Fairy (Artemis Fowl)
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A Fairy, in the Artemis Fowl book series by author Eoin Colfer, is a being, usually shorter than a human, who possesses magic properties and is able to live for several centuries. All Fairies have retreated to life below the Earth, called the Lower Elements—in order to escape human corruption, contamination, and descruction—where they live secretly, unbeknownst to humans. Fairies collectively call themselves, the People, and live life according to the Book of the People.
Here is a list of the different types of fairies from the series:
Elves - Similar in appearance to humans, but are around three feet tall. They have pointy ears, and may have had wings before they evolved and lost them. Elves have the gift of tongues, which allows them to speak any language. Elves have several types of magic. They can heal themselves and others, can shield themselves (which makes them appear invisible), can create positive magical vibes, and they have the mesmer. (It is also hinted in the first book that some fairies have the power of telekinesis, but this may only be the case for warlocks).
Sprites - Sprites are very much like elves, but they have wings and green skin. They have limited healing abilities. They also possess the gift of tongues. Sprites have the fastest reflexes of any type of fairy. There is a type of sprite called water sprites who have batlike wings.
Dwarves - Dwarves look like small humans, but are less proportional than elves. Dwarves have many abilities. They can unhinge their jaws to chew through earth extremely quickly. Their spit glows in the dark and hardens once it leaves their mouths. Their hair can be used as keys because it stiffens once they pluck it off due to rigor mortis. When the hair is still attached to the dwarf, they can be used to detect vibrations. Since dwarves can drink water by absorbing it through their pores, if they go long enough without drinking, their pores create a vacuum effect, allowing them to stick to walls. Dwarves can also fart with colossal power (enough to knock out trolls). Their flatulence also is a by-product of a gas used for deep sea divers to prevent 'the bends'. They also have the gift of tongues. Dwarves are extremely sensitive to sunlight, and can burn after three minutes in the sun.
Pixies - Similar to elves, but appear more child-like. They possess the mesmer and the gift of tongues. They have large brains, fragile skulls and some are extremely intelligent.
Centaurs - Half horse and half human creatures with horns on their heads and hair covering their bodies. Centaurs don't possess any magic , but are the second largest and possibly the smartest of all fairies. Centaurs have the gift of tongues and they can hit hard with their hind legs.
Goblins - Goblins are reptilian fairies. They are one of the least intelligent species of all fairies, as they have small brains. They have the ability to create fireballs in their hands, or shoot them through their nostrils. Groups of goblins are involved in an ongoing turf war with groups of dwarves. They make their clothing from their own shedded skin.
Gremlins - Only seen once or twice in the first Artemis Fowl book and then never mentioned again. In an interview, the book's writer, Eoin Colfer, stated that one of his top ten most hated things were gremlins who ate all his Jaffa Cakes in the middle of the night (He later apologises to gremlins and admits that he eats them when he is feeding his baby in the middle of the night).
Atlanteans - The Atlanteans' appearance is close to that of an elf, but Atlanteans possess gills on their necks, which allow them to breath underwater.
Gnomes-Seen and mentioned in every book but we don't find out very much about the race in general. We know that some of them are professional wrestlers (fairy wrestling is done in zero gravity chambers). Gnomes have been described as extremely stupid and that they have massive backsides. It is not mentioned on whether or not the gnomes are a family of the fairies.
Trolls- Trolls are large ape-like fairies with great stregnth and viciousness. They seem to have no magic, but do posses an acute sense of smell, night-vision eyes, and tusks and venom injecting claws. They eat raw meat, even other trolls. Trolls are less intelligent than goblins and hate loud noises any light. They also lack the ability to swim.
Imps/Demons/Warlocks- Seen only in the fifth book in the series, The Lost Colony. They are born as small, elf like creatures (imps) with gray skin, reddish runes on their body and stubby tails, posing no harm. When they achieve a certain level of bloodlust, they transform into large beasts (demons) with horns, pointed ears, tough plates on their skin, and extreme physical strength. As of the great battle between the humans and fairies, they have resided on a moon-rock island floating in a space in which time doesn't exist. The pack leader is, and has been for a long time, Leon Abbot, who controls the pack's council through magic he acquired in the time tunnel between Earth and their island of Hybras. A subset of demons are called Warlocks which remain imps their entire lives; originally twelve in number, only one of these still is alive, though he is training an apprentice.
[edit] Eight Families
In Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony, it is said that 10,000 years ago, there were eight families (or species) of fairies. This implies that not all of the races listed above count as fairies or as separate races, since there are more than eight mythical races mentioned in the book. It is possible that the intelligent species of fairies don't count trolls as fairies since they aren't intelligent creatures.
[edit] Sources
- Artemis Fowl
- Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident
- Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code
- Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception
- Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony
