We have heard many fairy tales when we were young so we know a lot about fairies, but what is a faerie? Is it also a mythical creature? Let’s find out the difference between fairy and faerie.
Comparison Table: Fairy vs. Faerie
| Criteria | Fairy | Faerie |
|---|---|---|
| Origin of the term | The word fairy has originated from the Latin word ‘fatum’. This means fate. | The word faerie has originated from the Gaelic ‘fear shide’. It means man of shee. |
| Description of personality | Fairies are considered to be young, pure, kind mythical creatures who are loved by everyone. | Faeries are said to be evil, terrifying, and horrific creatures who are not liked by anyone. |
| Physical attributes | Fairies are usually very beautiful and pretty in terms of looks. | Faeries are actually not as good-looking as the fairies. They look horrific and evil. |
| Behavioral attributes | Fairies can play around and act mischievous. They are not at all dangerous. | Faeries are very mischievous and are dangerous at times. Their actions sometimes cause a lot of damage. |
| Example | An example of a fairy is the Tinker Bell from Peterpan and the fairy godmother From Cinderella. | Examples of a faerie are the banshees, goblins, and elves. |
The genre of fantasy is where the made-up or mythical creatures come to life. Every impossible thing can happen in the world of fantasy. You might see your town burning or your neighbor’s kid fighting aliens.
Among all the creatures of the fantasy world, people tend to get confused between a fairy and a faerie. These words are often considered to be the same thing with just a little tweak of spelling. But actually, it is not the same. Both the Fairy and Faerie are mythical spirits.
The difference between them is that Fairy is a spirit with a young, kind and pure heart and Faerie has a mischievous and evil spirit. The body features of a fairy include a small human-like body with thin, membranous wings. They always try to stay away from the human world and avoid human beings.
The Faeries on the other hand are mythical spirits who look just like a fairy but differ personality-wise. They have evil and dangerous personalities along with horrid looks. Faeries are associated with negative activities like stealing and are special creatures who can be killed by using some special methods only.
Since fairies and faeries are immortal beings they are said to be more than a hundred years old. There is a difference in the portrayal of fairies.
In the older stories, the godmother from Cinderella was a fairy who looked like a human. But in modern stories like Peter Pan, a small creature like Tinker Bell had a glow emerging from her body.
About Fairy
The word fairy has originated from the Latin word ‘fatum’. The meaning of this word is fate. Fairies look like human creatures who have thin and membranous wings. Fairies are said to be very good-looking. Some physical attributes of fairies include being pretty, cute, and handsome. Not only are they pretty from the outside, but from the inside, they are kind, generous, and pure.
Fairies always try to stay away from the human world as much as possible. But when in trouble, they help out small children and allow them to play. They never let their identity be known in front of adults.
Although they are mischievous at times and pull pranks on humans, they can never be considered dangerous. They always make sure no one gets hurt. Fairies are immortal creatures but their existence can be destroyed through some magical ways.
Certain spiritual rites or special tools can cease their existence. But they will never die like humans, from aging or illness. This is why most of the fairies are more than a hundred and a thousand years old. The fairies that are emerging today, have a certain glow coming from them.
The modern-day fairies are also considered to be half-mortal. Some examples of fairies include the Tinker Bell from Peterpan and the fairy godmother from Cinderella.
About Faerie
The word Faerie has been derived from the Gaelic word ‘fear shide’ which means man of shee. These mythical creatures are considered to be evil and horrific-looking. They are not at all good-looking in terms of beauty. They are evil from the inside out. Whatever their actions are, it ends up hurting others most of the time.
Faeries are mischievous and at times very dangerous. They tend to steal or kidnap children and then treat them like slaves or pets. They have many types of power to do these horrible things. Just like fairies, faeries are also immortal in nature.
These creatures can be killed or hurt with certain special weapons and in specific situations. Human conditions like old age and illness cannot kill faeries. Some examples of Faeries include the elves, banshees, and goblins.
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Difference Between Fairy and Faerie
1) Origin of the term
The word fairy has originated from the Latin word ‘fatum‘. This means fate. The word faerie has originated from the Gaelic ‘fear shide’. It means man of shee.
2) Description of personality
Fairies are considered to be young, pure, kind mythical creatures who are loved by everyone. On the other hand, Faeries are said to be evil, terrifying, and horrific creatures who are not liked by anyone.
3) Physical description
When it comes to physical attributes, fairies look better than faeries. Fairies are usually very beautiful and pretty in terms of looks. Faeries are actually not as good-looking as the fairies. They look horrific and evil.
4) Description of the behavior
Fairies can play around and act mischievous. They are not at all dangerous. Faeries are very mischievous and are dangerous at times. Their actions sometimes cause a lot of damage.
5) Examples
The example of a fairy is the Tinker Bell from Peterpan and the fairy godmother from Cinderella. The examples of a Faerie are the banshees, elves, and goblins.
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Summary
The fantasy world is filled with so many mythical creatures with special powers. While some creatures choose to be wise and use their powers correctly to help others, creatures like faeries misuse their power. Very often the good triumphs over the evil. These evil creatures like faeries are stopped before any kind of evil action takes place.
Naomi is an educator with 2 decades of experience working with children of all ages. She is a keen observer of the magic and importance of Maths in our daily lives. Follow me on Linkedin