King James the Sixth, yes that King James, the namesake for the King James Bible,

wrote a small pamphlet in 1597 titled Damon Oligate, wherein he tries to classify and

systematize our understanding of all the fallen and unclean spirits that are creeping about

in our world.

But he includes something that might surprise you, a whole section dedicated to things called fairies.

Up to his day, and for long after him, everyone had a category in their minds for a preternatural being

that doesn't quite seem to fit with all of our other neat categories.

A trickster, a helper, a malicious enemy, a benefactor and noble spirit who lives in fairyland.

Depending on when it was and where it was, everyone has figured fairies to be these things.

But what are they really?

Or are they really at all?

And if so, how do we know?

I mean, what's the biblical... Let's just start there.

What are a couple things that if you were saying,

I'm building a biblical premise

to allow for this category of fairies?

The first thing I would say,

no, I do think this is important.

King James believed, I'm kidding.

I'm going to give an asterisk and an answer.

The asterisk is, well, let me give the answer, then the asterisk.

The answer is that the Bible does not purport to contain an exhaustive knowledge of the created order.

...