The term sprite is a broad term referring to a number of preternatural legendary creatures. The preternatural or praeternatural is that which appears outside or beyond (Latin præter) the natural. A legendary creature is a mythological or folkloric creature (often known as "fabulous creatures" in historical literature The term is generally used in reference to elf-like creatures, including fairies, dwarves, and the likes of it; but can also signify various spiritual beings, including ghosts. An elf is a creature of Norse mythology. The elves were originally imagined as a race of minor nature and fertility gods, who are often pictured as youthful-seeming A fairy (also fay, fey, fae, faerie; collectively wee folk, good folk, people of peace, fair DWARF is a widely used standardized Debugging data format. DWARF was originally designed along with ELF, although it is independent of Object file The English word " spirit " comes from the Latin " spiritus " (breath A ghost is said to be the apparition of a Deceased person frequently similar in appearance to that person and usually encountered in places she or he frequented

The word "sprite" is derived from the Latin "spiritus" (spirit). Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Variations on the term include "spright" (the origin of the adjective "sprightly", meaning "spirited" or "lively") and the Celtic "spriggan". Celtic mythology is the Mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the Religion of the Iron Age Celts Like other Iron Age The term is chiefly used in regard to elves and fairies in European folklore, and in modern English is rarely used in reference to spirits or other mythical creatures. Modern English is the form of the English language spoken since the Great Vowel Shift, completed in roughly 1550 The English word " spirit " comes from the Latin " spiritus " (breath A legendary creature is a mythological or folkloric creature (often known as "fabulous creatures" in historical literature Sprites can also be lightning strikes and problems including electricity.

Belief in Sprites

The belief in diminutive beings such as sprites, elves, fairies, pixies, gnomes, Japanese yōkai and various Slavic fairies has been common in many parts of the world, and might to some extent still be found within Neo- spiritual and religious movements such as "Druidism" and Ásatrú. An elf is a creature of Norse mythology. The elves were originally imagined as a race of minor nature and fertility gods, who are often pictured as youthful-seeming A fairy (also fay, fey, fae, faerie; collectively wee folk, good folk, people of peace, fair Pixies (also Piskies and Pigsies as they are sometimes known in Cornwall) are mythical creatures of Folklore, considered to be particularly concentrated A gnome is a Mythical creature characterized by its extremely small size and subterranean lifestyle are a class of Obake, creatures in Japanese folklore ranging from the evil oni to the mischievous Kitsune or snow Fairies in Slavic mythology come in several forms and their names are spelled differently based on the specific language A druid was a member of the priestly and learned class in the ancient Celtic societies is Ásatrú ( Icelandic for " Æsir faith" auːsatruː in Old Norse; Norwegian Åsatru, Swedish The belief in spiritual beings, particularly ghosts, is almost universal to human culture. A ghost is said to be the apparition of a Deceased person frequently similar in appearance to that person and usually encountered in places she or he frequented

In some elemental magics, the sprite is oft believed to be the Elemental of air (see also Sylph). Sylph (also called sylphid) is a mythological creature in the Western tradition Another variation is the water sprite. For the plant species see Ceratopteris thalictroides (given an honourable name for its purpose in Hydroculture.

Sprite Traps

A sprite trap is a magical device used to capture troublesome or harmful spirits and ghosts. Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a Conceptual system that asserts human ability to control the natural world (including events objects people and The English word " spirit " comes from the Latin " spiritus " (breath A ghost is said to be the apparition of a Deceased person frequently similar in appearance to that person and usually encountered in places she or he frequented These devices refer to a sprite as a preternatural creature. The preternatural or praeternatural is that which appears outside or beyond (Latin præter) the natural.

The sprite trap is created from a blackthorn stave and copper wire that has never carried electricity. Blackthorn redirects here for other uses see Blackthorn (disambiguation Prunus spinosa ( Blackthorn or Sloe During a ritual process, the copper wire is bound to the stave with red thread and the stave is marked with a Dag (or D) rune. A ritual is a set of actions often thought to have Symbolic value the performance of which is usually prescribed by a Religion or by the Traditions

Sprite traps are used at night, when the trap is set at the entrance to a home, church, graveyard, or other location where disturbances are taking place. To attract the troublesome entity, a cleft blackthorn stave with a lighted candle is placed in front of the trap.

After the sprite trap has captured a spirit, it is removed from the location and the red thread is cut with a consecrated knife; the thread is then placed into a prepared witch bottle. An athame or athamé is a ceremonial double-edged dagger one of several magical tools used in Traditional Witchcraft and other pagan beliefs and religions such as The witch bottle is a very old spell device Its purpose is to draw in and trap evil and negative energy directed at its owner If the bottle has been prepared to imprison the spirit, a spell is recited while the thread is placed in it. Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a Conceptual system that asserts human ability to control the natural world (including events objects people and Finally, the bottle is corked and sealed with red wax before being buried. A thorn bush will be planted on the site.

It is said that if a witch's bottle containing a sprite is opened, a very angry spirit will escape.

However there is another way to rid yourself of a sprite, they do not like to be ignored and tend to leave the person they are in persuit of annoying when the person the no longer gives them the attention they want.

