Lore:Faerie

, also called Fey,  Fay,  Fairy/Fairies,   and Fairykin  are magical, mischievous, and unpredictable creatures that come in a variety of forms. Their plans and schemes are not governed by a higher purpose, simply by their own whim.  Their behaviors have borne them the reputation of thieves, tricksters, and nuisances.  They are known to steal pouches of gold, sugary sweets like  ,  and the foyson essence of food, stripping away its nutrients.  They are also said to pluck the eyes of sleeping children, rolling them around in moon sugar afterwards to eat them as a delicacy.  

References to fairies commonly appear throughout many cultures, such as fantasy plays commonly involving fairies,  the ability of   birthsign named for the Fay,  and expressions based off faerie behavior,  notably the term "fairy tale" for mythical stories.  Some exclamations among the Altmer and Bosmer are "Faeries of the Grove" and "Faerielight". 

Fairies are most commonly described as inhabiting the  ,  with some variants reported as inhabiting no other province besides it.  Fairy civilizations inhabited Valenwood prior to the arrival of the Aldmer. 

The Faerie Chain
 , a scholar studying at the Crystal Tower, developed a controversial theory about Faerie dubbed the "Faerie Chain" by organizing the Fey variants on a hierarchical chain, published in   in Firsthold. It ranged from minor creatures like pixies at one end and the godlike beings such as Gheatus at the other. In the middle were human and semi-human beings, generating up to intelligent trees, brooks, rocks, even mountains. He received much criticism for adding the footnote that elves as a whole may be part of the chain, above whilloki and below nephrine, due to their similar features and propensities for magicka that Faerie have. 

The chain is not necessarily an order of command, as faerie as a whole are neither followers nor leaders. Ahrtabazus was challenged on his assumptions by other scholars based on very slight coincidences. Due to its reliance on coincidental evidence and supporting auxiliary theories, the chain is considered by some to be wrong. Nevertheless, Ahrtabazus modified his Fairie Chain theory, which has gained wider and wider acceptance since its publication. 

Races
Sprites
 s are fay creatures that appear as floating orbs of light.   They are often used to guide people towards destinations involving adventure. 

Sylphim
  refers to minor fairies, often found surrounding other more powerful faeries, such as Ghaetus or Sygria. 

Pixies
 s (called   by the Redguards)  are a type of fay described as appearing as glimmering sparks with the personality of whimsical pranksters.  

Nixads
 s are mischievous insect-like fay creatures that fly using elytra and inhabit various forests and glades in Tamriel.  They have a penchant for stealing valuables and eating sweets.  They can be encountered in most provinces of Tamriel.

Nephrine
Nephrine are a type of fay believed to rank higher than pixies and, arguably, elves. 

Nymphs
 s are creatures of unearthly beauty believed to be related to fairies. Their language is similar to that of Fae and Ayleidoon. 

Spriggans
 s are floral nature spirits sometimes described as reclusive woodland fairykin.  How closely related they are to fae is undetermined.

Nereids
 s are aquatic spirits appearing in the shape of a fish-like woman. They are described as water sprites in Redguard fables, suggesting they are related to sprites and other faeries. 

Ilyadi
  (or Illyadi)  were many-eyed forest giants taller than the trees, with eyes that cover their heads, that once inhabited the  .   They attacked the early Aldmer, but were rendered extinct by Torinaan's use of meteoric glass to channel aetherial energy to kill them,  and they were exterminated in a few short years.  Some have sought out ways to bring them back from extinction. 

Gheatus
  (or Gheateus)  were ancient godlike rock-spirits that took the form of a man or a group of men who are formed by the earth itself, that once inhabited the  .   They attacked the early Aldmer, but were fought off by Torinaan's use of ancestral lore and meteoric glass to channel aetherial energy in the form of lightning, ice, and fire to kill them,  and they were exterminated in a few short years.   Legend has it that the excavation of   was halted, and the halls abandoned, when the   miners roused and angered an ancient Gheatus, but the   dismiss this story as a fable with no truth to it.  Some have sought out ways to bring them back from extinction. 

Chonus
  are described as "godlike beings" who are considered a variant of faerie. 

Sygria
  are described as "godlike beings" who are considered a variant of faerie, often surrounded by a host of minor Sylphim. 

Gallery
 

Notes
While most of the info on them was introduced in Daggerfall, much of the content regarding fey was cut or unused in the final game. Graphics for "regal faerie" depicted big-eyed, purple-haired, well-dressed humanoids with tapered ears, and alternative graphics displayed them without the purple hair or big eyes, with all of the graphics remaining unused in the final game. A portrait for a character called the Fey, described as a supernatural being in the shape of a woman with unknown origins and motivations, was also included, but the character went unused. The portrait, however, was mistakenly used for various Dark Brotherhood members. Medora Direnni was also called "the fairy lady" by some folk. 
Will-o-the-wisps, though similar to sprites, are considered separate from fairy folk. 

References