Fairies
| |
| Fairies | |
|---|---|
| Powers and Abilities | Can make deals with humans and can abduct them to the faerie realm. |
| Vulnerabilities | Iron and silver. Must stop to count every grain of salt or sugar poured in front of them. |
| Appearance | Varies |
| Episode(s) | 6.09 Clap Your Hands If You Believe... 8.11 LARP and the Real Girl 9.04 Slumber Party (mentioned) |
Contents
History
Fairies are supernatural creatures that all seem to have originated from a place called Avalon. Coming in a variety of forms and sizes, they can only be seen by those who have been to the fairy realm or those they allow to see them. According Marion, a fairy expert, there is a fairy leader called Oberon. When summoned by a spell, they can make deals with humans, oftentimes exchanging their services for a price, such as the right to all of the firstborn sons in an area. Fairies also appear to have great power. The Leprechaun claimed to know back ways into Hell and did not fear angels or demons. In recent years, fairies have been taking advantage of UFO myths to hide their activities, as the abductions, crop circles, and bright lights they make in the sky are all often attributed to alien encounters.[1]
Fairies are vulnerable to iron and silver. If someone pours salt or sugar in front of them, they have to stop to count each grain one by one. They also love cream, which, like alcohol, intoxicates them. Fairies will remain in an area until banished by a spell or leave of their own free will.
The land of Oz is situated in the fairy realm.
Characteristics
Known to come in "different shapes and sizes," their powers are dependent on the fairy at hand, as certain types hold separate, individual powers.
Powers and abilities
- Clairsentience - Fairies are "all about energy" and can sense the energy that radiates from the human soul.
- Magic - Fairy folk have a vast understanding of "real" magic, with the leprechaun Wayne Whittaker claiming to know magic that can get into Lucifer's Cage to retrieve Sam Winchester's soul, something not even an angel could do.
- [[[Deals and pacts]] - They can create deals much like crossroads demons (Leprechaun)
- Invisibility - They can become invisible unless they want to be seen or that the person has been to their realm and came back.
- They can appear as humans, but their true forms can be seen if that person has traveled to their home realm
- Telekinesis - Leprechauns have shown the ability to move objects with their minds.
- Teleportation - Fairy folk have the ability to move from place to place in the blink of an eye, and are capable of teleporting others as well.
- Immortal - Fairies are immortal beings.
- Superhuman strength - Fairy folk have been shown to have strength above that of normal humans, including the smaller "tink" variety which was able to successfully attack Dean Winchester and fight him.
- Flight (Tinks)
- Manipulate reality (Leprechauns & Gilda)
Weaknesses
- Cream - It makes them drunk.
- Iron - Can harm them.
- Microwaves - Microwaving a smaller fairy was shown to kill it.
- Poppy seed extract - Was shown to stun the Wicked Witch of the West.
- Ruby slippers - Being imbued with magic from Oz, the ruby slippers were capable of killing the Wicked Witch.
- Salt & sugar - By pouring salt or sugar on the floor in front of a fairy, no matter how strong they are, must get down and count each grain until done.
- Silver - Burns "dark" fairies.
- Spells - Fairies can be bound to a person's service, destroying the book of magic that summoned them can free the fairy. Reciting an incantation from the spell book that summoned the fairy folk can also banish them back to their realm.
Varieties
The different types of fairies the Winchesters encounter are:
1. A Tinkerbell-like fairy attacks Dean in their motel room. He describes her as "a little, glowing, hot, naked lady with nipples." Dean particularly notices her nipples. She also has wings. Dean kills her by luring her into a microwave and frying her. [1]
2. Elves work in the watchmaker Mr. Brennan's workshop as a result of the deal he made with a leprechaun. They get drunk on the cream that Mr. Brennan buys for them and are banished when Sam reverses the ritual that Mr. Brennan used to summon them.[1]
3. A Redcap stalks Dean. These fairies are dangerously homicidal and are known for mercilessly killing travelers who trespass their territory. Their hats are red because they soak them in the blood of their victims, and, according to lore, redcaps have to kill regularly because if the blood dries on their hats they will die. The redcap finally attacks Dean in his jail cell, but is banished with the rest of the fairies before he can kill him.[1]
4. Sam encounters a leprechaun that passes among humans as a man named Wayne Whittaker. He acts as a spokesman for a number of other fairies, and can make deals with humans that include the exchange of their labor. As Wayne, he claims to be a UFO-specialist and works to spread UFO hysteria wherever he and the other fairies go so that they can avoid detection. When he and Sam fight, it is obvious that he is very powerful, but Sam is able to spill salt in front of him and force him to count the grains. While he is occupied counting, Sam reverses the ritual used to summon him, banishing him and the other fairies.[1]
5. A human-like fairy named Gilda is controlled by Gerry. It is unclear what type of fairy she is, all she says about herself is that she's a good fairy. Under the control of Gerry, she injures several of his rivals in a LARPing game and kills two before Charlie Bradbury destroys Gerry's spellbook and sets her free.
