Pixies, dwarfs, elves, and fairies are known as fictitious characters. Fictitious characters are characters that are created in imagination or assumptions. They are the legendary folk including genomes, fairies, pixies, goblins, brownies, elves, trolls, and dwarfs.
These all characters have different and unique magical powers. They are human-like creatures found in all cultures.
However, they are supernatural beings who differ in body shape, size, and appearance. All of them have gender differences and their magical powers are also different from each other.
They are typically exceedingly tall and skinny or smaller than most individuals. The typical image of fairies is that of miniature, pixie-like flowers or plant devas.
Dwarfs are frequently miners, cave dwellers, or metalworkers who live underground. Dwarves can mine and work with iron, although the majority of fairy types cannot.
Now, without further delay, let’s learn more about elves, dwarfs, and fairies.
Elves
Elves, singular “elf”, are tiny human-like creatures that are miniature and originated from Germanic mythology.
By nature, elves are cruel and bad humanoids. In older times they seem to be responsible for nightmares or give bad dreams, steal newborn babies, injure cattle, and misshape children.
They are found in two forms by their appearance. Some are small in size and related to fairies and are found in Celtic mythology.
Second-formed elves are human-sized and can sometimes link or interact with humans. They are found in Germanic mythology.
Appearance
Elves are small beautiful fellows who have tiny bodies, but not all elves are small. They differ in size some are tall and some are tiny and others are humanly heightened.
Female elves look like humans with hollow backs. Elves have different assumptions according to divergent myths such as English and Norse mythology.
English mythology
According to English mythology, in folk tales, elves are beautiful, evasive beings. They are roguish and annoy people with their disobedient behavior.
When people from the English countryside moved to America, they introduced Elements of English folklore to them. This is the reason for evolving elves into Christmas and other pop culture.
Norse mythology
As per Norse myth, elves are the fellow who has ghost-like abilities. They can move without any distortion like walls, trees, and doors. They are free from any physical law.
On the other hand, they can marry and can have children. Another interesting factor of this mythology is that there are two types of elves: dark elves and light elves.
Dark elves don’t like the sun; they love to live in the dark. If somebody touches them they turned into stones. They are supposed to be a nightmare and they are the naughtiest kind of elves.
In contrast, light elves also called guardian angels are considered the little god of nature and fertility. They are kind by nature and can help and heal humans with their magical powers.
Interesting Facts About Elves
- Elves first originated in the medieval period.
- In some myths, they are beautiful and had superpowers.
- They are related to fairies.
- Their occupation is to make toys.
- They have pointed long ears and blush red cheeks.
- Their outfit color is green and red.
Dwarfs
Dwarf plural dwarfs belong to the family of fairies. They are well-known in German and Celtic mythology.
Dwarfs are small human-like creatures; famous in folklore, fantasy fiction, and fairy tales. People believe them as worshipers in Norse mythology named Dvergar.
Appearance
Dwarfs are small-sized beings, measuring 18 inches or 45 cm in height. Some dwarfs are the height of a two to three-year-old child. They are skilled artisans with humanoid features.
Some dwarfs look beautiful but usually, they seem ugly with a pointed round nose and a long beard. Some dwarfs have hunched back and fair complexion.
Origin and Myths About Dwarfs
It is really difficult to explain the exact origin of dwarfs. In Norse mythology, they were the hidden creatures like gnomes and fairies related to enchantment, malediction, and death.
They are unseen people who live in caves and mountains with a high sense of humor. The word dwarf was first pronounced in Germanic myth, the plural dwarves was not in use as late as J.R.R. Tolkien’s book was published. Earlier on the word, dwarfs was used as plural.
Some Interesting Facts About Dwarfs
- Dwarfs are counted as supernatural beings.
- Only males are supposed to be dwarfs.
- They are highly skilled beings but they act as entertainers as well.
- They don’t have magical powers but can predict about future and can make themselves invisible.
- They are experts in metalwork and have secret knowledge.
Fairies
Fairy plural fairies are human-like fellows. They have wings on their back and they are particularly females.
We usually think that fairies are the tiny creatures with a magic wand in their hands, having a pair of wings on the back but the history goes with the other story.
Different perspectives have been given about the reliance on fairies. There are more than a hundred of various kinds of fairies.
Some are small and some are human-heightened. Some have wings and some are without wings. But all of them have magical powers and are spiritual in nature.
