What are fairies and Where do they come from?

To understand what they are, we should look at some of those found in Celtic mythology and other Celtic traditions. But, then you would discover that fairies are not just confined in Celtic traditions. Many cultures and civilizations have their own versions of fairies.

There are enough kinds of fairies to confuse anyone, because sometimes writers have associated one fairy with a different kind.

In Celtic religion, there was Celtic deities in Gaul (France and Belgium), Hispania (Spain) and Britannia (Britain) during the Roman occupation of these regions or provinces. But the situation changed when Christianity spread to the west and north. These deities that were worshipped before the conversion to Christianity were reduced to the status of fairies in Celtic mythology and folklore.

So in Ireland the gods in the Tuatha De Danann were degenerated to the roles of fairies (eg. Dagda and Lugh), people living under the dune mound or fabled islands, or even within underwater domains. Similar degeneration occurred with old deities in Wales, Scotland and other surviving pockets of Celtic kingdoms (such as Cornwall, Brittany and island of Man).

These earlier Celtic traditions of fairies, the former Irish or Welsh deities were also not fairies in the usual sense. They looked very much like human, in size and shape, except that they have special magical powers and they seemed eternally young, but they don't have wings. The Dananns or their Welsh counterparts were usually seen as race of fair people. They can die just as mortals can, but their lives could last hundreds or even thousands of years.

The problem is that sometimes, the Christian authors have also turned them into beings serving the Devil, and that the fairies were actually demons. However this view is no longer shared, today.

These medieval fairies are different from the common folklore and fairy tales of today. The Tuatha de Danann is nothing like the brownie, leprechaun and goblin of these later traditions.

Lecture: The Seelie and the UnSeelie aka The Faerie Courts

There are six major courts of Faerie, and they are sometimes used interchangeably.

(The Seelie Court is like Summer and Spring combined, with a twist of really "evil" .
The Unseelie Court is like Winter and Autumn combined, just more "evil")

Once upon a time, there was just Faerie with a Faery Queen (and King I believe.. maybe), and all inhabitants lived in this "City of Everlasting Change." One could say they were the original Seelie Court. One day there was an uprising. Groups of Fae no longer wanted to be part of the entirety of Faerie. They wanted to hold a hierarchy of their own thus branching off from Faerie. These Fae were the beginning of the Unseelie Court. I think monarchs are able to reign for 1000 years. This time can be extended if the people of their court agree to their reign (in Faerie time).

The Winter Court represents what people see as the malevolent side of the Fae. The fae of this court frown upon humans. They're more inclined to talk about their ope cruelty. This makes them look none other than evil, however one chooses to define evil. The Winter Court has free reign over winter solstice and autumn equinox months, and are strongest during that time. By and by, the fae of this court are sensible, chilled, dark, baleful, and what have you. They are the epitome of winter.



The Spring Court is seen as the much "calmer" ones to the benevolence of the Fae compared to Summer. The fae of this court are generally polite and bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. These fae are more apt to lure humans in with sweet dew. They also have blossoming curiosity. The Spring Court is strongest during the ends of winter and throughout the spring season, despite the Summer Court having reigned. These fae are peppy, quiet, seductive, emotional, and vernal obviously. The epitome of spring.



The Summer Court represents what people see as the benevolent side of the Fae. The fae of this court are generally considered more polite or mannered, albeit they are still very capable of cruelty (but will be more hush-hush, or subtle about it). The Summer Court has free reign over summer solstice and spring equinox months, and are strongest during that time. Needless to say, the fae of this court are frivolous, venereal, hot-headed and what have you. They are the epitome of summer.



The Autumn Court is seen as the equally malevolent side of Fae in comparison to Winter, but much more middling. The fae of this court are generally the ones doing the "dirty work" and "trooping". However, these fae can have much nicer sides than any of the Fae and return great favors. The Autumn Court is strongest during the ends of summer and throughout the autumn season. These fae are strong, mystique, eerie, ravishing all the same, and devious. The epitome of autumn. 


The Summer Court and Spring Court are closely associated with the Seelie and The Winter Court. T Autumn Court is closely associated with the Unseelie, but they are separate courts. They each have different roles and regulations. When they are used interchangeably, people just clump them together as ONLY Seelie or Unseelie. They are not different names for Seelie and Unseelie; people just tend to see it that way.

