#fairy and folk tales of the irish peasantry

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

The moon rises over the fairy tale village / お伽の村に昇る月

* * * *

“On Midsummer Eve, when the bonfires are lighted on every hill in honour of St. John, the fairies are at their gayest, and sometime steal away beautiful mortals to be their brides.”

― W.B. Yeats, Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry

#fairy tales #faerie #fairy #W.B. Yeats #Fairy and folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry #moon #moonrise #magical #my favorites #stories

[bestiarium]

The Fetch [Irish/Scottish folklore]

Imagine unexpectedly meeting a dear friend, who seemingly crossed paths with you by pure coincidence. But something’s wrong: the friend is acting weird and you get the feeling that you’re not talking to someone you’ve known for a long time, but rather an exact copy of that person. This, in old Irish folklore, is the Fetch: an enigmatic being that copies a living person down to the smallest details.

While the Fetch was always regarded as an omen of sorts, John O’ Hanlon made an important addition in his 1870 book ‘Irish Folk Lore’: according to him, the person whose future the Fetch predicts is not the one who sees the omen. Instead, the creature will appear as an exact copy of someone and will then appear to a close friend of the one he copied. This will often be a strangely sudden and mysterious meeting. If this friend sees the Fetch in the morning, this will not affect him, but the person who was copied will live a long and prosperous life. If the friend sees the Fetch at night, the person who was copied will die soon, but the person who sees the apparition will not be affected either way.

According to Feats, belief in the Irish Fetch was also commonly found in Scotland. This claim might have been derived from a statement by O’Hanlon that the Fetch is related to a similar Scottish spirit.

Sources: Kinahan, F., 1983, Armchair Folklore: Yeats and the Textual Sources of “Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry”, Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Section C: Archaeology, Celtic Studies, History, Linguistics, Literature, Vol. 83C, pp. 255-267. Yeats, W., 1993, Writings on Irish Folklore, Legend and Myth, Penguin UK, 496 pp. (this is a collection of Yeats’ writings from the late 19th and early 20th century.) (image source: ‘How They Met Themselves’, 1864 watercolor painting by Dante Rossetti. The painting is not meant to depict the Fetch spirit but I thought it fits well.)

#Irish mythology #Scottish mythology #spirits #mythical creatures #myths #mythology #bestiary

[breelandwalker]

basic witch question: how can i study and research folk magic and historical witchcraft?

I've been trying to search like this: "name of country/place +folk magic" on academic article sites but I haven't found much practical stuff and sometimes I don't find anything.

thank you for your attention

Good question!

The first thing you'll want to do is set aside the idea that you're going to find overt and accurate historical descriptions of witchcraft as we define it today. VERY few people who practiced some form of folk magic would have identified themselves as witches, because up until very recently, it was something you could be arrested, fined, and executed for doing. Even just the suspicion of such was enough to cause panics and widespread paranoia. What you're most likely to find is a collection of folk beliefs ABOUT witches and witchcraft, rather than actual witchcraft practices.

There are plenty of folk magic practices that resemble things we do in modern witchcraft, but they wouldn't have been called witchcraft by the people doing them back in the day. If you nailed a cluster of broomstraw over your door or scattered eggshells in your garden, it wasn't to cast a spell - it was just The Done Thing to keep trouble out of your home and help the crops grow.

Be prepared to find a lot of Christianity blended into the practices you do find. During the Christianization of Europe, new beliefs blended with older ones and created some very interesting regional amalgamations. So you'll often find invocations of saints or the Blessed Virgin, or particular psalms or prayers included as essential parts of certain charms. (It's also worth noting that the recitation of certain prayers was a method of short-term timekeeping, since they didn't exactly have clocks or timers.)

Be prepared also to find a lot of references to the Devil and devil-worship. For several centuries, the idea of witchcraft and demonolatry (consorting with and calling upon demons for power and supernatural aid) was synonymous across much of the Western world. It's very difficult to find a mention of witches in contemporary medieval or renaissance literature that is not immediately accompanied by some mention of devils or demons or familiars. This is a record of the superstitions of the day, NOT the practices of actual witches, no matter what Margaret Murray would have us believe.

