The Magical, Mystical Fairy

Fairies have been a great inspiration for stories and art through the years, as the usually winsome little characters have captured the imagination of numerous people and encouraged them to tell stories or create art based on the persona of the diminutive little creatures.

Contrary to the modern idea of what a fairy is, in the past, they weren't primarily the tiny little creatures flying around with wings we think of and see in today's depiction of them.

Fairies were of all different sizes in legend and lore, sometimes described in a troll-like fashion, other times as taking the form of what we think of as angels in modern times.

Also of significance when contrasting fairies as they were thought of throughout the centuries against today, is they usually weren't presented as creatures with wings, but rather traveled in a magical, physically unassisted manner.

It's almost certain that the modern concept of a fairy comes from Disney's Tinkerbell. For years when Disney had a show, you would have Tinkerbell flying around at the beginning, waving her wand to get the show going.

The little fairy also was included in some shows at the time, and recently has starred in her own movie.

This has resulted in the winsomeness and more human quality to the little flying creatures, than in the past, presented as dealing with things all of us may face.

Below are some fantastic images of fairies as imagined by various artists.

Fairy art can be very pleasing to the eye, as well as inspiring. The first image below is very much that to me, as you see the little creature walking or prancing across the stones or pebbles.

My favorite part of this image is the transparent, light-green wings. They look great against the white and dark background.

The various hues of green also work very well; looking great.

Next we have this gorgeous work called "My Reflection," again with green as the predominant color, with the nice contrasting red of the hair.

The transparent wings are terrific, as is that little box on the side of her, which appears to be a gift box she opened. I'm not sure what that meaning is, but the light emanating from it is makes the image interesting.

Those flowers in her hair are a nice addition as well.

In this photo, which is called Faerie Grove (using an old spelling of the word), we have a young lady seeming to come upon a group of fairies as she's walking in the woods. Here we get a better look at the tiny little beings as compared to a human.

The bright light surrounding each fairy is enchanting, the lighter color of the opening on the right of the young woman gives the sense she walked into a darker part of the forest which the fairies apparently prefer to be.

It's the great look on the face of the young lady which makes this piece of art work so well, as she appears to look at amazement and wonder at her discovery.

Works of art can represent and speak many things, and this image of the Lost Fairy does just that, reminding us of how all of us have felt at one period of time or another in our lives.

What is powerful to me here is that sense of being alone after an event which can temporarily break us, as represented here by the broken wing of the fairy. The bloody mouth contributes to the reality of how life can sometimes be a painful experience.

The work is great, and on a lighter note, those little dragonflies flying around her offer up the idea that she's not alone and there's support out there, even if it doesn't feel like it at the time.

Here we're back to the whimsical and magical feel of fairies, and it really captures the imagination to think that we would be so excited and enamored to see an actual fairy, yet here it appears this fairies have had the same thing happen to them by whatever it is they see through this opening.

You have to think: What is this an opening to ... and what are they so captivated by?

The fairy art itself is great, and I like how the transparency goes beyond the wings of the fairies, to the fairies themselves.

For me, fairy art can be a very captivating experience, as it reminds us of that part of our world that is invisible to the eyes, or possibly another world altogether.

It also brings back memories of a time in our childhood when everything seem so wondrous and magical, reminding us we don' t have to throw that entirely away when we become adults. A little bit of wonder would do us all good, I believe.