The Seelie Court is seen as more beneficent toward humans. Seelie means "Blessed" or "Holy" and is akin to German selig and Old English sælig. The modern word, "silly" which can be understood as happy, harmless, or beneficial. In Irish it is spelled seleighe. The fae of this court are known to seek out humans to warn those who had accidentally offended them in one manner or another, and to return human kindness with favors of their own. Fae don't like to be in debt. Even so, a faery belonging to this court will most definitely avenge insults and are prone to much mischief. The most common time of day to see them is twilight and sometimes dawn.

The Unseelie, the "Unholy" or "Unblessed" Court consists of the malicious and more evilly-inclined fairies. Unlike the Seelie Court, offense is not necessary to bring down their foes or anyone they choose to bother for that matter. As a group, or the 'host' as we Fae call it, they appear at night and assault travelers either 'physically', emotionally, and/or mentally– especially spiritually ignorant folk. Like the faeries of the Seelie Court, neither are the faeries of the Unseelie court always evil. However, when one of them is forced to choose, they will naturally prefer to harm than help.

The categorization of fairies based on court is whether or not a fairy is light or dark. The Seelie court are known to seek help from humans, to warn those who have accidentally offended them, and to return human kindness with favors of their own. Still, a fairy belonging to this court will avenge insults and could be prone to mischief. The most common time of day to see them is twilight. Other names for the Seelie court are 'The Shining Throne' or 'The Golden Ones' and 'The Summer Court'. Seelies are known for playing pranks on humans and having a light hearted attitude, forgetting their sorrows quickly and not realizing how they might be affecting the humans they play pranks on.

The Unseelie Court consists of the darkly-inclined fairies. Unlike the Seelie Court, no offense is necessary to bring down their assaults. As a group (or "host"), they appear at night and assault travelers, often carrying them through the air, beating them, and forcing them to commit such acts as shooting at cattle. Like the beings of the Seelie Court who are not always benevolent, neither are the fairies of the Unseelie Court always malevolent. Most Unseelies can become fond of a particular human if they are viewed as respectful, and would choose to make them something of a pet. Some of the most common characters in the Unseelie Court are Bogies, Bogles, Boggarts, Abbey Lubbers and Buttery Spirits. The division into "Seelie" and "Unseelie" spirits was roughly equivalent to the division of Elves in Norse mythology, into "light" and "dark" distinctions.

In the French fairy tales as told by the précieuses, fairies are likewise divided into good and evil, but the effect is clearly literary. Many of these literary fairies seem preoccupied with the character of the humans they encounter.

The Welsh fairies, Tylwyth Teg, and the Irish Aos Sí are usually not classified as wholly good or wholly evil.

On Politics: What do the Courts do?


In a nutshell, the Faerie Courts are the paramount social structures of Fae society. The Courts are very strong political allegiances that enforce their philosophy on existing members, recruit for new members, build armies, hold say in seasonal power, and blood nobility in a odd communist society– only the nobles truly have.

There are, of course, those who swear no allegiance to any Court, they are known as Solitary Fae. Nowadays, Solitaries are seen as having a neutral/balanced/common ground between the courts and they are also seen as some of the most dangerous. Living a life a as Solitary can be simple and good in some respect, but because they have chosen to be cut off from the larger support network social interaction with others is not as available. Even so, Solitary fae can finds means of interacting with others and can often be an intermediary for many purposes of Faerie and of Earth. Solitaries are usually unpredictable and have been seen as the outcasts (either banished, choosing to leave, or not choosing at all), and the "wild wee ones". There are not many that regret their decision of being court less.

The History of Aos Sí or Aes Sidhe

Riders of the Sidhe (1911), painting by John Duncan

The aos sí ([eːs ˈʃiː], older form aes sídhe [eːs ˈʃiːðʲə]) is the Irish term for a supernatural race in Irish mythology and Scottish mythology(usually spelled Sìth, however pronounced the same), comparable to the fairies or elves. They are said to live underground in fairy mounds, across the western sea, or in an invisible world that coexists with the world of humans. This world is described in the Lebor Gabála Érenn as a parallel universe in which the aos sí walk amongst the living. In the Irish language, aos sí means "people of the mounds" (the mounds are known in Irish as "the sídhe"). In Irish literature the people of the mounds are also called daoine sídhe [ˈdiːnʲə ˈʃiːə]; in Scottish mythology they are daoine sìth. They are variously said to be the ancestors, the spirits of nature, or goddesses and gods.

