Dullahans are a type of Faerie associated with the Unseelie court. Though folklore mostly references a single Dullahan, there is actually not just one. Dullahans are headless riders – at least in the sense that their heads can come off. There are many different variations of this particular Fae, but the general idea is that when they stop riding, someone dies. There is a story of one headless ride whose name was Ewen…but I guess it’s not the same one.

Ewan is a guy I go to school with – who happens to be a headless rider. Except he can’t quite control when his head detaches. It definitely makes for some awkward moments. Also, he doesn’t ride a horse, but a motorcycle. I don’t know if it’s coincidence or if he has some compulsion to, you know, ride something. And since it would be weird to ride a horse to school, well, there you go.

Faeries are a diverse group of demi-human creatures from a realm that bears the same name. There are many legends about where faeries came from exactly, but most suggested they are far older than humans, and have deep connections to the natural world. Some of the stronger ones are considered to be immortal as well. Even so, they seem to have a strange fascination with humans and human society.

Spriggans are a well-known type of Faerie – often associated with the Unseelie court (basically, the ‘bad guys.’) Spriggans are ugly, unpleasant, and hot-headed. They have associated with goblins and trolls and are used by other Faeries as bodyguards. Though they’re usually small, they have the ability to swell their bodies up to enormous sizes – though it’s unclear if their size is actually changing or just a trick of Faerie glamour.

There are numerous tell-tale signs of a Faerie being…a Faerie. Even when they take on human form. The most obvious, of course, is that they tend to have pointed ears. But there are other signs as well – backwards feet and cow tails are among the most common. They can also be horned, have goat legs, or even other strange features like hollowed out backs.

Brownies are generally considered benevolent house spirits. There are multiple variations of them, but one thing they have in common is how easily they’re offended by minor transgressions – and their ability to hold grudges for years. When happy, Brownies will guard the house and even do minor chores around. When tricked, Brownies play incessant pranks and generally become a huge nuisance.

Changelings: a type of Faerie that is left in the care of humans at a very young age. Usually without the knowledge of the humans as the Changeling usually replaces their own child, which is stolen away by the Faeries. Lore varies on what exactly the Fae leave behind when they steal a human baby. It can be anything from a Faerie baby to an older sick Faerie, to a log disguised with glamour. In the instance of logs and other fakes, they usually seem to sicken and die of natural causes over time.

Faerie banes are plants and other items that are considered harmful (or, at least, hateful) to Faeries. Faerie banes can be used as protective charms to keep them away. Among the most well-known Faerie banes are St. John’s wort, daisy chains (a symbol of the sun), iron, bells, salt, and red thread or ribbons. It’s unclear exactly what it is about some of these items that Faeries dislike and, since lore can be a bit vague, it’s difficult to know how effective some of them actually are.

The Glastig is one of many malevolent female Faeries that appears in folklore. Strangely enough, she’s actually considered a water Fae. So, while some stories say she wears a long dress to hide the legs of a goat, others say it’s to hide her webbed feet. She’d lure men to their deaths by convincing them to dance with her – then she’d eat them. As one does. Weirdly, in spite of her tendency to eat men, she would also herd cattle or tend to lost children and lead them home. In that way, she different from many other water Fae who also tended to have a thing for eating children….

Faerie rings are a really common phenomenon. It’s basically a circle of mushrooms (usually – but it can just be a ring of very dark green grass) used as a Faerie haunt. Not all Faerie rings are supernatural but those that are, tend to be pretty dangerous for humans. Not only do Faeries get pretty ticked if you intrude on them or spy them, but Faerie rings have strange powers. They let you glimpse Faerie – or even enter it – among other things.

Just as Faeries hate some plants, they love others. Faerie plants like thyme and primroses have magic properties like giving one the ability to see Faeries. But because they are also known to be Faerie plants – just having them around can invite Faeries to lurk about or even enter your house.

The septagram, or Faerie star, has seven points to represent sun, moon, magic, spirit, sea, forest, and wind when used for most magic. However, the Faerie star can also be used as a gateway to other worlds. Specifically, to Faerie. In this case, the points represent seven entrances to Faerie. Seven is an important number to Faeries in general, being a sign of perfection and balance.

