| What do faeries, unicorns, dragons and mermaids | | | | malevolent creature. Knights could demonstrate their |
| have in common? Well, naturally they are all mythical | | | | bravery by slaying one of these monsters. Tolkien |
| creatures found in many folk and fairy tales. More than | | | | continued this portrayal of dragons as evil beings, with |
| this, however, they are all creatures that might be | | | | his own mythology. Bilbo and his friends have a |
| considered liminal, or inhabiting a borderland between | | | | perilous encounter with a nasty dragon in The Hobbit. |
| the gods and humans, or between good and evil. | | | | Chinese dragons, on the other hand, were considered |
| Mythology is largely concerned with divine beings, | | | | in a much more positive light. While still potentially |
| usually called gods and goddesses. There are also | | | | frightening, the dragon in ancient China was a regal |
| demigods, such as Hercules, who had a god (Zeus) for | | | | symbol of strength and vitality. There is even a sign in |
| a father and a human mother. Monotheistic religions, of | | | | the Chinese zodiac for the dragon, and people born in |
| course, later replaced the many gods with one God. | | | | dragon years are highly respected. Today, many |
| Yet, interestingly enough, in places where belief in | | | | people in the West are rediscovering the positive |
| creatures like faeries was strong, such as Ireland, the | | | | attributes of dragons. Their popularity is perhaps only |
| new religion did not diminish this belief at all. Faeries | | | | rivaled by that of their Otherworldly cousins, the fae. |
| were often relegated to a kind of "in between" (i.e. | | | | Dragons are starting to be seen as a protective |
| liminal) status, neither entirely good but certainly not evil | | | | symbol. |
| the way demons are. To be sure, faeries in the Celtic | | | | There are other magical creatures who seem to defy |
| lands were often feared, but more in the way wild | | | | easy classification (as in "good" or "bad"). Mermaids, |
| animals are. | | | | while probably a kind of faery, probably deserve a |
| The attitude was something along the lines of "don't | | | | category of their own since so many stories have |
| mess with them." | | | | been told of them. Mermaids are fascinating creatures |
| Many other supernatural creatures have a frightful | | | | who can, like any faeries, be dangerous, especially to |
| aspect. Ghosts, zombies, demons and vampires, for | | | | those who fall in love with them! As for unicorns, these |
| example, are now popular subjects for horror films. | | | | are probably the most benevolent of the magical |
| Yet they all have a colorful history of scaring people in | | | | beings discussed here. I can't recall a story of an evil |
| many parts of the world. The Little Folk, as the faeries | | | | unicorn. Unicorns seem more ephemeral than anything |
| are sometimes called, on the other hand, are much | | | | else. They simply appear in and out of stories, with little |
| more ambiguous. They can, to be sure, do things that | | | | if any descriptions of their origin. |
| are outright nasty, as when they steal babies or lure | | | | All of these "liminal" magical creatures never fade from |
| people into worlds where they (the humans, that is) | | | | popular awareness. The form they take over the |
| emerge many years later in human time. But for the | | | | centuries may vary, but they seem to be embedded |
| most part, faeries exist independently of the human | | | | into our consciousness. Some would say the inhabit an |
| realm. They are not seen as existing primarily to | | | | archetypal realm. In any case, they obviously serve a |
| menace us. Or to benefit us, for that matter. | | | | need for mystery and enchantment, even in our own |
| Dragons are another interesting species of mythic | | | | technological and scientific age. Perhaps we especially |
| creature with a varied and checkered history. In | | | | need them now to balance things out and remind us |
| European tales, the dragon was usually a fearful and | | | | that everything cannot be explained rationally. |