Appearance
Fairies are the most beautiful fictitious characters generally consider humanoid beings with supernatural abilities. They can fly, disappear, and can see the future.
However, not all the fairies have wings on their back, some fly on the back of birds or on the ragweed stem.
Types of Fairies
Everyone loves fae or fairy. There are strong shreds of evidence that prove that fairies really exist in different mythologies. On the basis of supernatural powers and rules, fairies are divided into six types.
Asrai
A fairy living in the deep water is also called an aquatic fairy. It only nourishes by the light of the moon and if revealed in the sun she immediately dies. She comes to the surface only once in the century.
She is shy by nature and related to the mermaid or Selkie. Asrai’s power is the most distinctive among the fairies, if she touches a human skin once, it can be cold forever and never turns warm again.
Banshee
Banshee is a kind of fairy that belongs to death. She is the voguish fairy of Irish ancestry. The beautiful woman like a fairy or witch supposed as the death messenger.
Merpeople
Merpeople or mermaid is the human-like creature with the upper body having tails and fins like fish below.
These kinds of fairies are beautiful and have golden brown or black hair. Mermaids own strong magical powers, they can foretell about the future and bring the gospel.
Brownie
Brownies are small, kind-hearted fairies who love to help old and unwell people.
They are the hidden characters only visible to those people who have inner senses. They provide household services and get bread, honey, nuts, and hood in return. They have the ability to modify themselves in different versions.
Pixie
They are beautiful tiny fairies with pointed noses and big heads. Some of them are big.
They are friendly by nature but usually, they are known as hoaxers because of their misguidance to the travelers. They love to perform household chores and can change their size with their supernatural power.
Leprechaun
Leprechauns are shoemakers by their occupation. They are introverted and often dress in green and red colors.
They accord three wishes to fulfill when grabbed by someone. They love to dance and are always male.
Some Interesting Facts About Fairies
- Some fairies are wicked by nature; they play tricks to tease human beings.
- Their wings are made of white translucent material called taffaria, which has all seven colors of the rainbow.
- Fairies tangle children’s hair while sleeping.
- Fairies have distinctive powers, one of them is they can control natural sunlight. Some can produce light from their body.
- They can make them invisible easily.
- They have healing abilities; they can heal both plants and humans as well.
Difference Between Elves, Dwarfs, and Fairies
| Key features | Elves | Dwarf | Fairies |
| Description | A vivid spirit, related to fertility, compared to angels and fairies | A small heightened being, whose forelimbs are smaller than the upper body due to a genetic disorder | A mythical being with supernatural and preternatural abilities |
| Size | Tall and slender | Short and dumpy | Differ in size; some are human-sized and some are small and tiny |
| Appearance | Lives in homes, halls, and fortresses which are underground. | Commonly ugly, and looks old with a long beard | Beautiful and attractive |
| Presence | Lives in woods, sit on bookshelves | Lives in homes, halls, and fortress which are underground. | Lives in gardens, homes, on the tree, and in flower pots. |
| Magical abilities | Can move without any distortion and can help and heal humans with their magical powers | Can predict the future, have secret knowledge, and are good at metallurgy work | Strong supernatural powers |
| Gender | Usually male | Usually male | Both male and female |
| Origin | The first human precursor; exist before mankind | Originated from Germanic folklore | Different myths show their origin, born with light |
| Relation with human | Never like to interact with human | They can interact with humans if they want. | They can interact with human if they want. |
| Uniqueness | They have pointed ears. | Crafting skills, intelligent, and wise people | Some of them have wings and they differ in size. |
What is the Difference Between Dwarfs and Elves?
Dwarves and elves are diminutive, human-like beings that frequently possess magical abilities in myths and folklore. Dwarfs can be ugly or deformed, and they typically have an old man’s appearance with a long beard.
Elves are known to be notorious for pulling pranks and are generally shorter than dwarves in height.
Who Created Dwarves?
Mahal, often referred to as Aul the Smith was their inventor.
Deep beneath an unidentified mountain someplace in Middle-earth, Aul formed the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves, who are the ancestors of all other Dwarves.
Conclusion
- The theories of their existence vary, however, all of them belong to the different groups of supernatural powers.
- They are differing in their appearance, way of living, abilities, and nature.
- Elves and dwarfs are the subgroups of fairies.
- Elves, dwarfs, and fairies are elemental but they can disappear themselves.
- Thus, according to different myths, these supernatural beings have a famous place in the religious point of view and are popular among children at the same time.