Apple Tree Man is a type of tree spirit associated rather obviously with apple trees. Usually, they say he lives in the oldest tree in the orchard, and if you want him to continue to give his blessings to the field, you need to give him offerings of apple cider. And always leave the last apple of the season for him rather than taking it for yourself.

Faeries use a unique type of illusion magic called ‘glamour.’ It’s one of the most well-known tricks and they use glamour for anything from disguising items to changing their own appearances. Faeries are incredibly secretive and many of them prefer to interact with humans without revealing their true nature. Glamour helps them disguise their more obvious traits and get around unnoticed by human eyes.

Faerie is an ‘other realm’ – meaning that it exists outside normal reality rather than within it. There are many odd things about Faerie but one of the most dangerous to humans is that time flows in a completely different, and inconsistent, way. What may feel like a few hours in Faerie can actually be days, months…even years in the real world. There are plenty of stories of people who spend time in Faerie only to return home to find decades have passed in their absence.

Cait Sidhe are a type of Faerie animal – or creature, anyway. They’re large black cats with a white patch on their chest that are believed to be normal people to have been inspired by Scottish wild cats called Kellas Cats. In reality, they’re Fae who can shift between a ‘human’ and cat form. In my personal experience, they’re just human-shaped cats who will do all the cat things you’ve come to expect from a typical cat. For the record, there are Faerie dogs as well. I can only imagine what they must be like.

‘Broom’ is a type of plant that Faeries aren’t terribly fond of it. Unsurprisingly, back in the day, the brooms people swept out their houses with were made with…broom. Sprigs of broom have long been used as protection from Faeries and the plant has been used for a host of other things like healing disease and (supposedly), taming horses and dogs.

There are numerous legends that talk about Faeries living under hills or mounds. Even the common word for Faerie ‘Sidhe’ comes from a phrase that means ‘people of the mounds.’ On certain important days, it’s said that a Faerie hill will be lifted off the ground on pillars so the Faeries can celebrate. In general, it’s pretty dangerous for a human to try enter a Faerie hill.

There is nothing so delicious and dangerous as Faerie fruits. Faerie food is known to have properties that make it extremely dangerous for mortal to consume. First, it’s known to be quite addictive so if a non-Fae consumes it, they could become so addicted that they will literally waste away and die without more. The other problem is that if you eat the food of Faerie while behind its borders…it will trap you there forever.

The Slaugh is the Unseelie host – a sort of army used to fend off incursion from other groups as well as to lead attacks on enemies of the Fae. They’re known to be brutal, malicious, and quite dangerous to humans. Though Faeries and humans haven’t ever had any sort of war with each other, the Slaugh is known for going on wild midnight flights and picking up any mortals they find along the way – forcing them to join the group, or just flat out killing them for fun.

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Liminal spaces are a paranormal phenomenon that cause the thin veil between reality and, well, not-reality to become even thinner. They are places where the supernatural can easily bleed into the real world, and vice versa. In a practical sense, a ‘liminal space’ is just a place that doesn’t exist for its own sake – they’re areas of transition, where other things pass through. Liminal spaces can include places like cemeteries, bridges, empty or abandoned places, even something as innocuous as a park bench.

Drifters are strange Cryptics that float around on magic currents sweeping over the planet. Some of them apparently live in the currents, feeding off the magic energy. Others get trapped in them and don’t have the strength to leave because, in general, Drifters are pretty weak. That isn’t always the case, though. Pine Hallow has a unique geography that causes Drifters to float in, fall out of the currents, and just soft of get stuck here. Especially during times of overflow. The agency goes through a lot of trouble to catalog, round up, and free the ones swept into the area every overflow.

Samhain is an ancient holiday with pagan roots. It’s meant to end the harvest season and ring in winter, so it begins at sundown on the last day of October and ends at sundown on the first day of November. Like in several other ancient cultures, the Celtic day went from sundown to sundown instead of sunrise to sunrise. Samhain coincides with an increase in atmospheric magic across the globe and a sharp spike in paranormal activity, so it’s an important day to the paranormal community.

‘The witching hour’ is a time frame during which there is a small swell of magic energy. There is some debate on the exact time frame that can officially be called the witching hour – some say it’s the hours from midnight to three in the morning, some say it lasts until four. Others state that it is specifically 3:33 A.M. Regardless, during those time, magic is more easily performed and there will generally be supernatural things afoot.