Mayday

Watcher of the Darkness

Lewis called them longaevi; Paracelsus, elementals; and Shakespeare, fairies. They were sidhe to the Irish, elves to the Germans, kami to the Japanese, nymphs to the Greeks, jinni to the Arabs, and vaesen to the Norse. They are the Children of Oberon, the third rational race, the Secret Commonwealth of Robert Kirk.

The Church, of course, takes no official stance on the existence of the fair folk (or extraterrestrials, for that matter) but some rather wise Christians over the centuries have given them the benefit of the doubt. While some would claim them as fallen angels or hidden humans, I much prefer the Jewish tradition that they were created with other flying creatures on the fifth day of Genesis.

Most of European folklore can be summed up in a single phrase: “Don't piss off the fairies.” So watch yourself, this May Day. Because they'll be watching you.