To find the folk magic practices, if you can't find them by searching the term outright, study the regional folklore of the place you're interested in. Look particularly for anything to do with healers or spirits or fairies or ghosts or local superstitions. Where you find these, you will find whatever regional protection rituals the country people used to ward off trouble from ethereal beings, and possibly references to other related practices for love or luck.

Naturally, if you go back to classical antiquity (Greeks and Romans) or further, things will look very different. It all depends on the time and place.

It's important to note that most of the books we have which document these beliefs were written during the 19th-20th century spiritualism and occult fads, and while there is an earnest effort in most of them to record things academically from good sources, they should still be taken with a grain of salt.

Here are some titles I've found useful in my studies:

British Goblins: Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (Sikes, 1880)

Culpeper's Complete Herbal and English Physician (Culpeper, 1850 edition)

Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry (Yeats, 1888)

Magic and Husbandry: The Folk-Lore of Agriculture (Burdick, 1914)

Plant Lore, Legends, and Lyrics (Folkard, 1884)

The History of Witchcraft and Demonology (Summers, 1926)

The Superstitions of Witchcraft (Williams, 1865)

You can find these and many similar titles on Project Gutenberg or Global Grey Ebooks. (And since they're in the public domain, they're free and legal to download!)

One final note - If you run into anything that mentions "folkish" traditions, bloodlines, or theosophy, put it down and walk away. That direction lies the pipeline to racist hate groups.

Hope this helps!

#bacchus-charm #witchcraft #history of witchcraft #folklore #Bree answers your inquiries

[the-swan-sequence]

“Every one is a visionary, if you scratch him deep enough.”

W.B. Yeats, Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry

Art: Harry Clarke (1889-1931)

#art #dark academia #dark aesthetic #classic literature #illustration #darkacademia #irish folklore

[astralwhat]

MONSTROUS HORSES: VOL. I

a little Weird Horse zine for @zinebash. i meant to have two or three of these done, with more/better art, but ah well. this one might get an upgrade whenever i do get around to making the sequels. for now, you can view it here and check out zine bash for the printable version.

sources:

Folk-lore and folk-stories of Wales by Trevelyan, Marie (1909)

Fairy and folk tales of the Irish peasantry, by Yeats, W. B. (1888)

Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, by John Gregorson Campbell (1900)

A description of the Shetland Islands : comprising an account of their scenery, antiquities and superstitions, by Hibbert-Ware, Samuel (1891)

The Celtic Magazine, Volume 12 (1887)

(these were all sources cited in relevant wikipedia articles for spooky water horses)

stock image collection

#zines #zinebash #weird horses #folklore #kelpie #originals #id in alt

[flowers-and-ash-server]

Flowers & Ash's first event since moving servers is taking place this Saturday, June 24th at 1:00 PM EDT / 6:00 PM BST. As a reminder, we will be discussing the five following short stories from Fairies And Folk Tales Of The Irish Peasantry by W.B. Yeats. The stories can be found free in digital format on SacredTexts.com or purchased in various formats.

The Demon Cat by Lady Wilde

The Piper And The Puca by Douglas Hyde

The Radiant Boy by Mrs. Crow

Frank Martin And The Fairies by William Carleton

Bewitched Butter (Queens County) by Unknown

We hope to see you then!

Disclaimer: Sacred Texts legally publishes stories which are in the public domain only. F&A is also not affiliated with the website or it's creator in any way.

#discord server #faerie faith #fae folk #faeries #witchcraft #paganism #sacred texts #w.b. yeats #official f&a discord

[tipsycad147]

Celtic Witchcraft: 9 Ways to Add Celtic Traditions to Your Magical Practice

A stone circle shrouded in mist. The sound of a flute in the distance is carried on the wind. Your heart is at peace here. You are home.

Does this sound like a vision or dream you’ve had time and time again? Are you a witch interested in learning the old ways of our Celtic ancestors? First, know this. You don’t have to be initiated into a certain tradition or religion to practice Celtic witchcraft (unless you feel drawn to). You can make your own path. As a solitary witch, and one who considers herself a Celtic pagan of 20+ years, here’s 9 ways to add Celtic witchcraft to your personal practice.

First, What is Celtic Witchcraft?

