The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries - Walter Yeeling Evans-Wentz

Pixies, elves, brownies, dwarfs, leprechauns, and the other enchanted little people: where do they come from? Folklorists consider them the byproduct of ancient religious beliefs, occultists term them nature spirits, and the peasantry call them fallen angels - creatures neither good enough for redemption nor bad enough to be forever lost.