Talk:Banshee/@comment-23999472-20190117002907/@comment-29602226-20190117191125

Actually, "Fae" are a quite modern thing... a sort of catch-all term for a bunch of supernatural beings with a few common traits, but who were unrelated to each other in ancient folklore and mythology...

For example, Nymphs, Dryads, Undines, Satyrs,... etc., were deities in Greek and Roman mythology... weak minor deities, but still deities, born from stronger gods and goddesses...

Tuatha Dé Danann were ancient celtic (irish) deities as seen through a medieval Christian filter...

Rusalkas and Veelas were the souls of drowned girls, or the souls of girls who died shortly before the day of their wedding.

Brownies, Domovoi, Kikimoras, Duendes...etc., are all based on household protector spirits/minor deities similar to Roman Lares.

The term "Gnome" was probably coined by Paracelsus, inspired by a bunch of other mine spirits from folklore like Dwarves (Dvengar), Knockers, Buccas, Kobolds...etc.

"Elf" was a catch-all term itself, which was applied to many different creatures.

From the XIX century onwards, folklorists and fantasy writers started to put all mythical creatures in neat boxes, and one of the boxes was that of "Fae", based on British fairies.