Classic fairies with wings are the Seelie or Blessed Court who are the benevolent aristocracy of the fairy world. They do good deeds toward humans, but playing harmless pranks toward humans is not below their dignity. The Unseelie or Unblessed Court are malicious fairies who enjoy tormenting humans.
The word Banshee comes from the Irish words "bean," woman, (ban) and "sidhe," fairy, (shee). Banshees are souls of women who have died in childbirth. A Banshee will attach herself to a household and will wail outside the house if there is going to be a death.
Earth fairies include brownies, trolls and elves. Brownies are helpful domestic creatures who will aid a housewife if she tries to keep a clean home. These Scottish entities dislike slovenliness and will play pranks on those who are lazy. Brownies enjoy milk and a honey cake as reward for their services. Brownies have wrinkled brown skin and wear green, blue or brown clothes. The brownies' Norwegian earth cousin trolls are fearsome creatures with oversized ears and noses who eat humans. Elves, in contrast to the squat and dim-witted trolls, are fleet and intelligent humanoids who live close to nature. They prefer to be left alone and will wound or kill humans who come near elfin dwellings with tiny arrows called elf-shot. Witches sometimes conjure elves and elf-shot to do harm to neighbors.
Water fairies are water spirits that control this element. Some examples of water fairies are Undines and Kelpies. Undines are female creatures in Greek myth that live in caves near rivers, under lily pads or in waterfalls. Those who have caught a glimpse describe them as having human shapes with green and blue clothing. Undines often will marry with humans to produce children in order to gain a soul. A married Undine disappears into water if she dies before producing a child. She will again become an Undine if her husband strikes her or insults her near water. Undines are friendly and like to help people, especially elderly women.
Scottish Kelpies, unlike the Undines, are not friendly creatures. These beasts are shape-shifters that transform into humans or horses that eat human flesh. Kelpies, in female or male human form, will seduce their victims into the water to drown. Kelpie horses are black or white beasts that invite children to ride their adhesive backs from which no one can escape, drown their victims and eat them. Kelpies, human or horse, are always wet and have seaweed in their hair or manes.