Essay on fairies

The name Elberich, or, as it appears in the "Nibelungenlied," Albrich, was changed, in passing into French, first into Auberich, then into Auberon, and finally became our Oberon. He is introduced by Spenser in the "Fairy Queen" (Book ii., cant, i., st. 6), where he describes Sir Guyon:

Like earthly monarchs, he has his jester, "the shrewd and knavish sprite called Robin Goodfellow.". Of the fairy characters mentioned by Shakespeare may be mentioned Oberon, king of fairyland, and Titania his queen.

No such fairy poetry existed anywhere in English literature before Shakespeare. The tiny elves, to whom a cowslip is tall, for whom the third part of a minute is an important division of time, have a miniature perfection which is charming.

From Folk-lore of Shakespeare by T. F. Thiselton Dyer: New York, Harper. The wealth of Shakespeare's luxuriant imagination and glowing language seems to have been poured forth in the graphic accounts which he has given us of the fairy tribe.