People have always dreamed of fantastical creatures, terrifying and gentle, hideous and beautiful. But especially of fairies. Why? Because they’re the ones most like us–only with magical powers! What better way to escape when you were stuck in your room as a kid than to acquire magical powers (or in the age of lockdown, for that matter)? But could there possibly be any truth in fairytales? Yes! Because fairies are good and bad, kind and selfish, pure and besmirched–just like us. Fairytales show the things we want to escape from–but instead must face. All great fantasy stories are true on one essential level: They’re about us.
Click on any image to enlarge it, or to begin slide show.
Some Fairy Facts
“Tink was not all bad: or, rather, she was all bad just now, but, on the other hand, sometimes she was all good. Fairies have to be one thing or the other, because being so small they unfortunately have room for only one feeling at a time.” ~J.M. Barrie
“Don’t you know that everybody’s got a Fairyland of their own?” ~P.L. Travers
“O, to be sure, we laugh less and play less and wear uncomfortable disguises like adults, but beneath the costume is the child we always are, whose needs are simple, whose daily life is still best described by fairytales.” ~Leo Rosten
“It is a true fact that faeries, just like people, very often find that a full belly and a good friend are all that they need to be happy.” ~C.S. Einfeld
“Fairies come in all shapes, colours, sizes and types, they don’t have to be fluffy. They can be demanding and furious if they like. They do, however, have to wear a tiara. That much is compulsory.” ~Dawn French
“I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.” ~Mae West
“In a utilitarian age, of all other times, it is a matter of grave importance that fairytales should be respected.” ~Charles Dickens
“When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than any talent for abstract, positive thinking.” ~Albert Einstein
“Classic fairy tales do not deny the existence of heartache and sorrow, but they do deny universal defeat.” ~Greenhaven Press
“Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairytales again.”
~C.S. Lewis
Mitch Teemley 
Reblogged this on Blue Dragon Journal.
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Amazing images. Love this!
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Very inspiring post! Great collection of pictures. Not sure if I want to write or start a fairy garden! x
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;>)
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Love this! The illustrations are amazingly beautiful! So enjoy reading these posts.
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I love the ones that look like gargoyles 🙂
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I love fairytales. I’m a big fan of fairies.
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Nice! Love all the pics and quotes. I recognize the last quote as from Lewis’ letter to Lucy Barfield about writing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for her.
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You win the gold ring, Melissa!
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As usual I love the Lewis quote and it is true. I am old enough to read fairy stories and enjoy them.
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I like the wire fairies very much!
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Me too, Liz. I believe those are all by the same sculptor.
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There are also changelings. I think they are said to be a fairy child who replace the human child with their own
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Yep. This is true of our children, but we love them anyway.
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I’ve always loved fairy tales and I so enjoyed sharing them with my sons. My Mother had a very old boom that had been in the family for year – the illustrations in it were truly works of art – she cut them out and frames them giving each of the grandchildren a copy…I loved my Mother dearly but I really wish she hadn’t done that !
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Wonderful! The images and quotes are delightful. One of my favorite fantasy writers is Terry Pratchett. He once said, “Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one.”
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Love the quote, Ed. (I’m a Pratchett fan too, btw.)
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So… working on a screenplay for a Discworld film???
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Hah! If there were enough time to do all the projects I’d like to, a Discworld series would be great fun. However…
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The day we do not believe in fairies / elves and other mystical creatures is the day we lose forever the innocence of our selves. You do not have to be a child to know they exist, you just have to believe. Spend a day in a forest, sitting quiet and listening, these fantasy creatures will be all around you if “you open your mind like you did when you were to young to be cynical” …Batman believes
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Me too, Batman.
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