No one knows how the idea of fairies came about. But it is easy to guess. People saw things happening that they could not understand. "Some little creatures we cannot see must be at work," they said to themselves. "They must come out of hiding only at night," they argued. "And they must be very tiny or we would hear them."
The idea of tiny, invisible creatures with magic powers did not spring up in just one part of the world. It has been found in almost every part. There are ever so many fairy stories. Some of the country people in Ireland believe in fairies to this day. They call them "the little people."
In English fairy stories the fairies have a king and queen. The king is Oberon. The queen is Titania. They reign in Fairyland.
The very first book of fairy tales for children was published in France in 1697. The story of Cinderella was in that book.
Not all the fairies in fairy tales are good. In the story of Sleeping Beauty, a wicked fairy made the plan that put the princess to sleep for so many years.
Many fairy tales are about elves and brownies and gnomes. These little creatures usually live near people—in the house, perhaps, or in nearby forests and meadows. Often they play naughty tricks.
