Faeryfolk
Filed by Aine MacDermot
The Solitary Fairies
1. The Leprechaun: The shoemaker seen mending shoes. Catch him and get crocks of gold. A thrifty professional. Take your eyes off of him and he vanishes. Red Coat, seven buttons in each row, and he spins sometimes on the point of a cocked hat.
2. The Cluricaun: Robbing wine cellars and riding sheep and shepherd’s dogs all night long; found panting and mud covered in the morning.
3. The Ganconer (Ganconagh, Gan Ceann, Gean Ceann) - Love talker, Idler; appears making love to shepherdesses and milkmaids; smokes a pipe.
4. The Fear Darrig (Fir Darrig): Red man, Joker; gives bad nightmares.
5. The Phooka (Pooka, Puca, Puck): A horse, ass, etc.; takes rider on a wild ride and shakes him off in the grey of morning, especially drunkards; a drunkard’s sleep is his kingdom. When it rains with sun shining, that means he will be out that night. When berries are killed by frost it is the Pooka’s spit which is upon them and they should not be eaten.
6. The Dullahan: Headless or carrying his head; black coach, a bower with headless horses, it goes to your door and if you open it, a basin of blood is thrown at you; death omen.
7. Leanhaun Shee (Leannan SÃdhe): Fairy mistress seeks love of men - if they refuse she is their slave - If they consent they are hers - her lovers waste away - you must find someone to go in your place.
8. The Fear Gorta: Man of hunger; brings good luck to those who give him food.
9. Banshee (Beann SÃdhe): Fairy woman mourning; wails over dead and calls for them; warns of impending death in whatever family or clan she may be associated with.
From Gaelic BEAN-SÃ?DHE, ‘woman of the fairy-mounds,’ the Banshee was another form of the Goddess-voice, for She was heard, but rarely seen. Irish folklore says the voice of the Banshee is sometimes a terrifying shriek or ghastly wail that will cause any hearer to drop dead at once; or, at other times, it is a soft, comforting voice addressed to those whom the Goddess loved ‘a welcome rather than a warning’ of the coming passage into the realm of death. Her name may be written BEAN SÃ?, she who wails only for members of the old families. When several caoine together, it foretells the death of someone very great or holy. The Banshee has long streaming hair and a grey cloak over a green dress. Her eyes are fiery red with continual weeping. In the Scottish Highlands the Banshee is called BEAN-NIGHE or ‘Little-Washer-by-the-Ford’, and she washes the grave-clothes of those about to die. The Highland Banshee, like the other faeries, has some physical defects. She has only one nostril, a large protruding front tooth and long hanging breasts. A mortal who is bold enough to creep up to her as she is washing and lamenting and suck her long breast can claim to be her foster-child and gain a wish from her. Since the word ‘banshee’ means ‘faery woman’, the beliefs about her are various, and occasionally the Glaistig is spoken of as a banshee, though she has nothing to do with the Bean-Nighe.
The Bean-Nighe or ‘the Washing Woman’ occurs both in Highland Scottish and Irish tradition as one of the variants of the BANSHEE. The name and characteristics vary in different localities. She is to be seen by desolate streams washing the blood-stained clothing of those about to die. She is small and generally dressed in green, and has red webbed feet. She portends evil, but if anyone who sees her before she sees him gets between her and the water she will grant him three wishes. She will answer three questions, but she asks three questions again, which must be answered truly. Anyone bold enough to seize one of her hanging breasts and suck it may claim that he is her foster-child and she will be favourable to him. But the Caointeach of Islay, which is the same as the Bean-Nighe, is fiercer and more formidable. If anyone interrupts her she strikes at his legs with her wet linen and often he loses the use of his limbs. Is is said that the bean-nighe are the ghosts of women who have died in childbirth and must perform their task until the natural destined time of their death comes. The bean-nighe, sometimes called the Little Washer By The Ford, chiefly haunt the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, but Peter Buchan collected a washer story in Banffshire.
10. The Fear SÃdhe: Male Faery (there are also faeries for parts and aspects of the home, for water (sherie), light (Soullh), and a host of lake faeries, dragons and ghosts).
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Sources:
Bettelheim, Bruno : The Uses of Enchantment - The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales, ©1975, 1977, Vintage Books, Random House, NY, NY. ISBN 0394722655.
Briggs, Katharine : An Encyclopedia of Fairies, ©1976, Pantheon Books, Random House, NY, NY. ISBN 039473467X.
Cross, Tom, and Slover, Clark : Ancient Irish Tales, ©1936, 1996, Barnes and Noble Books, NY, NY. ISBN 1566198895.
Ellis, Peter Beresford : A Dictionary of Irish Mythology, ©1987, Oxford University Press, London, UK. ISBN 0192828711.
Evans-Wentz, W. Y. : The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries, ©1911, 1966, 1994, Citadel Press, NY, NY. ISBN 0806511605.
