Do you believe that they are humans with special abilities, or another species entirely?
Where do you think that their powers come from? The element of fire? Some sort of watered down succubi? Some weird curse or enchantment gone wrong long ago? Is it possible that they are descended from unicorns, with that silvery hair of theirs?

Go ham, this should be interesting! Unless, of course, it is ignored...

 

Objects of adolescents' desires.

 

In my fics I have used the idea that they are the female descendants of Helen of Troy. I don't think that works for canon but I enjoy it as a bit of fanon.

 

Baby veela come from when a boy wizard loves his owl so much that she transforms into a magical girl.

Albus Seveela Potter fics landing 2021, watch this space.

 

Wasn't there a fic in which Hedwig transforms into a girl and marries Sirius?

 

They're the female Equivalent to Centaurs.

 

If they resemble anything from Greek myth, they seem more like Sirens, except associated with fire rather than the sea. Beautiful, alluring women with a hidden, more violent nature, plus avian characteristics?

 

They're Eastern European fairies or nymphs, or at least that's where Rowling got the idea/aesthetic/name from.

 

Is it a bird? Is it a broom? No, it's Veela!

 

Big Tiddy Bird Girlfriend

 

Very Excitable and Eloquent Lascivious Avians.

 

This is the origin myth. Seems kinda like a halfway house between the Greek sirens and Russian swan princesses.

 

They're Non-Human Spiritous Apparitions, like Boggars, Poltergeists and Dementors. But instead of being beings of fear or depression, they're manifested beauty. Their Bird Form is what they actually look like, but similarly to a Boggart the way they are perceived is partially dependant on the observer and the glow of their skin makes them appear beautiful regardless of the tastes of the person looking at them. And like a Dementor which feeds on happiness, a Veela feeds on beautfy and those around it, dimiming the beauty of everone hit by the light their skin emmits. A particularly happy Veela may instead project beauty all around her, and enhancing the looks of everyone in her presence.

 

A mistake.

Jokes aside, just magical beings with wacky hypnosis powers.

 

They're hot, snooty French girls.

Their purpose is to (a) demonstrate the superiority of British culture through their humiliating defeat in tournaments; (b) give British heroes a sexual reward for proving the superiority of British culture (hot, snooty French girls are loose); (c) allow manky British families to feel magnanimous toward their French inferiors. (Hot, snooty French girls are acceptable (sort of) if they stand by their disfigured British men); or (d) represent mythical nonsense that JKR had never heard of in the 90s.

Pick your poison.

 

They're a version of a species of natural, reverse-animagi. Birds that have learned how to take on a human form. The great secret that no-one not involved with a Veela knows is that they don't give birth to live young; they lay eggs. The most horrifying day in Bill's life wasn't the day he was attacked by Fenrir Grayback; it was the day he watched his wife lay an egg and then his daughter break her way out of it.

He left the room before Fleur started feeding her new daughter in the normal bird way.

 

I considered a smut fic once where Veela make half-Veela if they breed with a man, and make full-Veela if they breed with a woman.

Totally supported by canon.

 

Only things I've ever seen that seemed interesting were:

1) Taure's example above.
2) Part of a trinity of mystically beautiful women with various magical abilities. Succubi for land, Sirens for the ocean, Veela for the skies.

In general, Veela are just poorly written.

 

Everyone asks, What are Veela? Never, How are Veela?