Water Fairy on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
A sprite is a
The belief in diminutive beings such as sprites, elves,
A water sprite (also called a water fairy or water faery) is a general term for an elemental spirit associated with water, according to alchemist
Swedish Myths
{{Authority control Fairies Greek mythology Water deities Water spirits European legendary creatures Fictional fairies and sprites Ghosts
supernatural
Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
entity in European mythology. They are often depicted as fairy
A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, ...
-like creatures or as an ethereal entity.
The word ''sprite'' is derived from the Latin ''spiritus'' ("spirit"), via the French ''esprit
Esprit or L'Esprit may refer to:
* the French for Spirit; as a loanword:
** Enthusiasm, intense interest or motivation
** Morale, motivation and readiness
** Geist "mind/spirit; intellect"
* Esprit (name), a given name and surname
* ''Esprit'' (m ...
''. Variations on the term include ''spright'' and the Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
'' spriggan''. The term is chiefly used with regard to elves and fairies in European folklore, and in modern English is rarely used in reference to spirits.
Belief in sprites
The belief in diminutive beings such as sprites, elves, fairies
A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, o ...
, etc. has been common in many parts of the world, and might to some extent still be found within neo-spiritual and religious movements such as " neo-druidism" and Ásatrú
Heathenry, also termed Heathenism, contemporary Germanic Paganism, or Germanic Neopaganism, is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religious studies classify it as a new religious movement. Developed in Europe during the early 20th centu ...
.
In some elemental magics, the sprite is often believed to be the elemental of air (see also sylph
A sylph (also called sylphid) is an air spirit stemming from the 16th-century works of Paracelsus, who describes sylphs as (invisible) beings of the air, his elementals of air. A significant number of subsequent literary and occult works have be ...
).
Water sprite
A water sprite (also called a water fairy or water faery) is a general term for an elemental spirit associated with water, according to alchemist Paracelsus
Paracelsus (; ; 1493 – 24 September 1541), born Theophrastus von Hohenheim (full name Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim), was a Swiss physician, alchemist, lay theologian, and philosopher of the German Renaissance.
He w ...
. Water sprites are said to be able to breathe water or air and sometimes can fly.
These creatures exist in the mythology of various groups. Ancient Greeks knew water nymphs in several types such as naiads (or ''nyads''), which were divine entities that tended to be fixed in one place and so differed from gods or physical creatures. Slavic mythology knows them as vilas.
Water sprites differ from corporeal beings, such as selkies, mermaids, and sirens, as they are not purely physical and are more akin to local deities than animals.
References
External links
Swedish Myths
{{Authority control Fairies Greek mythology Water deities Water spirits European legendary creatures Fictional fairies and sprites Ghosts