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

into being, due to a
    good deed. In fact, houris may be the pure physical mani-
    festation of good deeds pleasing to God.
    Howlers/Glashtin/Hawlaa/Howlies—Air
    On the Isle of Man and perhaps in Scotland, these faeries
    appear to be half cow and half horse, though which animal
    has the head and which has the tail may vary. Those with
    the head of a horse are smart while those with the head of a cow are dull.
    52 • Chapter One
    Howlers are so named because they howl with joy
    before a storm appears. The howlers can be a good warning
    before an especially destructive windstorm. They enjoy riding on the wind and laughing as the wind causes property
    damage. It is possible that howlers even cause such storms.
    There is no way to prevent a storm caused or heralded by a howler, but you can take cover.
    Hyldermolders—Earth
    Scandinavian hyldermolders have spread to all over Europe
    to guard the sacred elder tree. Hyldermolders are always
    female, and appear as elderly matriarchs in beautiful green gowns. A hyldermolder can be asked during the full moon
    to work mother goddess magic. Anything to do with fer-
    tility, abundance, or psychic power is easily granted by her magic. However, never try to steal wood from the elder tree by cutting or burning it, or you will find that she can attack with malice and frightening magic.
    Hysters—Air
    Hysters may have originated in Spain or England and
    spread all over the world, and they are shapeshifters that normally take the form of birds. They like to frighten
    humans, so they’ll pick a bird that makes a person uneasy, like a buzzard or a vulture, and may even wear a human
    face. A hyster’s idea of a good time is to dive-bomb a
    human to frighten him or her. Though they are not danger-
    ous, hysters are also not helpful.
    Getting started with Faeries • 53
    Ieles—Earth
    The terrifying ileles of Eastern Europe wait near human
    paths at night. They look like big cats that walk on their hind legs. They attack and kill humans and suck their
    blood. If you see an ilele, he or she may try to lure you away from a busy road by dancing or making beautiful music.
    Do not follow an ilele. Instead, retreat to a crossroads. Ileles cannot enter crossroads, as the magical intersections take away their power.
    Jinn/Afreets/Djinn/Genies/Jeannies/Jeenies—Air
    From Persia and Saudi Arabia, these spirits live inside magical receptacles. Female jinn live in bottles while male jinn live inside oil lamps. When the magical receptacle is rubbed by a human, the jinn will emerge and offer to do the bidding of the human. However, jinn are not naturally very
    friendly, and they may try to trick the very people that they serve.
    Kelpies/Fuath/Nickers/Nuggies/Shoneys/
    Uisges—Water
    From Cornwall, Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Germany, Shet-
    land, and other regions, kelpies are small and round. With webbed feet, horse’s tails, pointed, ears and large teeth, kelpies may be funny to look at, but they are easily given to rage and somehow manage to be both sneaky and simple.
    When left in the wild, kelpies live near the water and
    feed on wild deer. They may try to lure humans toward the
    water in order to eat them. Kelpies can shapeshift, but do so poorly, leaving seaweed on their person as a dead giveaway.
    54 • Chapter One
    If you see a kelpie taking the form of a seahorse or a beautiful human with seaweed hair, stay away from the water.
    Knockers/Black Dwarves/ Coblynaus/
    Gommes/Paras/Wichlein—Earth
    Knockers are underground-dwelling faeries widespread in
    European mines. They are short and may appear seemingly
    out of thin air to make funny faces at people. So named
    because they make a knocking noise in order to commu-
    nicate with human miners, knockers can be either a friend
    or a dangerous enemy depending on how respectfully they
    are treated. However, if they are befriended, knockers will lead miners to veins of valuable minerals as well as knock frantically to warn of an impending disaster.
    If