- ↑ SNW, 164
- ↑ KoS, 65
- ↑ KoS, 58
- ↑ TFC, 70
- ↑ KoS, 58
- ↑ TFC, 71
- ↑ KoS, 2
- ↑ KoS, 65
- ↑ KoS, 26
- ↑ KoS, 62, 64
- ↑ KOS, 1
- ↑ KOS, 58
- ↑ KOS 1
- ↑ KOS, 3
- ↑ TFC, 69, 70
- ↑ TFC, 70
- ↑ KOS, 1
- ↑ KOS, 58
- ↑ KOS, 58
- ↑ KoS, 62, 63
- ↑ TFC, 70
- ↑ KoS, 27
- ↑ KOS, 65
- ↑ TFC,
- ↑ KoS, pg 78-79
- ↑ KoS,
- ↑ KOS, 7
- ↑ KOS, 6
- ↑ KOS, 63
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