Fairies

Fairies are mischievous supernatural begins that come in a variety of forms and can only be seen by those who have been to the Fairy Realm, or those whom they allow to see them.

They appeared as the "monster of the week" in the episode 'Clap Your Hands If You Believe', wherein it is revealed that they are the cause of UFO sightings, and other "extraterrestrial" encounters. There are many theories about the reason they adbuct people--one of them being to bring people to Avalon so they can serve Oberon, King of Faeries.

Characteristics
Fairies have many shapes and sizes, and have been described as "magical and mischievous beings from the realm next door" (the Fairy Realm). This realm is considered another dimension or reality, and only people who have been there and returned to our world can see faeries here. They have been classified into two groups--one consisting of light fairies and other of dark ones. However, there have not been many details about identifying fairy classes.

They appear to be sensitive to "energy", as one of them made the comment that "fairies are all about energy". In "Clap Your Hands If You Believe", the leprechaun that appeared was able to know that Sam Winchester had no soul--as it said that human souls have a certain "perfume".

In addition, it seems they also suffer from arithmomania, a mental disorder that may be seen as an expression of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Sufferers of this disorder have the overwhelming impulse to count their actions or objects in their surroundings. Because of this -- and regardless of how powerful any fairy may be -- it must stop what it is doing to count every grain of sugar or salt, one by one, if someone pours it in front of them.

Humans can interact with them, and ask a favors, by leaving a cream bowl. Cream affects faeries in the same way that alcohol affects humans, rendering them intoxicated if they eat it. They possess abilities (which they consider to be "real magic") that surpass those of angels and seem unafraid of their kind, as inferred by the leprechaun when he claims that he is undaunted by Lucifer. He reveals that it is within his power to restore Sam's soul -- but not pro bono, of course -- a feat beyond the reckoning of both Castiel and the Crossroads King (until Castiel cheats, obviously).

Faeries can be summoned by spells to make deals with humans, often exchanging their services for a price (i.e. the rights to all of the firstborn sons in an area). Once called upon, a fairy will remain in that area until banished by a spell.

Type of Fairies
In the series, a certain number of types was shown, though it is speculated that there could be more than what was revealed.



Leprechauns
They look like normal humans, including their size. Little details about them have been revealed, like the few abilities shown that could differ from other fairies: teleportation (being able to move from a place to other in the blink of an eye), enhanced strength, and invisibility (only being seen by those they allow to see them, with the possible exception of those who have been to their realm). They may possibly be capable of feats even beyond the reach of angels, as a leprechaun claims to Sam that he is able to retrieve his soul from the cage because they "have a way of getting in through back doors", although the validity of this claim is never proven.



Tinks
They are little creatures that appear as naked, beautiful women with wings that shine like tinkles. It seems that they can get really angry when someone noted that they' are naked, as Dean Winchester did and the tink began to attack him. They are able to fly, quickly and easily with the help of their wings, while they also possess enough enhanced strength to defeat a human.



Gnomes
They appear as little humans about the size of a hand. Not much information was revealed about them. They appear to have enhanced strength and are possibly able to teleport as shown when a gnome was able to enter a locked jail cell with Dean (however this could be explained purely through interdimensional travel).

Redcap
These fairies are dangerously homicidal and are known for mercilessly killing travelers who trespass their territory. Their hats are red because they soak them in the blood of their victims, and, according to lore, Redcaps have to kill regularly because if the blood dries on their hats they will die.

Other
It is implied that other types of fairies include: sprites, spriggans, boggarts, brownies and goblins.

Known Abilities
It is speculated that they all have a number of common abilities within them, like magical knowledge (being able to cast magic thanks to their knowledge and nature), invisibility (as they can hide from humans who have not been into the Fairy Realm), enhanced strength, possibly immortality, telekinesis (the ability to move objects with their minds). However, special abilities could also be limited to some kind of fairies, like flying (as tinks have wings that allow them to perform that ability).

Weaknesses
As many other supernatural creatures, fairies have weaknesses that can be used to defeat them. However, none of these methods were proven to be able to completely kill them; the only way to stop them temporarily is banishing them to their realm through a spell.


 * Iron - Fairies hate iron as it is proven to be harmful against them (even though it does not kill them).
 * Silver - This can be used against dark fairies--as they burn when they are touched with silver.
 * Sugar/Salt - If someone pours salt or sugar in front of them, they have to stop to count each grain one by one.
 * Cream - They also love cream, which, like alcohol, intoxicates them.

Note: Dean Winchester killed a tink by having her enter a microwave oven and turning it on, causing the fairy to explode.

Mythology
In Western European folklore, a Fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, whose habitats are woodlands and gardens. Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term fairy offers many definitions. Sometimes the term describes any magical creature, including goblins or gnomes: at other times, the term only describes a specific type of more ethereal creature.