The myths and legends about Faerie are many and diverse, and often contradictory. Only one thing is certain - that nothing is certain. All things are possible in the land of Faerie.
The mystery of Faerie has been, from the earliest times, a subject of human speculation. What are faeries? Where did they come from?
Norse mythology relates how the maggots emerging from the corpse of the giant Ymir transformed themselves into the Light Elves and the Dark elves. light elves, living in the air, are benign, happy creatures, but the dark elves, whose domains are the underground regions, are swarthy, evil and blighting.
The Icelandic version, on the other hand, states that Eve was washing all her children by the river when God spoke to her. In awe and fear she hid those children she had not already washed. God asked if all her children were there and she replied that they were. He then declared that those she had hidden from him would be hidden from man. These hidden children became the elves or faeries and were known as Huldre Folk in the scandinavian countries. Huldre girls are exceptionally beautiful, but with long cowstails; or else they are hollow behind, presenting only a beautiful front. Thus they fulfil the deception of their origin.
Elsewhere faeries are believed to be fallen angels; or the heathen dead, not good enough for Heaven, but not evil enough to find a place in Hell - compelled to live forever 'in between' in the twilight regions, the Middle Kingdom. In Devon for instance pixies are considered to be the souls of unbaptized children. However, these beliefs stem only from the advent of Christianity, baptism being unknown prior to that time, and hence cannot be regarded as reliable. Faerie is very ancient and predates Christianity by several millenia. Moreover it exist, and has existed, in varying forms, in many countries all over the world.
--- Faeries --- Brian Froud and Alan Lee
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