A gnome is a mythical creature characterized by its small stature and subterranean lifestyle. According to Paracelsus, gnomes are the most important of the elemental spirits of the classical element earth, and they move as easily through the earth as humans walk upon it. The sun's rays turn them into stone. In other traditions, they are simply small, mischievous sprites or goblins. Some sources claim they spe ...

Including:

• Gnome - Garden gnomes
• Gnome - Gnomic Culture

Read more here: » Gnome: Encyclopedia - Gnome

Read more here: » Boggart: Encyclopedia - Boggart

Kobolds are ugly spirits of German folklore. The name comes from the German word kobalt or kobold meaning "evil spirit", and is often translated in English as goblin. The most common version, Heinzelmännchen, is similar to Robin Goodfellow and brownies: as household elves of ambivalent nature, they sometimes perform domestic chores, but play malicious tricks if not appeased (Hinzelmann is a particular example). Kobold is often used in German to translate the wor ...

Including:

• Kobold - Kobolds in fantasy fiction

Read more here: » Kobold: Encyclopedia - Kobold

Sprite may be: Sprite (creature), a class of preternatural legendary creatures commonly associated with elves, fairies, pixies, and spirits Sprite (computer graphics), a two-dimensional pre-rendered figure, usually containing some transparency Sprite (soft drink), the brand name of a lemon-lime beverage produced by The Coca-Cola Company Sprite operating system, an operating system developed at the University of California, Berkeley SPRITE (IR detector)

Read more here: » Sprite: Encyclopedia - Sprite

A goblin is an evil or merely mischievous creature of folklore, often described as a grotesquely disfigured or elf-like phantom. Goblin - Description. Goblins are grotesque faeries of about dwarf height. Various (sometimes conflicting) abilities and attributes have been given to them: They can appear as animals. They are sometimes said to be mostly invisible to human eye. They are said to count the dead among their companions. They can weave nightmares out of gossamer ...

Including:

• Goblin - Description
• Goblin - Etymology
• Goblin - Goblins in art and literature
• Goblin - Goblins in modern games

Read more here: » Goblin: Encyclopedia - Goblin

In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of female nature entities, sometimes bound to a particular location or landform. Nymphs often accompanied various gods and goddesses, and were the frequent target of lusty satyrs. They are personifications of the creative and fostering activities of nature. The Greek word νύμφη has "bride" and "veiled" among its meanings: hence, a married woman, and, in general, one of marriageable age. Others refer the word (and also Latin nubere and German Knospe) t ...

Including:

• Nymph - Nymph classifications
• Nymph - Foreign adaptations

Read more here: » Nymph: Encyclopedia - Nymph

A brownie, broonie (Lowland Scots) or ùruisg/brùnaidh (Scottish Gaelic) is a legendary kind of elf popular in folklore around England and Scotland. He is the British counterpart of the Scandinavian tomte, the Russian domovoi or the German Heinzelmännchen. Customarily they are said to inhabit houses and aid in tasks around the house. However, brownies do not like to be seen and will only work at night, perhaps in exchange for small gifts or food. They usually abandon the house if their gifts are called payments, or if they are offered gifts of clothes (no matter how shabby their own cl ...

Including:

• Brownie elf - Modern culture

Read more here: » Brownie elf: Encyclopedia - Brownie elf

In Irish mythology, a leprechaun (Modern Irish: leipreachán) is a type of male elf said to inhabit the island of Ireland. They are a class of "faerie folk" associated in Irish mythology and folklore, as with all faeries, with the Tuatha Dé Danann and other quasi-historical races said to have inhabited Ireland before the arrival of the Celts. Leprechauns and other creatures of Irish mythology are often associated with "faerie forts" or "faerie rings" — often the sites of ancie ...

