Do fairies exist?

Is there real magic in this world or is the fairy realm history's longest-running hoax?

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Every culture on Earth has its own version of fairies.

Iceland has huldufólk (“hidden folk”) who supposedly live in rocks. Ireland has aos sí (say eesh-shee), which are similar to elves, and Wales has Y Tylwyth Teg (“The Fair Folk”) that live in the “otherworld”. These tales have been passed down through generations and were often used to explain things people couldn't, such as sudden illnesses, rotting food or strange noises. But, is there any truth to these fairy tales, or are they just made up?

The Cottingley Fairies

In 1917, two young cousins, Frances and Elsie, claimed they had seen fairies in Yorkshire. To prove it, they took five photos. One picture shows Frances smiling with fairies dancing in front of her. Another shows a fairy giving a flower to Elsie. The images caused a sensation and became known as the Cottingley Fairies. They looked so real that even Arthur Conan Doyle (the author who invented Sherlock Holmes) believed them. He wrote a book called