Here are a few of the things they especially like:
Music and dancing.
Hunting, riding in procession, and sports
such as hurling. Often the fairies must
bring a mortal man to join their side in
a hurling match, to give them strength.
Playing chess, long considered a game fit
for kings.
Hawthorn trees, holly, foxglove and ragwort
are dear to fairies, and they punish people
who abuse them. (They use a ragwort stalk to fly
through the air.) In Northern Ireland in 1907, a
farmer who had swept his chimney with a holly
bough was troubled with flying stones in his
house.
Order, tidiness, and neatness.
Dishes or buckets of clear, clean water
to wash their babies. Cake, especially
if served with dishes of milk or cream.
Warm hospitality, generosity, good manners,
and cheerfulness, honesty, and sincerity
"Borrowing" items from humans such as food,
tools, fire, etc.
Golden hair, particularly on beautiful young
women. They also appear to favor brightly
colored clothing, for that is how they often
appear to travelers in Fairyland. But those
who have had a touch of the fairy ointment
and seen them without the magic of glamour
upon their eyes report them looking quite
different, often darkly dressed and raggedy.
Perhaps they only dress up for special occasions,
as we do. Or perhaps they do not bedeck themselves
like kings at a carnival, but merely wish us to
see them rich and colorful, either for their
pride or because they think that is what we
expect of them.
Here are some of the things they most dislike:
Being intruded upon or spied upon (they punish
this severely).
The sound of bells, especially church bells.
(The one exception are those bells that they
hang on their horses' harnesses)
The crowing of a cock Iron. Long ago, those
fearful of meeting fairies would carry a piece
of iron (or steel) with them, especially a cross
or a horseshoe.
Rue, St. Johns wort and yarrow are said to be
anti-fairy herbs.
Disorder and untidiness. It used to be said that
a housewife who did not keep a neat home would
be pinched by the fairies in punishment.
Empty pails or those filled with dirty water
Rudeness, selfishness, lack of generosity,
people who are moody or melancholy
Lies or deceptions by humans. Even evil fairies
do not lie, although they may seriously mislead
or deceive.
Theft of fairy possessions by humans. Though
they think it perfectly acceptable to steal
from people, they are furious if people steal
from them. Similarly, they have no sense of
humor if one of their tricks gets played back
on them.
Nagging wives, or husband- or wife-beaters
Humans who boast of fairy gifts they've
received. Humans who break taboos (known
as geasas) imposed by fairies. Often a fairy
gift is given with a magically imposed
prohibition attached to it. If the taboo is
broken, the gift or power is often taken away.