Including:

• Leprechaun - Etymology
• Leprechaun - Mythology
• Leprechaun - Appearance
• Leprechaun - Related creatures
• Leprechaun - In politics
• Leprechaun - Popular culture
• Leprechaun - Films / TV:
• Leprechaun - Literature:
• Leprechaun - General:

Read more here: » Leprechaun: Encyclopedia - Leprechaun

A fairy is a spirit (supernatural being) found in the legends, folklore, and mythology of many cultures. They are generally humanoid in form, though of a higher, spiritual nature and so possessed of preternatural abilities, along with such mystical qualities as otherworldly beauty and grace, an ethereal glow, wings, or the like. They are also regarded as aloof, ephemeral, mercurial, and whimsical, among other qualities that place them outside of a human scope and have a tendency to make them associated or confused with other mythologi ...

Including:

• Fairy - Etymology
• Fairy - Nature
• Fairy - Fairies in literature
• Fairy - Fairies in visual arts
• Fairy - Fairies in modern popular culture
• Fairy - In Debates

Read more here: » Fairy: Encyclopedia - Fairy

A ghost is an alleged non-corporeal manifestation of a dead person (or, rarely, an animal). It is often thought to be the spirit or soul of a person who has remained on Earth after death. According to some beliefs, a ghost may be the personality of a person after his or her death, and not tied directly to the soul or spirit. Every culture in the world carries stories about ghosts, but they vary across time and place, with disagreements both as to what ghosts are and whether they are just f ...

Including:

• Ghost - Beliefs about ghosts
• Ghost - Skeptical analysis
• Ghost - Famous ghosts
• Ghost - Ghosts in fiction
• Ghost - Ghost messengers
• Ghost - Ghost stories
• Ghost - Other uses of ghosts in fiction

Read more here: » Ghost: Encyclopedia - Ghost

A dwarf (plural dwarfs or, more recently, dwarves --see under Tolkien below) is a short humanoid creature in Norse mythology, fairy tales, fantasy fiction and role-playing games. Dwarves are much like humans, but generally living underground or in mountainous areas. Here they have heaped up countless treasures of gold, silver, and precious stones, and pass their time in fabricating costly armor. They are famed miners and smiths although, like humans, they specialize in any number of trades. Generally shorter than humans, ...

Including:

• Dwarf - Mythology and folklore
• Dwarf - The creation of dwarfs
• Dwarf - Dwarf places
• Dwarf - Fairy tales with dwarfs in them
• Dwarf - Possible origin
• Dwarf - Dwarves in modern fantasy fiction
• Dwarf - Tolkien's dwarves
• Dwarf - Dwarves in Artemis Fowl
• Dwarf - Dwarves in subsequent fantasy fiction
• Dwarf - Female dwarves

Read more here: » Dwarf: Encyclopedia - Dwarf

A water sprite (or water faery) is a mythical creature that resembles a human female, but is the color of the sea. Water sprites are said to be able to breathe water or air and are mostly harmless unless threatened. See also: Dagon Jengu naiads nix nymph Mami Wata Melusine mermaid merman ...

Read more here: » Water sprite: Encyclopedia - Water sprite

"The Benevolent Goblin" by Gesta Romanorum and The Goblin of Adachigahara (Japanese) are just a few fairy tales depicting goblins. Also see Brothers Grimm. Christina Rossetti in her poem Goblin Market, used goblins as symbols of earthly desires who tantalize and nearly destroy a girl who falls under their spell. Author George MacDonald, in The Princess and the Goblin, portrayed goblins as malevolent, subterranean creatures. The book is said to have been a childhood favorite of J. R. R. Tolkien, who populate ...

See also:

Goblin, Goblin - Description, Goblin - Etymology, Goblin - Goblins in art and literature, Goblin - Goblins in modern games

Read more here: » Goblin: Encyclopedia II - Goblin - Goblins in art and literature

Two major branches of goblins exist in popular game properties. Along side with J. R. R. Tolkien's descriptions of small Orcs, the older branch is inherently evil and malicious, with varying coloring and generally matted and filthy hair. This type of goblin appears in Dungeons & Dragons. The distinctive green-skinned, hairless, capricious, and generally immoral (rather than absolutely evil) goblins created for Warhammer are direct progenitors of goblins in more modern games, such as those in the War ...

