The word "Fairy", or "Faerie", whichever you prefer, came about somehow because the Arabic language had no p and thus had to replace it with the letter f, the original word being something like Peri. But regardless to the origin of the word, the beings themselves, and the ideals behind them have been around longer than man can remember. The Fairy Folk are the missing link in the cycle of life and seasons, the gap that science has been trying to fill since its conception. Generally speaking, Fairy Folk are beings which often excel mankind in power and in knowledge, and are subject to the same laws of life and death, though they tend to have a longer lifespan. They are usually thought of as small or tiny, thus the nicknames: "Little People", "Wee Folk", "Li'l Fellas" and more. They have several other nicknames and titles, such as: "Fair Folk", "Good People", "The Old Ones", "Good Neighbors" but I won't even attempt to list them all here. Magic seems to be their specialty, be it for good or evil, though some are more into trickery or helpful hints. The term really covers a lot of ground, including Pixies, Dwarves, Elves, Brownies, Gnomes, Leprechauns, Nymphs, Fuddles, and a slew of other characters. One of my favorite being the Fachan, who is this bad-tempered fellow who has only one of each feature (one eye, one arm, one ear, etc..).