6. The Wicked Witch of the West is a creature from Oz as well as being a witch. She ruled the land of Oz until she came to Earth to take over the world with her army. She is only vulnerable to poppy seed extract and the ruby slippers. Charlie Bradbury kills her with the slippers, but according to Dorothy Baum, there is an army of witches similar to her in Oz.
7. The Wicked Witch has an army of Flying Monkeys who she uses to control Oz. She tries to summon the army to Earth to rule the world, but is killed before she can. Charlie Bradbury then closes the door to Oz just before they can come through to Earth.
8. Little is known about the Tin Man, other than he was a freedom fighter that was turned into that form by the Wicked Witch along with two others; who were turned in to the Cowardly Lion and Scarecrow. Upon his death Dorothy Baum kept his head as a tribute to his sacrifice.
Episodes
3.02 The Kids Are Alright
One origin story for changelings is that they are fairies from Western European folklore.
6.09 Clap Your Hands If You Believe...
The brothers originally attribute the disappearances of four men to UFOs. After Dean is abducted and escapes, Sam deduces that they are dealing with fairies. They go to speak with Marion, who appears knowledgeable on the subject. She tells Sam and Dean that fairies include "sprites and spriggans, boggarts and brownies" as well as elves, gnomes, and trolls. She says these creatures come from some sort of parallel universe. They are vulnerable to iron and silver. If someone pours salt or sugar in front of them they have to stop to count the grains.
They discover that the fairies were summoned by Mr. Brennan using a book he inherited from his grandmother. He made a deal with the Leprechaun, who agreed that the fairies would work in his shop in exchange for the "fruit and fat of the land." The fairies then proceeded to steal his and other firstborn sons in Elwood.
Mr. Brennan tries to reverse the spell that summoned the fairies, but the Leprechaun kills him before he can finish. The Leprechaun seems to be very powerful, employing what he calls "real magic." He also claims that he can do what angels cannot and tries to make a deal with Sam for the return of his soul from Lucifer's Cage.
Sam refuses the deal and defeats the Leprechaun by emptying a container of salt in front of him. He is forced to sit down and count each grain while Sam reads the incantation that banishes him and all of the other fairies.
8.11 LARP and the Real Girl
A good fairy named Gilda is put under a spell by Gerry who forces her to injure and later kill his rivals for Charlie Bradbury's heart. According to Gilda, she is unable to free herself from the spell and it can only be broken by a hero destroying Gerry's spellbook. Under Gerry's orders, she captures Charlie so he can "rescue" her and become a hero and while Gilda holds Charlie prisoner, Charlie becomes attracted to Gilda and kisses her. Sam, Dean and Gerry arrive and Gerry forces Gilda to use a suit of armor to pin down Sam while he tries to kill Dean with a sword he has Gilda transform to real. In the fight that follows, Dean knocks Gerry's spellbook from him and Charlie stabs it with a knife, destroying it and breaking the spell. Dean knocks out Gerry who Gilda takes back to her realm with her to face a fairy tribunal for his actions. Gilda and Charlie share a final kiss before Gilda leaves and Charlie hopefully calls after Gilda to call her.
9.04 Slumber Party
After learning that the Wicked Witch of the West could be harmed by poppy extract, James Haggerty made a deal with a fairy to get some. This extract is later used by Sam, Dean, Charlie Bradbury and Dorothy Baum to fight the Witch.
Fairies in Lore
Fairies are mythical creatures, appearing in many forms. The lore (mostly Irish or Scottish) on them suggests that they are extremely diverse: the category of "fairy" includes goblins, gnomes, elves, and leprechauns. There are also popular beliefs that they are undead, elementals, ethereal creatures, or even fallen angels. Most fairies have strong magic powers.
Fairies also appear in folktales as pagan deities and seem to be similar to those the Celtic folklore calls "the hidden people."
Trivia
Dean: Fight the fairies! Fight the fairies!
– Dean shouting as he is arrested., 6.09 Clap Your Hands If You Believe...
- On 19th November 2010, the night 6.09 Clap Your Hands If You Believe... aired, #FightTheFairies trended on Twitter. Similar to when #LuciferIsComing trended and caused much confusion, some on Twitter thought the hashtag was a homophobic slur. See Twitter for more info. Ben Edlund who wrote the episode, mentioned the incident at Paleyfest in March 2011. video of Ben talking about Fight the Fairies.