There are many definitions of Celtic Witchcraft. Some people will say you must be born in a Celtic land in order to practice Celtic paganism or witchcraft. Everyone can have their opinions, and my opinion is this – if you have ancestors from Celtic lands, YOU are Celtic. Even if you have no roots in the Celtic world, and you feel drawn to it inexplicably, go for it! It’s likely you lived a past life in the Celtic time and lands and that’s why it resonates. That being said, approach EVERY tradition and ancient way of life with respect. Don’t cherry pick just because it’s fun. Spend the time and effort immersing yourself in that path and respect the core energies and spirits.

SO! A definition – Celtic Witchcraft is weaving pagan customs and traditions from Celtic people into one’s magickal and spiritual practice. There are SO many ways to dive deep into the world of Celtic Witchcraft. And it would truly take a lifetime to explore ALL of those ways. But here’s a few I’ve found helpful in my practice:

9 Ways to Practice Celtic Witchcraft

1. Study Celtic Witchcraft

My first and biggest recommendation is to immerse yourself in Celtic magick through research and study. Don’t limit yourself to reading books with titles like “Celtic Magick” or “Celtic Wicca”, but instead read everything you can get your hands on. Including sources on Celtic mythology, folklore and fairy tales, history, geography, anthropology and witch trial documentation. A few of my favorite books on Celtic myth and lore include WB Yeats’ “Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry” and John Matthews’ “Tales of the Celtic Otherworld”.

2. Connect with Celtic Gods and Goddesses

Connect with the Celtic gods and goddesses by invoking their presence in your life and practice. Build small altars for your deities and provide regular offerings. Seek to meet them in meditation and dreams. Ask them to send you signs and teach you lessons. Further, invoke their aid in your physical and magical endeavors. They will lend their energy to your spells and magical workings of all kinds. Plus, working with deity is a fulfilling experience overall! Be aware – in my experience, the Celtic gods are a bit more elusive than some of the other pantheons. I believe this is due to their elemental nature. But once you have a relationship with them, it’s totally worth the “chase”!

Here’s a few Celtic gods and goddesses to research and potentially work with: Brigid, The Morrigan, Queen Medb, Rhiannon, Lugh, Cernunnos, Cliodhna and the Green Man.

3. Approach the Faeries and Elementals with Respect

Elementals, namely the “good folk” or faeries, are a huge part of Celtic myth and traditions dating back thousands of years. By making magick with the faeries, you’re engaging in an ancient sacred act of the Celtic people. Be warned – faery magick isn’t to be taken lightly. Faeries are NOT all pretty, little pixies with glitter trailing behind them. And even pixies have a mischievous side! Approach them with a reverence and caution. Then build a connection and slowly learn how to weave their magick into your own.

4. Weave Celtic traditions into your own

Through your studies, you’ll learn of many old customs and traditions of the Celtic people that have been passed down through the years. Be creative and think of ways to weave these old practices and beliefs into your Celtic witchcraft practice. For instance, trees were an integral part of the Druids’ belief system. Learn how to use tree bark, seeds, pods, and blooms in your spells (as just one example). Hang a horseshoe upside down over your front door to ward off malevolent spirits. Learn to work with hag stones. This is an old folk tradition in Ireland and other Celtic lands.

5. Cook Traditional Celtic Meals

This is a fun way to practice Celtic witchcraft, particularly if you enjoy working magick in the kitchen. Study the different traditional Celtic meals and learn how to make them yourself. A few to try include colcannon and champ, boxty, smoked salmon and Irish soda bread. In addition, the Irish people love their beer, wine and mead. You could take up a hobby of brewing your own beer or mead and dedicate it to your Celtic god/goddess OR brew it with intention and turn it into a spell.

6. Celebrate the Celtic Witchcraft Festivals

Many modern witches follow the Wheel of the Year, which includes a few of the traditional Celtic holy days. Celebrate the Celtic festivals this year and add your own spin on them. For Imbolc, honor the goddess Brigid and cast spells with fire. Fire is a sacred element to Brigid and her sacred fires were lit on this day dating back centuries to ancient times. On Beltane, have a bonfire and make love (this is a traditional fertility festival). The other Celtic sabbats include Lughnasadh and Samhain.

