What are some key important details to know about fairy magic, rings,deals and all that jazz? I feel like my fairies are very plain and 'Disney-like' and want to spice it up a little bit with some folklore. All they are right now is that they have the ability to control fortune and karma (depending on the fairy itself).
What type of fairies are you talking about? Like pixies or is it broader? Because of leprechauns, brownies, dwarves and elves are also considered as fairies.
Pixies is the main type I'm looking for but if there is anything cool about other types of fairies I'm always down to reading that.
Well, pixies can be a sign of good luck and magic but if they are mad they can be very vengeful and dangerous.
Do you know anything about fairy rings? And I think fairies try and lure children to the fairy world but do you know how that works?
I’m no expert but this is some traditional lore stuff that I’ve heard.
Fairy rings are supposed to be like portals to the fairy court. They try to lure you in with fun and games maybe even treats. But if you ever eat food that was made in the fairy court or given to you by a fairy, you can't leave. It's also very dangerous to give a fairy your name because they are said to own you if you do. Nicknames are safe, however.
Also, fairies are unable to flat out lie but they can get around that by being very selective with their words, more slippery than a lawyer, so pay attention to what they say.
Okay that sounds great! I already have some ideas popping in my head so thank you!
Glad to be of help!
Changelings! I don't know a whole lot about them, or the whole 'stealing a kid' thing, but I know a bit about the basics
According to various things I've read, the Fae will swap out a newborn human child with one of their own, or a different type of Fae, but one that's young. The Fae living in the human world obviously never quite fit in, and according to a few things I've read, they can't survive in the human world too long, and tend to die fairly young.
I never knew that, its a little unsettling but still pretty cool!
I do a lot of study with fae, especially in my stories!
Faeries like humans because of their art and music and will kidnap them. For some reason they seem to like children. They will take human babies and leave a husk (a wood or cloth bundle enchanted to look like a baby) or a changeling, which is usually a baby pixie. The changeling will always find a way back to the fae realms, or in some myths the parents can get their original child back if they kill the changeling with a hot iron poker. Humans that go to the fae realms have to stay forever if they eat or drink anything, and there are many myths about music that makes people dance forever.
Other stuff that faeries can do are glamours, or disguising. In some stories they disguise themselves as people, though in most stories there's a tell such as unnatural eyes or pointed ears that gives them away. In other stories they disguise objects, like turning leaves into money or trash into feasts.
A few more things is that in most myths, faeries cannot lie. This makes faeries seem very manipulative and smart, as they can't lie directly, only give half-truths and indirect answers. They usually like to make deals, but take things very literally and cruelly (ex, wish for a million dollars, you end up suffocating in money). Another thing is "true" names. Knowing a true name would give you power over that faerie, and why in many stories it's said not to give out your full name to people (it's possibly a reason why middle names were invented).
There's a ton more stuff, but these things are the ones most generalized when it comes to faeries. I know a lot more specific stuff and types of faeries, and things like courts, if you're interested in more stuff or have a specific idea in mind. There are a lot of cool myths and such!