Gods, Spirits, Beings or...?

[HexBomb]

Question for all our pagan friends on his board! Do you consider things like wights, the aelfar, the fair folk, nymphs, dryads, kitsune, elementals and the like to be beings, gods, spirits, or something else? Why?

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

They could be spirits, multidimensional beings or cryptids, depending on which one. I do believe in nature spirits, as an animist.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

Question for all our pagan friends on his board! Do you consider things like wights, the aelfar, the fair folk, nymphs, dryads, kitsune, elementals and the like to be beings, gods, spirits, or something else? Why?

Yes, all of the above, and more. Or less.
Personally, I'm not as sanguine about calling things gods, but I'm sure others might call some of them that. Spirits are; some are associated with physical matter, others are not...or used to be, or eventually will be...it's hard to tell sometimes. I'm not sure it's a good idea to consider them as being only one thing.

 

[Quintessence]

I tend to use the word "gods" and "spirits" interchangeably because in my theology, they essentially are. The "spirit" of something is the sum total essence of what a given aspect of reality is (aka, it's "nature"); for me, "gods" designates something worthy of worship, and because I regard all aspects of reality worthy of worship, all things are essentially gods. This doesn't mean they have the same standing in relation to each other. You could say there are "greater" and "lesser" gods/spirits. The things you have listed would certainly be in the "lesser" category given their domain is relatively limited.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

Question for all our pagan friends on his board! Do you consider things like wights, the aelfar, the fair folk, nymphs, dryads, kitsune, elementals and the like to be beings, gods, spirits, or something else? Why?

Demons, in the Dukes-ian sense:

Uncle Ramsey's Little Book of Demons: The Positive Advantages of the Personification of Life's Problems: Ramsey Dukes: 9781904658092: Amazon.com: Books

Or fairies:

How to See Fairies: Discover Your Psychic Powers in Six Weeks: Ramsey Dukes: 9781904658375: Amazon.com: Books

 

[Quintessence]

I'm not familiar with Dukes' work. Can you tell us a little more, Gjal?

 

[Gjallarhorn]

I'm not familiar with Dukes' work. Can you tell us a little more, Gjal?

He takes the general chaote approach. Demons are psychological constructs that allow us to anthropomorphize reality and, since humans are equally as social as we are tool-makers (perhaps more so), personification of reality allows for greater mental muscle in dealing with reality.

The fairies book is a reaction to the demons book. I guess people had trouble seeing their demons.

 

[Quintessence]

I might add them to my wish list. So many bloody things to read, though, that I'm sometimes hesitant to get new things. I still have books I bought a long time ago that I haven't gotten to. XD

 

[Quintessence]

It occurs to me I should probably add that I wouldn't at all regard "lesser" gods to be of lesser importance or something like that. Most of what I actively worship probably falls under the "lesser" category, because my path focuses mainly on things that are local. Honestly, you could probably label them under the terms used in the OP, but I just don't use that vocabulary. I could talk about the "deva" of the neat cottonwood tree I have a relationship with near my dwelling, but instead I just call it Cottonwood Tree (or, Populus deltoides when I'm feeling like a botany nerd).

 

[Sees]

A little bit of all of those with a heavy dose of wiggle room. Most important is "real"

I think it's not only extremely difficult or impossible to describe such beings/realities but it's rather ideal that we don't. It's a mysterious thing. When compartmentalizing the mysterious we usually go towards killing it off. It's why most can't feel the presence of different beings. Ignorance, awe, wonder, intuition, etc. have to be there to a certain degree for the openness and receptivity.