Sprites in Popular Culture

• Famous fictional sprites include Shakespeare's Ariel and Puck. This article is about Puck the character in Shakespeare's play for the mythological figure this is based on see Puck (mythology Puck, also known
• In the short subject "Spring Fever", Coily the Spring Sprite removes all forms of coils from objects around him, causing telepone dials, window blinds, and for some reason car doors to stop working properly, to prove their worth. Short subject is a format description originally coined in the North American Film industry in the early period of cinema. Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American Cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced
• In Power Rangers Mystic Force, the Pink Ranger turns into the Sprite Titan. Power Rangers Mystic Force (often abbreviated as PRMF and simply called Mystic Force) is an American Television series and This is based upon MagiFairy, the Majin form of MagiPink in Mahō Sentai Magiranger
• In the animated film Fantasia 2000, there is a segment based on Igor Stravinsky's ballet The Firebird, about a Spring Sprite and her elk companion bringing the spring season to life until they wake up the fire bird sprite, whereas he destroys the forest. translated into English as Magic Squadron Magiranger, is Toei Company 's twenty-ninth production of the Super Sentai television series Fantasia 2000 is an animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (Игорь Фёдорович Стравинский) ( &ndash 6 April 1971 was a Russian born Composer, considered by many to The Firebird ( French: L'Oiseau de feu; Russian: Жар-птица Žar-ptica) is a 1910 ballet by Igor Stravinsky Spring is one of the four Temperate Seasons Spring marks the transition from Winter into Summer. The elk, or wapiti ( Cervus canadensis) is one of the largest Species of Deer in the world and one of the largest Mammals in The forest is soon brought back by the sprite. In this Disney adaptation, the sprite is shown to be more of a goddess of the forest rather than an elf or fairy. A goddess is a Female Deity. Many Cultures have goddesses Often deities are part of a polytheistic system that includes several deities
• In Harvest Moon, it is possible to have 7 sprites help around the farm. This article is about the computer game For other uses see Harvest moon (disambiguation.
• In The Legend of Zelda cartoon series, Sprite is the name of Link's small flying friend
• In Commander Keen IV Sprites are underwater enemies. The Legend of Zelda was an American animated series loosely based on the first and second The Legend of Zelda
• In Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl series, sprites are one of the eight fairy families; they are small and green with wings. Eoin Colfer (born 14 May 1965) is an Irish Author of children's books and a comedian There is a draft page for this article here. Artemis Fowl is a series of Fantasy novels written by Irish author Eoin Colfer There are also water sprites. Chix Verbil is a sprite that is wounded by a bullet to the left wing and rendered unable to fly. This is a list of characters in the Artemis Fowl novel series by Eoin Colfer.
• In "Golden Sun" (Game Boy Advance game) a player collect sprites (called Djinni) to increase his or her magical power. Golden Sun, released in Japan as, is the first installment of a series of role-playing video games developed by Camelot Software Planning and published
• In R. A. Salvatore's book Sojourn a sprite is an enemy of Drizzt Do'Urden and an ally of a barghest. Drizzt Do'urden (dʒrɪszt doʊˈɝdɪn is a character in the Dungeons & Dragons -based Forgotten Realms setting Barghest The Barghest is a type of monster found in the Dungeons and Dragons game
• In Riviera: The Promised Land (a game boy advance game) sprites are inhabitants of Riviera. is a Console role-playing game originally produced in 2002 by Sting Entertainment for WonderSwan Color as the first episode of the Dept
• In The Heroes of Might and Magic series of computer games, Sprites are the weakest troops available to the Sorceress class. Heroes of Might and Magic is a series of Video games created by New World Computing.
• The song 'Red Rabbits' by The Shins includes the line 'we've pissed on far too many Sprites and they're all standing up for their rights'.
• The children's television show Johnny and the Sprites, as the name implies, is focused on the lives of several muppet sprites. Johnny and the Sprites is a musical television show aimed for preschoolers that airs every weekend on the " Playhouse Disney " program
• In Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You, there are 12 individually named sprites. Arthur Spiderwick 's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You is a book that co-creators of The Spiderwick Chronicles Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly
• In World of Warcraft sprites are often referred to Wisp. World of Warcraft (commonly acronymed as WoW) is a Massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG
• In the 1993 SNES game Secret of Mana, the Sprite is one of the three playable characters, specializing in attack magic. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES (also called SNES and Super Nintendo) is a 16-bit Video game console that was Secret of Mana, known in Japan as, is an Action role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the Super Nintendo
• A Mystery Science Theater 3000 short film satire featured a "Spring Sprite" named Coily, who upon hearing a man wish there were "no more springs," promptly removed all springs from the world to teach the man (and the viewer) about the importance of springs. Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American Cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced
• In the Rainbow Brite cartoon series, sprites populate Rainbow Land as helpers of Rainbow Brite and the color Kids. They dig out Color Crystals in the Color Cave and even make them in their factory. Twink is the leader of the sprites and is Rainbow Brite's partner.

In Lester Ferguson's Forest of the Sprites the Sprites are seen as warriors, who are armed with magic & a mythical sword that is only used to combat evil.

External links

• Fae Dictionary
• Swedish Myths