Keightley, Thomas : The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves, and Other Little People (originally published under the title The Fairy Mythology), ©1878, 1880, 1978, Avenel Books, Crown Publishers. ISBN 0517263130.
Yeats, William Butler : Irish Fairy and Folk Tales, ©1898, The Modern Library, Random House, NY, NY. [This edition from my local public library that I used looks to be an original, and there is no ISBN listed in it, though I understand this book has recently been reprinted.]
Lady Aurora wrote:
Do faeries really exist? I mean… I have this unexplainable passion for them, a certain urge to see one. Because my mind keeps on battling with my heart that they DON’T exist, and yet, i feel it in my heart that they are here among us… I also feel that they live within my heart….making me feel like i’m ONE OF THEM>>>>
Posted on 17-Sep-05 at 1:43 am | Permalink
Fiona wrote:
Oh yes, faeries exist in a very real way. I’ve seen them from time to time, as do many members of my family past and present. One of my best friends, who is from a very old Irish family, is waken in the night to banshee calls when someone dies in the family, as did her grandmother and great aunt in the past. In my family we see a lady with bandages all over when there is a death. I saw her last week and I found out one of my great aunts died the next day! I don’t want you to doubt it for a second that fae don’t exist. They most certainly do in a very real way. I feel that a lot of Irish families did see faeires, but it was frowned upon and became a “superstitious peasant belief” and not for “good Christians.” So a lot of stories got untold, and those ways were swept under the rug.
Posted on 25-Sep-05 at 8:11 pm | Permalink
Aine MacDermot wrote:
If you read W.Y. Evans-Wentz’s “The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries”, he makes a very good case for the Fae being reborn into human bodies, quite often over and over within a clann blood line. Personally, I have no doubt They are here among us.
Maybe I’m one.
Posted on 26-Sep-05 at 2:10 am | Permalink
Anto wrote:
I was visited by a flock of faeries one night as I laid down to go to bed. At first I thought the shadow of a head moved on my wall. Then I felt something large was standing in front of me. I called for my friend to come into the room, but he was fast asleep. I then saw stars coming at me. Like a tunnel of them. I rubbed my eyes and they were still there. The stars were wizzing by my head. Some twinkled like a sparkle. The stars turned into some kind of wavy, shimmering scattering of light throughout my room. Once again I rubbed my eyes to see if I was just bugging out. Nope. I sure wasn’t bugging out. So I relaxed and after a minute these things appeared in place of the shimmering light. At first it looked like butterflies. They were a light golden yellowish white color. Their wings seemed to propel them magically. As if gravity didn’t affect them. Their aura was one of a happy greeting. Almost playful. As I lay there I could feel the tears running down my face. I put my hand up and could see, but not feel one of them climb around it. there had to be about forty of them. About 3-4 inch bodies. With wings about the same size. Except there wings were a bit higher than there heads and the bottoms were about to the top of the calf. They stayed for a bit and then the swirling light came back, then the stars and they were gone. They came again the following night and I haven’t seen them since.
I never believed in this stuff before. I am a big sceptic. What I saw those nights was real. I actually saw a flock of beings from myth. Thus, I must conclude that they exist. I have been studying about them ever since.
Posted on 21-Oct-05 at 1:02 am | Permalink
Aine MacDermot wrote:
Anto: I had a similar experience only it was in my yard during broad daylight. I didn’t see them morph into creatures with wings, though. Just tiny sparkles of light, flying around me in all directions in the morning sunlight. It was not raining, there was no wind, and I’ve never seen rain that flies upward/outward/and in circles, so the idea that it was just water droplets in the air was ruled out.
And yes, it was accompanied by a wonderful feeling of happiness.
Posted on 21-Oct-05 at 1:09 am | Permalink
amber wrote:
dude i can’t copy anything!!whats up with that?
Posted on 24-Apr-06 at 10:58 am | Permalink
Aine MacDermot wrote:
dude i can’t copy anything!!whats up with that?
As you can see, I copied your comment. Your inability to copy and paste is likely due to some problem with your own computer. BTW, if you’re not already using it, I recommend Firefox as a browser.
PS: I’m not a dude.
Posted on 24-Apr-06 at 11:10 am | Permalink
Amryn Morgan wrote:
I believe in faeries. I saw three of them (actually, I saw “faerie lights”, not the faeries themselves) but they were three orbs of white light, no bigger than a quarter, with the edges of the bright white light encircled in an electric blue. The two large ones were about the size of a quarter, and the littler one, I’m assuming was the ‘baby’ of the group, was no bigger than a nickel. From that day on, I have believed in faeries and they will always hold a special place in my heart. I am studying Faerie Wicca at the Wiccan school I am enrolled in and I love it. I’ve read that Tori Amos (she’s a singer) believes in faeries as well.
