The Hidden Children: Eve and the Origins of Fairies

 There are many old stories that try to explain where fairies come from. One of the most curious tales begins with Eve, the first mother.

According to the tale, God came to visit her and asked to see her children. Wanting to impress Him, Eve hurried to bathe and dress the children. But some were still dirty. Embarrassed, she hid the dirty children and showed only the ones who were freshly washed.

God looked at the children before Him and then said:

"What you have hidden from me shall remain hidden from mankind."

From that moment on, the hidden children disappeared from the human world. They became the hidden people—spirits and fairy folk who live alongside us but can no longer be fully seen. Some traditions say they turned into elves, while others say they became fairies, sprites, or household spirits who wander between our world and theirs.

According to this tale, they all came from God (the Christian one). However, these mythical creatures, who are very similar to one another and interchangeable in some situations, existed before Christianity.

In Ireland, the sidhe dwell in burial mounds. In Iceland, the huldufólk—literally "hidden people"—build unseen homes in rocks and hillsides. In Brittany, the korrigans are related to springs and forests. Each culture has its own version of the story, but the theme is the same: beings who are almost human yet very different from us.

According to ancient myths, fairies were once the hidden children of Eve—spirits bound to dwell between the human world and the unseen realm. Over the centuries, their image has shifted from that of feared and powerful beings to the delicate figures of fairy tales.

The Christian takeover of the myths 

As mentioned earlier, fairies, elves, and trolls were part of mythology long before Christianity. However, as this religion spread across the globe, many local myths were absorbed into it. Of course, they were changed to fit the Christian view of the world.

Many were sanitized by artists to please society. For example, an ugly, evil fairy can't be used in children's stories, so she has to be tamed and "cleaned" to become the cute creature we all grew up knowing.

In this view, good things are beautiful, and bad things are ugly. After those changes, the fairies were good and therefore beautiful.

Good or evil?

Regardless of their "type," fairies are described as demons. They are evil, vengeful creatures who want nothing more than to steal, kidnap children, and kill.

There are even tales of people who make deals with fairies, much like deals with the devil that we are so accustomed to seeing in movies, series, books, and comics.

However, unlike demons (or fallen angels), fairies don't have a moral component. At least not one that humans can understand.

In short, the fairies in fairy tales are very different from those in myths. They're almost like entirely different beings. They are not playful or cute; they are creatures with their own moral code, rituals, and culture.

The fairy tales 

Like all children's stories, fairy tales can have evil characters, but the good ones always win in the end. Fairies and some elves are the good ones. Trolls are usually described as dumb and evil, or at least dumb enough to obey evil orders.

A moral lesson is also present to teach children about good and evil. And there is a Christian moral as Europe becomes a Christian continent.

Similar entities become totally different creatures and sometimes become enemies.

However, the real myths remain unchanged in some places, and people who worship them still exist. They're not the Instagram influencer type, but rather real believers and practitioners of their rituals.