I've heard a story where a hiker in a remote forest said they saw a tiny figure with wings flitting among the flowers. They thought it was a fairy. It might have been a trick of the light or an overactive imagination, but it's still a fascinating real - life - like fairy story. In some old English stories too, fairies were said to influence the crops and the weather, and people would leave offerings to appease them.
Well, in Celtic folklore, there are many real - life - like stories about fairies. They were believed to live in hidden places like mounds or near certain trees. Some stories tell of fairies stealing human babies and leaving changelings in their place. It was a very superstitious belief, but it was part of their cultural heritage and these stories were passed down through generations.