7. Embrace Land, Sea and Sky

Modern witchcraft focuses on the four elements: earth, air, fire and water. But if you’d like to mix things up and add a Celtic flavor to the basis of your natural magick, embrace the concept of three: Land, Sea and Sky. These were the three most important aspects of the divine to the ancient Celts.

8. Make Celtic Witchcraft With Sacred Celtic Animals

The ancient Celts revered animals as much as the trees and landscape around them. Study and connect with their sacred animals. Then invoke their energy when casting spells, meditating, and performing everyday rituals. A few include: boar, horse, bear, wolf, serpent, salmon, stag and cow. Add these animals’ figurines or images to your altar space. If you’re gifted an animal part (ethically sourced, of course), hold this piece during meditation and ask for that animal to meet you in the ether. Ask for their wisdom to be imparted to you. Animal bones, feathers, teeth, etc. can also be added to throwing charm sets and bone sets for divination purposes.

9. Learn and Use the Tree Ogham

Ogham is to the Celts what the Elder futhark runes are to the Norse/Germanic people. It is an ancient system of writing but each letter or marking has a deep, spiritual meaning that goes beyond a simple alphabet. Each symbol contains its own universal power. My recommendation is to learn each Ogham marking individually. Take time learning and connecting with each one. Until you know the entire Ogham system and can use it to divine messages for yourself and others. Celtic witches should add this form of divination to their repertoire.

https://otherworldlyoracle.com/celtic-witchcraft/

[marcvscicero]

- ‘rent day’ / ‘loughleagh’ (lake of healing), in ‘fairy and folk tales of the irish peasantry’, compiled by w. b. yeats

#sooooo true babe 😪😪😪😪😪😪 #quotes #irish mythology #irish folktale #william butler yeats #i

[looloolooweez]

I read Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry by W.B. Yeats for my list for Classics Club in June 2023

#reading #bookblr #classic literature #classics club

[garudabluffs]

https://youtu.be/rVhmhwedhj0330 Comments  

“I can see how the song lends itself to lost childhood but Yeats poem is much more profound. It is about based on Irish folklore of the old days when people would blame the fairies for stealing their child and leaving a sick fairy in its place. From the days when people didn't know about autism and such things. The saying "Away with the fairies" originates from the same beliefs. It makes the poem much deeper and much more sad knowing this.

Tomas MacEoin narrator/narration

Loreena McKennitt-Stolen Child lyrics      14 Comments 

William Butler Yeats, Ireland’s most famous and beloved poet of the 20th century, was intrigued by the Celtic myths and legends of his homeland, a fascination instilled at an early age by his mother, Susan Mary Pollexfen Yeats. His early poem, “The Stolen Child”, first appeared in the Irish Monthly in December 1886, and was published in 1892 in his first book of poetry, The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems, as well as Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry. The poem tells of a mortal child who is lured away to the land of the fairies, far from the troubles and sadness of the human world. It is a romantic metaphor for the universal loss of innocence we all go through as we wrestle with the random, unjust and tragic nature of life, and perhaps a personal expression of Yeats own reckoning with sorrow in his life. Just twenty one years old at the time he wrote the poem, Yeats surely thought of his younger siblings, Robert and Jane, who both died at a young age-Robert at age three and Jane at just a year old. The places mentioned in the poem are located in Sligo and Leitrim, in the storied west of Ireland, where Yeats spent much of his youth. A wild and beautiful land, steeped in the mystery, superstition and magic of Irish mythology, western Ireland in the late 19th century must have seemed to Yeats very much the land of the aos sí, (ees shee), the people of the mounds. Common to both Irish and Scottish mythology, the ancient race of the aos sí are also known as the daoine sídhe (dee-nuh shee-uh[th]) and, later in Irish literature, as the Tuatha Dé Danann (two-uh-huh day dan-in).