See also:

Goblin, Goblin - Description, Goblin - Etymology, Goblin - Goblins in art and literature, Goblin - Goblins in modern games

Read more here: » Goblin: Encyclopedia II - Goblin - Goblins in modern games

One myth states that pixies were a race of people who were not good enough for Heaven or bad enough for Hell and were therefore forced to remain on Earth forever. Another legend claims that they were Druids who resisted Christianity and were subsequently sentenced by God to grow smaller and smaller until they accepted Christianity. More recently a theory has developed that they are named after the nation of Picts that inhabited Scotland during the post-Roman period, whom some believe are descended from an indigenous group of people pr ...

See also:

Pixie, Pixie - Mythic origins, Pixie - Characteristics, Pixie - Modern medicine, Pixie - In modern popular culture

Read more here: » Pixie: Encyclopedia II - Pixie - Mythic origins

There are a number of possible etymologies of the name "leprechaun". One of the most widely accepted theories is that the name comes from the Irish Gaelic word leipreachán, defined by Dinneen as "a pigmy, a sprite, a leprechaun; for luchorpán"; the latter word Dinneen defines as "a pigmy, a leprechaun; 'a kind of aqueous sprite'";[2] this word has also been identified as meaning "half-bodied", or "small-bodied". This is the etymology given in the Collins English Dictionary.^{See also:}

Leprechaun, Leprechaun - Etymology, Leprechaun - Mythology, Leprechaun - Appearance, Leprechaun - Related creatures, Leprechaun - In politics, Leprechaun - Popular culture, Leprechaun - Films / TV:, Leprechaun - Literature:, Leprechaun - General:

Read more here: » Leprechaun: Encyclopedia II - Leprechaun - Etymology

Brownies were popularized in the humoristic poems of Canadian artist and author Palmer Cox. By extension, the name of Brownies was given to the junior branch of the Girl Guides (American Girl Scouts). The Cleveland Browns are often called the Brownies by their fans and used a brownie elf as an official mascot from their beginings in 1946 until owner Art Modell phased it out in the mid-1960's. It was revived on a limited basis by the Browns since the team returned in 1999. During the 2004 Season, The Brownie appeared on the Team's sideline ponchos and equipment trunks and there are stories about the Bro ...

See also:

Brownie elf, Brownie elf - Modern culture

Read more here: » Brownie elf: Encyclopedia II - Brownie elf - Modern culture

The first garden gnomes were introduced to the United Kingdom in 1847 by Sir Charles Isham, when he brought 21 terracotta figures back from a trip to Germany and placed them as ornaments in the gardens of his home, Lamport Hall in Northamptonshire. Only one of the original batch of gnomes survives: Lampy as he is known, is on display at Lamport Hall, and is insured for one million pounds. Garden gnomes have become a popular accessory in many gardens, although they are not loved by all. They are often the target of pranks ...

See also:

Gnome, Gnome - Garden gnomes, Gnome - Gnomic Culture

Read more here: » Gnome: Encyclopedia II - Gnome - Garden gnomes

In some parts of the world, spirits are believed to be able to possess humans and control their behaviour. ...

See also:

Spiritual being, Spiritual being - Connections to other concepts, Spiritual being - Traits of a spiritual being, Spiritual being - Gods as spirits, Spiritual being - Spirits in Nature, Spiritual being - Supposed extensiveness of spiritual beings, Spiritual being - Spiritual possession

Read more here: » Spiritual being: Encyclopedia II - Spiritual being - Spiritual possession

The words fae and faerie came to English from French and, ultimately, Latin. An interesting correlation is the word "fey," which may be derived ultimately from the same Latin root and is now returning to mean the same as "fae." The Latin root fata, meaning fate in the sense of one of the Parcae, is an indication that fays have abilities associated with knowledge (foresight) and manipulation (luck, blessing, cursing) of fate, both of whic ...

See also:

Fairy, Fairy - Etymology, Fairy - Nature, Fairy - Fairies in literature, Fairy - Fairies in visual arts, Fairy - Fairies in modern popular culture, Fairy - In Debates

Read more here: » Fairy: Encyclopedia II - Fairy - Etymology