Well, Wikipedia states that while current society illustrates them as winged, radiant creatures, they were originally portrayed much differently. One concept, they are tall, angelic creatures with a radiant disposition. A second concept depicts them as diminutive, wrinkled troll-like beings. The idea of wings came about in Victorian era artwork. In the original folklore, wings are rare. Instead, fairies flew with magic or on stems of ragwort or birds. This is a much different ideology than what I envision.
Folk beliefs identified fairies as:
1. Dead. Fairies were ghosts. Hmm…I cannot see myself being scared of a fairy ghost, but that’s probably because I visualize them as little people wearing wings! LOL
2. Demoted angels. Hmm…interesting, but this belief isn’t talking about fallen angels. Rather, angels that were caught between heaven and hell when God locked the doors to heaven. Well, that doesn’t seem fair! Another notion is that they weren’t bad enough for Hell and weren’t good enough for heaven. Wonders if this is similar to a purgatory concept…hmmm?
3. Demons. There sure is a lot of God folklore associated with fairies.
4. Babies Laugh. I love this idea! In a story about Peter Pan, author J.M. Barrie of The Little White Bird, said, “When the first baby laughed for the first time, his laugh broke into a million pieces, and they all went skipping about. That was the beginning of fairies.”
There are more beliefs and legends on fairies, but I’ll let you read about them on your own at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy if you’re interested.
In my short erotic romance e-book, Fairy Casanova—part of Decadent Publishing’s 1NightStand series—a very human woman discovers she has scheduled a one-night stand with a very real fairy. Would you believe someone without proof if they told you they were a fairy? I sure wouldn’t and…well, here’s how the heroine takes the news:
~~~
“I’m going to peel your garment from your body, slowly”—she groaned again at the vivid imagery—”and taste every inch of your human flesh.”
Human flesh?
She froze against his body. What a strange thing to say.
Sadie leaned back to stare at him. “You don’t think you’re…human?” She hesitated uttering the word human for fear of his answer.
“I’m not human.”
The response she’d feared receiving.
“Madame Evangeline didn’t impart I’m a fairy?”
She blinked, tried to process the information, and failed. “Mmhmm…a fairy?” Her stomach pitched to the floor. “Really? Wow.” Finally, she understood how her request had come into play. She’d checked off otherworldly, not expecting much more than someone who believed in aliens or something equally eccentric. But a sexy fairy, ready to be her one-night stand…He didn’t really expect her to believe that, did he? She lived and breathed balderdash in the courtroom, and she could sniff out lies better than a hound dog could sniff out quarry. “You’re a fairy? Give me a break.”
“It’s true.”
Sadie glared at him, any amusement she might have felt shifting straight into irritation. “How fantastic for you.” And horrifying for me!
Jace grinned, exposing straight white teeth, and he went from gorgeous to pussy-throbbing—forget heart-throbbing. He affected the lower region of her anatomy far too much for the latter description. Maybe she shouldn’t let it bother her that he was crazy. If he kept talking that fairy business, he’d end up in a nuthouse—assuming he wasn’t an escapee already.
“I can prove it.”
“How? You going to morph into a tiny fairy with gossamer wings?”
He laughed, and the rich timbre of the sound washed over her sensitized skin like a deep-body massage. Nut job or not, she couldn’t deny his lethal pheromones.
“Not exactly.”
He released her, and Sadie instantly felt lonely, and suddenly cold, outside of his embrace. Jace took a couple of steps backward and tugged his shirt out of his jeans. As his fingers went to the first button on his shirt, she realized she still held the glass of whiskey. No longer wanting the liquid fortitude, she placed it on the bar, watching him. His gaze roamed along her figure as he freed the buttons, exposing a little more skin with each release.
Her eyes were drawn to his dark nipples and a smattering of hair in the middle of his chest, a shade lighter than the hair on his head. The final button gave free, uncovering a dark trail of hair below his belly-button that dipped into his jeans. A path to guide her exploration. Very nice.
“Brace yourself.”
Sadie swallowed hard and tore her gaze from his chest as he rubbed his hands together. The sparkle in his honey eyes held hers hostage.
“This is where it gets unusual and otherworldly.” Jace winked, and her mouth dropped open in a silent, shocked breath. Not because he stripped off his shirt and tossed it aside—even though the baring of his chest certainly rendered her with a prolonged case of mute-itis—but because he knew two of her four one-nighter requirements. His toned abdomen rippled with defined strength, and his arms sported muscular definition. “I don’t give a shit about your Uncle Sam. And I’m not married.”
“Madame Evangeline let you see my requests?”Well, duh! So much for demonstrating her natural talent to bullshit her way through any situation, a flair which normally aided her well in the courtroom.
“She texted them.”
“What’d you ask for?”
“I asked for someone open-minded and willing to embrace the paranormal.”
