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Fairy lore from Supernatural and real mythology

By Alexandria Ingham

"Clap Your Hands If You Believe" - Jensen Ackles as Dean in SUPERNATURAL on The CW.Photo: Jack Rowand/The CW©2010 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
"Clap Your Hands If You Believe" - Jensen Ackles as Dean in SUPERNATURAL on The CW.Photo: Jack Rowand/The CW©2010 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. /
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Fairies were introduced into Supernatural in Season 6 with leprechauns. Where does the lore from the series come from and what’s the real fairy lore?

In Supernatural Season 6, fairies were introduced at the same time as leprechauns. While we’ve looked at the leprechaun lore and seen that there are some connections between the show and real mythology, the same can’t quite be said for fairies.

In fact, real fairy mythology can be linked to the changelings from Supernatural Season 3, depending on the European lore you turn to for inspiration. This is especially the case for faeries in Scottish and Irish mythology.

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However, there is some mythology that connects to the lore used in the series. Here’s a look at both the show’s and real mythology about fairies.

Supernatural fairy lore

In the series, fairies hailed from Avalon. There are different types of fairies in the show, with leprechauns being a type of fairy. Elves can also be classed as them and you can also get good and bad fairies.

They’re difficult to kill because they’re difficult to see. Only those the fairies want to see them or people who have been to Avalon will be able to see the creatures. However, Dean proved that you can nuke a fairy in the microwave!

And because of the connection to Scottish lore, Changelings are a type of fairy, according to the Supernatural: The Official Companion. The Supernatural Wikia can be changed by people but it is often up to date with the various types of fairies introduced into the show.

“Clap Your Hands If You Believe” – Jensen Ackles as Dean in SUPERNATURAL on The CW.Photo: Jack Rowand/The CW©2010 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
“Clap Your Hands If You Believe” – Jensen Ackles as Dean in SUPERNATURAL on The CW.Photo: Jack Rowand/The CW©2010 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. /

Real fairy mythology

Like in the show, there are different types of fairies depending on the mythology you turn to. After all, the Scottish and Irish mythology surrounding faeries involved taking babies and leaving behind a changeling that would perish and die. The parents would have to leave the changeling in the faery tree for the faeries to collect and return their own child.

In other parts of European mythology, you can find lore that shows the creatures are malicious and mischievous. Despite the current view that fairies are small, winged creatures, the original lore would have you thinking you were looking at an elf or troll. It wasn’t until the Victorian era that the creatures were made smaller and looked cuter.

CREWKERNE, ENGLAND – MARCH 06: Detail of a fairy door at the bottom of a tree at Wayford Woods is seen on March 6, 2015 in Crewkerne, England. Over the past few years more than 100 fairy doors have appeared delighting local children and adults alike who come to see homes of the fairies and leave gifts and messages. However, the trustees of the wood have issued an appeal to fairy house builders to tone it down and not to screw any more doors directly to trees. They also say that flowers are getting trampled by visitors and that some older people who used to walk around the woods when they were untouched have complained. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
CREWKERNE, ENGLAND – MARCH 06: Detail of a fairy door at the bottom of a tree at Wayford Woods is seen on March 6, 2015 in Crewkerne, England. Over the past few years more than 100 fairy doors have appeared delighting local children and adults alike who come to see homes of the fairies and leave gifts and messages. However, the trustees of the wood have issued an appeal to fairy house builders to tone it down and not to screw any more doors directly to trees. They also say that flowers are getting trampled by visitors and that some older people who used to walk around the woods when they were untouched have complained. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images) /

Throughout most lore, fairies had fallen for various reasons. They may have been pagan gods demonized from Christianity or fallen angels not evil enough to become demons. Some would say they were spirits of the dead or a race that lived in a secret world.

The mythology surrounding the secret world is often used in fiction. You just have to look at The Magicians for how it can be used. There’s usually a hierarchy, where the queen or king is the most dangerous fairy and you certainly don’t want to cross them. According to Mythology.net, a gift from a fairy will always come as a deal or a curse, something that was used in Supernatural Season 6.

Fairies are often used in romance novels. They’re often human-sized, allowing them to fall in love with mortals. But they can also be viewed as the likes of Tinkerbell from Peter Pan. It’s no wonder there was so much lore surrounding the creatures in the series!

Next. 11 best character introductions on Supernatural. dark

What did you know about fairies before? What would you like to see used in Supernatural? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Supernatural lore continues throughout Hellatus and beyond.

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