Elizabethan FairiesThe Elizabethan ideas of fairies are not the Tinkerbell pixie dust driven ideas we so commonly assume them to be. Elizabethan England looked at fairies as satanic and evil beings. This largely due to the strengthening of the church in England as the English Reformation was beginning at the same time Shakespeare was writing. The reformation aimed to stamp out any signs of paganism in England.
Fairies were portrayed as horned and hoofed beings that had the soul purpose of trying to steal your soul. Their appearance was strongly believed to be connected to committing a sin, though this belief varies depending on an individuals education level. Many lower class citizens retained a more magical pagan based relationship with fairies well into the beginning of the reformation. |
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