Riiiiight. She’d never been accused of being a paranormal embracer. Scary movies made her cry. The first page of a horror book sequestered her beneath the covers, praying nothing limped out of her closet or crawled from underneath her bed. She flat out did not do “paranormal”. As for “open-minded”…Ha! She was an attorney, which pretty much explained everything.
Something wispy and diaphanous rose from behind him, curled outward like a long roll of parchment—or tinfoil—but much more striking than either.
Wings!
A deep shade of red tipped and interlaced throughout with black to create random diamond-shaped designs on gossamer wings?
“My God…” Sadie’s voice trailed off as she stared in wonder, forgetting she’d thought him crazy moments before. They were beautifully constructed, and when he presented his back to her, she realized they were almost as tall as he was. Dangling from the base of each wing were fat, blood-red droplets at least an inch in circumference, almost grazing the carpeted floor. Compelled to touch his wings, she stroked one and then the other. Gauzy soft, they felt paper thin as they shimmied beneath her hands. “How do you keep from ripping them?”
“They’re sturdier than they look.” He peeked over his shoulder. “Believe me now, Sadie?”
~~~
Jace wasn’t crafted to fit any of the folk lore beliefs I listed above. He’s humanoid in nature, from another dimension that isn’t related to heaven or hell, and is sexy. His wings aren’t just pretty or used to fly about, but they are very nimble and useful. He has very real problems, just like any human does, and he’s obsessed with human women.
Thanks for joining me today and thanks to Denyse for having me with her!
Huggles,
Gracen Miller
Where you can stalk me—not really!—but I would love to meet and interact with you:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gracen.miller
Road to Hell series FB Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Road-to-Hell-series/112564408814796?ref=ts
Website: www.gracenmiller.com
Blog: http://madisonroadtohell.blogspot.com/
Fairy Casanova Blurb:
Jace is about to become King of the fairies. One minor glitch, he's obsessed with humans. Before becoming King, he wants one night with a human before he's forever forbidden from crossing into the human realm. After a stellar night of sex, Jace is surprised to discover Sadie isn't just a human, but his mate. Complicating everything with the revelation, he's willing to forfeit his kingdom for her, but Sadie must decide if he's worth the biggest gamble yet.
Fairy Casanova Excerpt:
Knocking once to warn her of his arrival, he used the key card to let himself into the room. The door clicked shut behind him as he scanned the room for his evening’s companion.
“Hello,” she said when their eyes met.
Her sultry voice tempted him, much as a Siren lured a man to his demise against the rocky coast of her island. His mortal Siren offered him a shy wave.
“Want a drink?” She held up a goblet, half-full of amber liquor.
Her edginess socked his acute fairy senses like a blow to the gut.
Interesting. Why was she here then?
“No, thanks.” He moved toward her, intrigued by the competing vibes the woman evoked…reserved and salacious.
Maybe other men found the arctic chill of her gaze daunting. He found it intriguing, even challenging. Women would be envious and intimidated by her high-level eroticism.
Stunning, and nothing like the fairies he would command. Long, shiny, black hair framed her oval face. He couldn't wait to get his fingers in the wavy locks. Gunmetal-silver eyes warily watched him. Rimmed in a thin stripe of black eyeliner and splashed with a smidge of dark-gray shadow, the contrast brought out the stellar shade of her irises. High cheekbones, a slightly upturned nose, and wide lips, naturally dark red, or she'd been biting them in anxiety. Unlike the diminutive fairy-women, she was tall—not more than an inch or two shorter than his five-ten height. Most female fairies barely reached his chest, which made her a charming oddity. And she owned killer curves—again, unlike most beanpole-thin fairies—and those curves were framed in an evocative, skintight, black cocktail dress.
Jace stopped in front of her and stared at her mouth. He knew many places he wanted those lips, but mostly he wanted them rounded on an orgasmic scream.
“I'm Jace.”
She swallowed and cleared her throat, but her voice came out low and raspy. “Sadie.”
He dipped his finger into the crystal glass she held poised below her chin. A fat droplet of liquor clung to his forefinger, and he spread it across her pouty bottom lip. Her eyes widened, and her breathing noticeably accelerated. As if prompted, her tongue swiped away the moisture, and his cock twitched in reaction.
“You're perfect. Stunning.”
She laughed, a charming sound, as a blush crept across her cheeks. For the first time since beginning his adventure, he considered the horrible ramifications of falling hard for a human. Impossible! There wouldn't be enough time to grow attached to a one-night stand. Neither would his parents nor soon-to-be subjects approve.
BUY LINKS:
I love the various descriptions of fairies, Gracen! Congrats on a fascinating story!
ReplyDeletewhat a great article. I think of small people who is helpful when I hear the word fairy. susan Leech garysue@
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