Stories, not roommates
Fairy folklore
Fairies in European folklore are often dangerous, local, and uninterested in being your brand. Treat the tales as tales.
The word covers a mess: Irish sí, Scottish and English fairies, literary Victorians, children’s picture books, and modern metaphysical claims. They are not one species. In a great many traditional stories the fairies are morally sideways, kidnap people, blight crops, and are addressed with caution or not at all. The pretty winged shop-fairy is a later artistic choice.
A sane approach
- Read a named collection and notice the region.
- Do not leave milk outside to spoil and call it an offering if it will harm animals. A clean kitchen is a better peace offering to the idea of house-spirits.
- Do not claim sightings you did not have. Wonder is not improved by fibs.
- Do not use fairy lore to explain away mental distress. If perception is frightening or commands you, seek clinical and social support.
I can love a story without moving into it.