Lyrics: The Stolen Child  WHERE dips the rocky highland Of Sleuth Wood in the lake, There lies a leafy island Where flapping herons wake The drowsy water rats; There we’ve hid our faery vats, Full of berries And of reddest stolen cherries. Come away, O human child! To the waters and the wild With a faery, hand in hand, For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand. Where the wave of moonlight glosses The dim gray sands with light, Far off by furthest Rosses We foot it all the night, Weaving olden dances Mingling hands and mingling glances Till the moon has taken flight; To and fro we leap And chase the frothy bubbles, While the world is full of troubles And anxious in its sleep. Come away, O human child! To the waters and the wild With a faery, hand in hand, For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand. Where the wandering water gushes From the hills above Glen-Car, In pools among the rushes That scarce could bathe a star, We seek for slumbering trout And whispering in their ears Give them unquiet dreams; Leaning softly out From ferns that drop their tears Over the young streams. Come away, O human child! To the waters and the wild With a faery, hand in hand, For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand. Away with us he’s going, The solemn-eyed: He’ll hear no more the lowing Of the calves on the warm hillside Or the kettle on the hob Sing peace into his breast, Or see the brown mice bob Round and round the oatmeal chest. For he comes, the human child, To the waters and the wild With a faery, hand in hand, For the world’s more full of weeping than he can understand.                                                   

18 Comments 

Where dips the rocky highland Of Sleuth Wood in the lake, There lies a leafy island Where flapping herons wake The drowsy water rats; There we’ve hid our faery vats, Full of berrys And of reddest stolen cherries. Come away, O human child! To the waters and the wild With a faery, hand in hand, For the world’s more full of weeping than he can understand. Where the wave of moonlight glosses The dim gray sands with light, By far off furthest Rosses We foot it all the night, Weaving olden dances Mingling hands and mingling glances Till the moon has taken flight; To and fro we leap And chase the frothy bubbles, While the world is full of troubles And is anxious in its sleep. Come away, O human child! To the waters and the wild With a faery, hand in hand, For the world’s more full of weeping than he can understand. Where the wandering water gushes From the hills above Glen-Car, In pools among the rushes That scarce could bathe a star, We seek for slumbering trout And whispering in their ears Give them unquiet dreams; Leaning softly out From ferns that drop their tears Over the young streams. Come away, O human child! To the waters and the wild With a faery, hand in hand, For the world’s more full of weeping than he can understand. Away with us he’s going, The solemn-eyed: He’ll hear no more the lowing Of the calves on the warm hillside Or the kettle on the hob Sing peace into his breast, Or see the brown mice bob Round and round the oatmeal chest. For he comes, the human child, To the waters and the wild With a faery, hand in hand, For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand. {W.B Yeats}

262 Comments  “                                          

 Phil Dodd (HistoriaAntiqua.ORG) 5 months ago                                              This song is actually a protest against the English theft of Gaelic children to fight their Germanic wars and imperial conquests. Everywhere these people go all they do is kill. They hated the Celts, they hated the Slavs, and initially, they hated the GrecoRomans. Pathway of blood from the Pontic Steppe all over Europe.                   

5 months ago “Dude... This is a poem from 1886 by William Butler Yeats, an irish poet, turned into a song.”                   8                                                                    Phil Dodd (HistoriaAntiqua.ORG)  5 months ago (edited)                                        @Yas Witch Yes. what I said. He represents in the poem The longing of the Irish people to be free of the English domination which came with the heavy price of having the local Gaelic people sent away to fight their imperialist wars so our children can die to oppress some other people in service of some inbred nobleman's ego.

+ “You're not necessarily right, yes they were known as baby snatchers, and there were dark fairy as well, but #1 their propensity to steal kids wasn't based of dark  intentions, only deceptive at times... and 2 I don't think the poem is meant to have dark implications, sad yes but not dark, dreamy.. while they were known as kidnappers in folk lore, they were still considered whimsical and such,  the song is from the point of the faery calling to the human child telling him to come away, for the world is more full of wheeping than he can understand so that implies their intentions in whisking him away are simply motivated by their desire to save him from the pain that is life. Of course from a human vantage point, it's never good when someone disappears, but tbh I think this kinda folklore was actually  created to help cope with such things as loss, and explain away what could've happened in a more ethereal, wishful way than reality dictates.”

“i recommend Eddie Lenihans book "meeting the other crowd." He collected folk lore from Irish citizens for years and put some of them in a book

“I have read the passages and honestly don't know what you are referring to. The sidhe are doing what the sidhe do. Our moral judgements really don't come into play. If you want the real horror of Ireland, read Joyce's "The Dubliners."

