Fairies and their English Legends

I was having fun on stumbleupon when i found a site about the history and traditions of England.  The page I was directed to was talking all about fairies.  I've always been interested in fairies, but never knew that they were known to steal unbaptized babies.  Furthermore children with birth defects were thought be "Changlings."  Changlings are fairy babies left in place of the stolen human babies.  These children were often killed because they were thought to be inhuman and soul-less.

Puck, from A Midsummer's Night Dream by Shakespeare, is a prime example of the traditional fairy conventions.  English fairies often played pranks, but were also known for paralyzing humans and animals, and causing serious harm or death.  Many fairies were very sensitive to mess and disorder and would punish untidy and dirty people.