Faeries & Elementals for Beginners: Learn About & Communicate With Nature Spirits by Alexandra Chauran

annwn come from
    Wales and are guardians of children, mothers, and the
    poor. Gwragedd annwn appear as breathtakingly beauti-
    ful human women, but they normally make their home at
    the bottom of mountain lakes. When they do emerge, they
    are very friendly to humans. Gwragedd annwn are always
    patient and loving with human children, but may be a bit
    moody and quick to cause drama in mixed social settings.
    They love the number five and collect objects from the lake in that number. In fact, they cannot count higher than the number five.
    Gwragedd annwn can be approached gladly, although
    you may have to be overly polite so as not to offend them.
    They enjoy music and dancing, if you would like to make
    them happy. Men can fall in love with and even marry
    gwragedd annwn without it ending in strife as with many
    other faerie marriages. Humans and gwragedd annwn can
    interbreed to make beautiful children who love music.
    Gwyllions—Fire
    These faeries may once have been able to fly, but they no
    longer have the power of flight. They guard wild mountain
    goats of Wales, and only come out at night. They mostly
    keep to themselves and are so very rarely seen that it may be hard to find a reliable description of them, since they are normally spoken of as strange figures seen in the mountains at night.
    Gwyllions are not unfriendly towards humans, only
    shy. They fear storms, and so a friendship can be made of
    50 • Chapter One
    them if you offer them shelter in the rain. Never threaten a gwyllion, especially with a knife. Though a gwyllion is said to grant a wish when frightened by a knife, he or she may
    spend a lifetime getting even with the human who made
    such a threat.
    Herdswomen/Firesitters/Gruagachs—Earth
    A herdswoman is a faerie woman that looks like a human,
    only she is quite old and deformed. Wandering Scotland,
    carrying a shepherd’s crook and wearing a gown of green
    or gold, a herdswoman seeks out companionship and a
    warm fire. When meeting humans, they normally shun her
    because of her ugliness, so she is always lonely and cold.
    Even when she does find somebody to speak with, they
    normally ignore her because her attention span is too short to be able to understand long stories.
    If meeting a herdswoman, invite her to sit by the fire
    and she will be so overjoyed to have good conversation and warmth that she will gladly help you. She helps cattle find water and stay out of trouble, and guards livestock from
    malevolent faeries. Offering a herdswoman some milk will
    also please her.
    His Nibs/Clurichauns/Monciellos—Earth
    Found in both Italy and Ireland, his nibs are solitary faerie creatures that are short, wingless, elderly and male, wearing red hats made of flowers. His nibs find and then guard wine cellars, so that they can drink far too much themselves. His nibs are cheerful drunks, however. Even though they take
    wine for themselves, they also prevent cask leakage and
    Getting started with Faeries • 51
    stop the wines from turning to vinegar. They gladly allow
    the owner of the cellar to take as much as he or she wants, but chase away would-be wine thieves that are not his nibs themselves.
    The trouble with his nibs is that they require polite
    hospitality. Leave out wine for his nibs to drink, otherwise they may become upset by your rudeness and destroy your
    entire stock of wine before leaving forever.
    Houris—Air
    Houris are spiritual creatures of Arabic origin that represent the ecstasy of the awareness of God. Described as being attractive men or women, each endowed with translucent
    skin and an especially arresting gaze, houris are very tall creatures with no hair except on their heads. Houris have
    few biological needs, as they don’t eat or defecate. Even gestation lasts only an hour for them, without showing any
    sign of the pregnancy.
    As a result, a houri cannot be lured by food like other
    beings. Instead, being pure creatures that belong to God,
    a houri may be attracted to, or come