#music video The Stolen Childe The Waterboys Loreena McKennitt

[pink-lemonade-rose]

Many poets, and all mystic and occult writers, in all ages and countries, have declared that behind the visible are chains on chains of conscious beings, who are not of heaven but of the earth, who have no inherent form but change according to their whim, or the mind that sees them. You cannot lift your hand without influencing and being influenced by hordes. The visible world is merely their skin. In dreams we go amongst them, and play with them, and combat with them. They are, perhaps, human souls in the crucible - these creatures of whim.

W.B. Yeats, Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry

#w.b. yeats #fairy and folk tales of the irish peasantry #fairies #spirits #folklore #dreaming #quotes

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

“Yet, be it noticed, if you are a stranger, you will not readily get ghost and fairy legends, even in a western village. You must go adroitly to work, and make friends with the children, and the old men, with those who have not felt the pressure of mere daylight existence, and those with whom it is growing less, and will have altogether taken itself off one of these days.”

- William Butler Yeats, from Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry.

[Sherry Baker]

#Sherry Baker #William Butler Yeats #fairy #quotes #Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry

[poems-quotes-etc]

Irish Fairy and Folk Tales Quote 3

Even a newspaper man, if you entice him into a cemetary at midnight, will believe in phantoms, for everyone is a visionary if you scratch him deep enough. But the Celt is a visionary without scratching.

Page ix leatherbound

(Introduction to Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry by William Butler Yeats)

#irish fairy and folk tales #fairy and folk tales of the irish peasantry #william butler yeats

[breelandwalker]

Hello! I was wondering if you have any resources on changelings in folklore/history, or even just on fae in general? I've been eyeing fae magic for a few years now and am now thinking of taking up study of the topic in earnest. Love ur blog btw, and can't wait for the book!

I don't work with the Good Neighbors myself and fairy magic isn't my area of expertise, but I do have a few older books of related lore and folktales I can direct you to:

British Goblins, Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions, by Wirt Sikes (1880)

Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry, Edited and Selected by W. B. Yeats (1888)

Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland, by Thomas Crofton Croker (1827)

The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries, by W.Y. Evans-Wentz (1911)

The Fairy Mythology, by Thomas Keightley (1870)

The Magic of the Middle Ages, by Viktor Rydberg (1865)

The Origins of Popular Superstitions and Customs, by T. Sharper Knowlson (1910)

The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies, by Robert Kirk (written 1691, pub. in print 1893)

West Irish Folk-Tales and Romances, by William Larminie (1893)

All of these titles are in the public domain and should be available for free on sites like Project Gutenberg or Global Grey Ebooks. (There may also be some other titles there that you can use for historical lore reference.)

While they may not be resources for modern versions of fae magic, they definitely provide a lot of background information that was written and published BEFORE the rise of modern witchcraft, which means the authors were just recording the folklore as they found it, rather than trying to bend it into a witchy shape. (It's pretty much invariably viewed through a Christian lens, but one should keep in mind that this is part of the culture of the countries of origin when it comes to fairies and spirits.)

I also have this list of JSTOR articles related to the history of witchcraft, occultism, witch trials, and related folklore - including fairies.

Thanks for tuning in! Hope this helps!

#618foxes #witchblr #witch community #faery magic #fairy lore #book recs #free books #Bree answers your inquiries

[laurasimonsdaughter]

Hello, I hope you're having a good day! Do you have anything about the Sidhe of Ireland?

Alright, this took me very long because the Sídhe are actually rather complicated, but I’ll do my best!

There are generally three approaches to Irish fae:

They just Are, just like all Celtic and most other cultures have some form of supernatural creatures inhabiting our world (or a world just out of reach).

They were angels who fell from heaven for not being good enough but were not so wicked that they sank down to hell. As such they became creatures that are both charming and capricious, capable of granting rewards and doling out punishments.

They are what is left of the powerful Tuatha de Danann. Either because they were the early inhabitants of Ireland, who despite their great skill as supernatural warriors and magic users were forced to retreat for humankind and made their homes under grassy hills or lands beneath the waters. Or because they were the old gods of pre-Christian Ireland, whose powers dwindled when they were no longer worshipped. Either way, in their retreat to the Otherworld their magnificent power lessened, but never fully faded, and their descendants are the Sídhe.

