Sprite (folklore)
| Grouping | Legendary creature Pixie Fairy |
|---|---|
| Region | Europe |
Asprite is asupernatural entity in European mythology. They are often depicted asfairy-like creatures or as an ethereal entity.[1]
The wordsprite is derived from theLatinspiritus ("spirit"), via the Frenchesprit. Variations on the term includespright and theCelticspriggan. The term is chiefly used with regard to elves and fairies inEuropean folklore, and inmodern English is rarely used in reference to spirits.
Belief in sprites
The belief in diminutive beings such as sprites,elves,fairies, etc. has been common in many parts of the world, and might to some extent still be found within neo-spiritual and religious movements such as "neo-druidism" andÁsatrú.
In some elemental magics, the sprite is often believed to be the elemental of air (see alsosylph).
Water sprite
A water sprite (also called a water fairy or water faery) is a general term for anelemental spirit associated withwater, according to alchemistParacelsus. Water sprites are said to be able to breathe water or air and sometimes can fly.
These creatures exist in themythology of various groups.Ancient Greeks knewwater nymphs in several types such asnaiads (ornyads), which were divine entities that tended to be fixed in one place[2] and so differed from gods or physical creatures.Slavic mythology knows them asvilas.
Water sprites differ fromcorporeal beings, such asselkies,mermaids, andsirens, as they are not purely physical and are more akin to local deities than animals.[3]
References
- ^Briggs, Katharine M. (1976).A Dictionary of Fairies. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin. p. 381.ISBN 978-0-14-004753-0.
- ^Rose, Herbert (1959).A Handbook of Greek Mythology. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co. pp. 173.ISBN 978-0-525-47041-0.
- ^Simpson, Jacqueline (2000).A Dictionary of English Folklore. Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN 978-0198607663.
External links
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
News from Wikinews
Texts from Wikisource