Hugs and faerie dust,
Amryn Morgan
Posted on 28-Nov-06 at 10:10 am | Permalink
spellbell wrote:
do you think that people are actually reincarnated faeries…? I do. I have this recurring dream, since I was a child, that in my bed one night, a woman faerie, with skin, hair and wings the color of moonlight and eyes that were ice blue, beckoned me to follow her. When I did, she took me by the hand and laughed softly, then we rode on towards this island, somewhere in the middle of some ocean, and in the sky I had morphed into a creature with golden hair and skin and pure green eyes, like I have now. There, I ate and drank and knew the faeries by name, and they called to me and frolicked and suddenly… in the forest somethinh happened, and the island was shook and the faeries ran and flew in the black terror, and I was tumbled tumbled tumbled back to the Earth, watching the white woman call out to me silently, large tears in her blue eyes. I woke up with the taste of wine on my tongue, and my face was wet with tears. What’s really odd though, is that my best friend has had the same dream… and we both see faeries constantly.
what could this mean?
Posted on 03-Dec-06 at 2:19 pm | Permalink
Catherine Leslie-Fay wrote:
Sounds like you’ve kinfolk among the Sidhe. You might consider cultivating a magical garden even if it is only on a shelf in a window…
Myself I was taken Underhill when I was 13 and told of my family and the history. I was flabergasted at first but later I began to take my true kin to heart.
I still have folks telling me I’m just Human but I know better then that.
Still have to pay taxes and whatnot but I am walking a gentler path across Earth these days.
Namarie,
Cathrea
Posted on 20-Jan-07 at 4:30 am | Permalink
Pea wrote:
How wonderful to read such dialogue. I too watch the lights, some playful indeed, so very naughty, hidden in the woods, by the wells, and around me. My father was so very ill, and I called on the lights and they came and surrounded this man that I loved so. Beautiful it was as he gained strength as they came. My father healed by the sidhe.
Posted on 25-Mar-07 at 4:31 am | Permalink
Frank wrote:
I believe. Once I sat in a local woodland in the south of England where I live and practiced simple tunes on my Celtic harp. I tired, then fell asleep. In my dream I saw beautiful lights, bands of colour subtly weaving and blending, at the same time the most beautiful sounds beyond my imagining. I awoke and opened my eyes, the vision of colours was replaced by spring folage of the trees above against a pale blue sky but unexpectedly the sounds continued…coming from my harp, but not plucked notes by crude hand but a gentle arpegio of weaving resonance so delicate yet intricate. I turned to look directly and the sound instantly stopped! I believe that the fey were enjoying showing a human just how the harp can be played. I once met a Sidhe, but that is a longer story, they have increadable eyes and talk directly into your soul. I have no doubt that with such ability they can hide from us with ease, or move among us without our being aware. Only the nasty should fear them, the good at heart will simply adore them and our world would be berift of beauty should they ever abandon us.
Posted on 28-Sep-07 at 7:47 pm | Permalink
fairclaire wrote:
I am a decendant of the Dean family from a village in Mayo called Breaghwyanteean(wolf plain of the fairy hill).I’m convinced that our Dean name is a relic of the Tuatha de danaan, and was always told we were from “fairy stock”and to welcome the gifts and responsibilities that came with this heritage.I am only now
beginning to appreciate the richness of this history.This site is a delightful discovery.
Posted on 12-Nov-07 at 1:03 am | Permalink
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Posted on 04-Feb-08 at 4:34 pm | Permalink
Gilly wrote:
anyone who understands dreams??
my family has long been disconnected from its celtic heritage, but recently, i personally have been trying to trace us back and discover where exactly we come from. then i got a dream. i dreamt i was in some forest-like area, very rural, raw, untouched. i was tied in the bottom of a wooden boat, with a savage-looking woman standing over me with a club. she told me, ‘we’re going to wipe out you and all your kind.’ then i saw others around me, in boats and tied down, strong but beautiful creatures, their skin glowing slightly. i connected eyes with a beautiful face, a male with deep blue eyes. i heard his voice in my head, ‘when i tell you, break your bonds and fly. we will all go at once. once we are in the air, they cannot touch us.’ i waited, then suddenly i felt a rush of energy, which must have been his signal. i felt a burning at my wrists as i somehow burned off my bonds, and my body lept into the air with so many others, all beings of light and power. we were flying far above, and finally came to rest in the tall, lush trees of the island. i looked over, and the male was in the same tree as me. his voice was in my head again, and he said, ‘we are free. but they always want to wipe us out. but in the end, they cannot overcome us. they are baser metals, we are refined.’ then i felt the rush of power again, and i awoke with a strength in my body like i have never felt before. does this dream mean anything?? does it have to do with my geneological search? i have never believed in faeries, but since this dream, there is a doubt in my mind. could they be there? here? what have i seen or known?
someone please help me.
Posted on 18-Mar-08 at 12:11 pm | Permalink