Sidh, Sídhe, or Sí is the Irish Gaelic name for fae. It’s actually an abbreviation, because it just means “mound”. Aos Sí or Daoine Sidhe means “people of the mounds”. According to Katherine Briggs they are also described as “the gentry, the good people, the wee folks, the People of That Town” and so on.

The Daoine Sidhe share most characteristics that people have come to think of as typically fae:

They can be small or human-sized and many can change this at will.

They come in a great variety of shapes, sizes and kinds, some of which have particular names. Like the leipreachán (leprechaun) and the bean sí (banshee).

They are fond of music and dancing.

They can shoot fairy darts that can bring sickness or paralysis.

They are either immortal or very long-living.

They may lure people away with their charms, or steal them with violence.

They must be treated with care and respect, or they will take terrible vengeance.

When they are treated well or simply take a liking to a human, they may help or bless them.

They are usually gorgeous or hideous, with little middle ground.

They tend to live underground or under water and fiercely protect their pools, mounds and trees.

Some of them are in the habit of stealing babies and leaving changelings.

What the Daoine Sidhe are not:

Divided into courts. This is already not as prevalent among Scottish fae as many people think, and among Irish fae there is no talk of a seelie or unseelie or summer or winter court. There are fae who behave like nobility, riding in procession and ruling a small court in their mound, but there are also solitary fae, and those that show up in little groups or great crowds.

Clearly defined. What is and what is not considered a member of the Sidhe is not always clear, and some fae have characteristics that would make it plausible to categorise them not as fae but as ghosts or revenants (banshee, dullahan), spirits or shapeshifters (púca/pooka) and mermaids (murúch/merrow).

If you want to read some examples of stories I recommend:

Lady Wilde’s.Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland (1887)

William Butler Yeats’s. Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry (1888)

Not for a particular scholarly approach, but for a fun read and for Irish writers compiling Irish folklore. I will drop the links in the replies~

#tillythepun #thanks for the ask! #and I hope you have a good day too ^^ #irish folklore #celtic folklore #fae #aos si #daoine sidhe #sidhe #laura babbles

[lailoken]

Hello there! I was recently approached and directed to begin work with the Witch Father. After doing some research on the various aspects of him, have identified him as The Faerie King. While I've lightly researched the fae/goodfolk before and had some interactions with them, I'm fairly new to working in their domain. Do you have any suggested resources to look into or advice before meeting him? Thank you! Your blog has been super helpful!

I’m sorry if my answer to this has come too late. I have had a lot on my plate. I will answer as best I can, though, all the same.

As far as resources go, some of the very best will simply cover things like local ecology, regional lore, and folk wisdom. However, here are some texts covering the topic of the Gloaming Folk that I can manage to think of at the moment:

‘The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies’ by Reverend Robert Kirk

‘British Goblins’ by Wirt Sikes

‘The Encyclopedia of Fairies’ by Katherine Briggs

‘An Encyclopedia of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, & Other Supernatural Creatures’ by Katherine Briggs

‘Fairy and Folktales of the Irish Peasantry’ by W. B. Yeats

‘The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries’ by W. Y. Evans-Wentz

‘Sounds of Infinity’ by Lee Morgan

‘Elves, Wights and Trolls’ by Kveldulfr Gundarson

‘The Fairy Mythology: Illustrative of the Romance and Superstition of Various Countries’ by Thomas Keightley

‘The Gaelic Otherworld’ by John Campbell

‘The Fairies in Tradition and Literature’ by Katherine Briggs

‘The Vanishing People: Fairy Lore and Legends’ by Katherine Briggs

‘The Fairy Family: A Series of Ballads & Metrical Tales Illustrating the Fairy Mythology of Europe’ by A. Maclaren

Based on the larger context of your question, regarding the Witch Father, it may also be worthwhile to look into some texts such as:

‘Call of the Horned Piper’ by Nigel Aldcroft Jackson

‘The Devils Dozen: Thirteen Craft Rites of the Old One’ by Gemma Gary

or the ‘Witchcraft in the British Isles’ series by Michael Howard

As far as advice goes;

Be sure, be ready, and be heedful.

#avesnoir #ask #Gloaming folk #faerie faith #faerie king #horned lord #witch father