Sprite (folklore)

Sprite
Grouping	Legendary creature; Pixie; Fairy
First attested	In folklore
Region	Europe

Aspriteis asupernaturalentity in European mythology. They are often depicted asfairy-like creatures or as an ethereal entity.^[1]

Etymology

The wordspriteis derived from theLatinspiritus( "spirit" ), via the Frenchesprit.Variations on the term includesprightand theCelticspriggan.The term is chiefly used with regard to elves and fairies inEuropean folklore,and inmodern Englishis rarely used in reference to spirits.

Belief in sprites

The prince thanking the Water sprite, fromThe Princess Nobody: A Tale of Fairyland (1884)byAndrew Lang(illustration byRichard Doyle)

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

Dancing Fairiesby the Swedish painterAugust Malmström

A water sprite (also called a water fairy or water faery) is a general term for anelementalspirit 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 themythologyof various groups.Ancient Greeksknewwater nymphsin 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 mythologyknows 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

Swedish myths

[BriggsFairies-1] Briggs, Katharine M.(1976).A Dictionary of Fairies.Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin. p. 381.ISBN 978-0-14-004753-0.

[2] Rose, Herbert (1959).A Handbook of Greek Mythology.New York: E.P. Dutton & Co. pp.173.ISBN 978-0-525-47041-0.

[3] Simpson, Jacqueline (2000).A Dictionary of English Folklore.Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN 978-0198607663.

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Grouping	Legendary creature Pixie Fairy
First attested	In folklore
Region	Europe