It's Hallowe'en! A time when, according to our pagan ancestors, fairies and spirits were able to enter into this world and walk among mortals.
Otherworldly spirits are an integral part of European folklore and mythology, dating back millennia. They were often dpited as powerful magical beings who could influence the lives of men. No wonder we can see their influence in the names we give to our children! Indeed, British parents have been bestowing and creating "spritely" names for centuries.
Fairies
Our word 'fairy' comes from the Old French word faerie, which originally meant 'land of the fae,' but as of the late 14th century came to describe the magical beings. Fairy has been used as a unisex first-name in Britain since the 18th century, thanks to the surname Fairy, and not the supernatural beings. The surname is derived from the Old English fæger "fair, attractive" and ēaġe "eye." Although it started as unisex, by the end of the 19th century it was mostly feminine, most likely thanks to the Victorian fascination with fairies.
It is thought that the name Fae or Fay originally derived from the Latin fata, used to refer to "The Fates." Fata is now used as an Italian cognate for Fairy, which can be particularly seen in the name Fata Morgana, the Italian name for Morgan Le Fay. Other cognates for "fairy" that are in use as names in other countries include Tien in Vietnamese, Aroni in Yoruba, Feya in Russian, Siofra in Irish, and Tündér or Tünde in Hungarian.
In Persian folklore, peris, or paris, are very similar to European fairies. They are beautiful and immortal winged creatures who sometimes influence the lives of men. Several Persian names contain the element pari: Pari, Parisa "fairy like", Pareerou "fairy face" and Gulpari "rose fairy".
There are also several famous fairies in literature and mythology that have inspired first-names. Tinkerbell, the creation of J.M. Barrie in Peter Pan, is perhaps one of the most famous and has seen some usage as a middle name in Britain. Shakespeare created several fay characters including Oberon, Titania, Puck and Ariel. Spenser used Gloriana and Tanaquill as the name of his Faerie Queene, and Florizel featured as Henry Beston's fairy prince. The "fairy opera" Iolanthe (1882) featured several fairy characters by the names of Iolanthe, Leila, Fleta and Celia (who also features as a fairy queen in Arthurian legend).
Irish and British mythology features a whole host of fairy characters. Aine/Aynia, Ainsel, Cliodhna, Doireann, Fionnbharr, Godda, Jeannie, Mab, Marga, Midir and Oona/Una are just a few.
Elves
I've touched on the realm of Elves several times when discussing names, and it is no wonder given that there are simply dozens and dozens of elfin-inspired names.
The Anglo-Saxons had a great reverence for elves. Their word, ælf, was used in a multitude of names -- particularly the old favourite Alfred. Other Old English "elf"-compounds included Algar, Alvin, Elvin, Elric, Alviva, Elfleda and Elfreda. The Norse and Germanic words, alfr and alf, were used the names Alf, Alfarinn, Alvarin, Alberic (Aubrey), Alfbern, Alfarr, Alfinn, Aldor, Alfvaldr, Gandalf, Alfwin, Alva, Alfrun and Alfhild.
The Gaelic Ailill (modern Oilill) "elf" was a very popular male name in early Ireland, with Ailillán and Aillén "little elf" as diminutives. Ailleann is a feminine form.
Famous elves are numerous. Tolkien provides a whole host of Elven names in his legendarium of Middle Earth, where many Elvish names are coined from his invented languages Quenya and Sindarin. Among the most famous are Arwen, Galadriel, Legolas, Thranduil, Tinuviel and Celeborn.
Pixies
Pixies are small humanlike beings, known for being mischievous and fun-loving. They were particularly notable in Cornish and West Country folk-lore, where they are also known as piskies, suggesting the name is of Celtic origin. Some argue, on the other hand, that the term may have come from the Swedish pyske meaning "small fairy." The name Pixie has been growing in recent years thanks to the media coverage of Pixie Geldof, Pixie Lott (birth name: Victoria) and Dr Pixie McKenna (birth name: Bernadette). In 2011 Pixie ranked #432 (99 births) in England and Wales.
The similar sounding Nixie is a Germanic name (adopted in 1816 by Sir Walter Scott) for a water sprite.
Water-Spirits
Being an island, its understandable that much of British folk-lore contains tales of mystical and mysterious sea-creatures. The most famous of these magical sea-beings is the mermaid, literally meaning "sea-maid." However, such creatures were rarely thought to embark onto land, so I'll save them for a later post. There are several other water spirits that were said to leave the sea to walk on land among men.
Selkies originate from Scottish folk-lore (but also found in Ireland and Iceland) where, especially in the Shetlands and Orkneys, it was believed that magical beings took the form of seals in the sea, but could transform into humans on land. Many legends survive in folklore involving men taking selkies for wives. The name Selkie (sometimes Silkie, Selky or Selchie) derives from the Scots word for a seal, and has occasionally been used as a first name.
Kelpies are very similar in origin to the Selkie, though instead of taking the form of a seal, kelpies were thought to be water-horses who could take human form. The word Kelpie or Kelpy derives from the Scots cailpeach "colt."
Paracelsus created the term Undine for a water nymph in the 16th century, coined from the Latin unda "wave." Undines later entered Germanic folklore and literature, and eventually spread to Britain. According to legends they were prone to fall in love with mortal men. This helped them to gain a soul, but also led to the loss of their immortality. Undine, Undina and Ondine have all been used as feminine first names since the 19th century.