Some secondary and tertiary sources, including well-known and influential authors such as W. B. Yeats, refer to aos sí simply as "the sídhe"(lit. "mounds").

In Gaelic mythology

In many Gaelic tales, the aos sí are later, literary versions of the Tuatha Dé Danann ("People of the Goddess Danu")—the deities and deified ancestors of Irish mythology. Some sources describe them as the survivors of the Tuatha Dé Danann who retreated into the Otherworld after they were defeated by the Milesians—the mortal Sons of Míl Espáine who, like many other early invaders of Ireland, came from Iberia. Geoffrey Keating, an Irish historian of the late 17th century, equates Iberia with the Land of the Dead.

In Gaelic folklore

In folk belief and practice, the aos sí are often appeased with offerings, and care is taken to avoid angering or insulting them. Often they are not named directly, but rather spoken of as "The Good Neighbors", "The Fair Folk", or simply "The Folk". The most common names for them, aos sí, aes sídhe, daoine sídhe (singular duine sídhe) and daoine sìth mean, literally, "people of the mounds" (referring to the sidhe). The aos sí are generally described as stunningly beautiful, though they can also be terrible and hideous.

Aos sí are sometimes seen as fierce guardians of their abodes—whether a fairy hill, a fairy ring, a special tree (often a hawthorn) or a particular loch or wood. The Gaelic Otherworld is seen as closer at the times of dusk and dawn, therefore this is a special time to the aos sí, as are some festivals such as Samhain, Beltane and Midsummer.

The sídhe: abodes of the aes sídhe

The sídhe are the hills or tumuli that dot the Irish landscape. In modern Irish the word is sí; in Scottish Gaelic, sìth; in Old Irish síde and the singular is síd. In a number of later, English-language texts, the word sídhe is incorrectly used both for the mounds and the people of the mounds. However sidh in older texts refers specifically to "the palaces, courts, halls or residences" of the ghostly beings that, according to Gaedhelic mythology, inhabit them.

As part of the terms of their surrender to the Milesians, the Tuatha Dé Danann agreed to retreat and dwell underground. In some later poetry, each tribe of the Tuatha Dé Danann was given its own mound.

The fact that many of these sídhe have been found to be ancient burial mounds has contributed to the theory that the aos sí were the pre-Celtic occupants of Ireland. "The Book of Invasions", "The Annals of the Four Masters", and oral history support this view.

Others present these stories as mythology deriving from Greek cultural influence, deriving arguments mainly from Hesiod's Works and Days, which portrays the basic moral foundation and plantation techniques of the citizens of Greece and describes the races of men, created by the Greek deities. However, these views have been deemed unlikely, and the so-called influence can be reasonably explained by the similar moral foundations stemming from the two cultures' Indo-European background.

The story of the Aes Sídhe is found all over Scotland and Ireland, many tales referring to how the Norse invaders drove Scottish inhabitants underground to live in the hills. This part of the legend contributes to the changeling myth in west European folklore.

Types

The banshee or bean sídhe (from Old Irish: ban síde), which means "woman of the síd, has come to indicate any supernatural woman of Ireland who announces a coming death by wailing and keening. Her counterpart in Scottish mythology is the bean sìth (sometimes spelled bean-sìdh). Other varieties of aos sí and daoine sìth include the Scottish bean nighe: the washerwoman who is seen washing the bloody clothing or armour of the person who is doomed to die; the leanan sídhe: the "fairy lover"; the cat sìth: a fairy cat; and the Cù Sìth: fairy dog.

The sluagh sídhe—"the fairy host"—is sometimes depicted in Irish and Scottish lore as a crowd of airborne spirits, perhaps the cursed, evil or restless dead. The siabhra (anglicised as "sheevra"), may be a type of these lesser spirits, prone to evil and mischief. However an Ulster folk song also uses "sheevra" simply to mean "spirit" or "fairy".

List

• Abarta
• Abhartach
• Alp-luachra
• Bean nighe/Caoineag
• Banshee
• Cat sìth
• Cù Sìth
• Changeling
• Clurichaun
• Dobhar-chú
• Dullahan
• Ellén Trechend
• Fachen
• Far darrig
• Fear gorta
• Am Fear Liath Mòr
• Fetch
• Fuath
• Gancanagh
• Ghillie Dhu / Gille Dubh
• Glaistig/Glashtyn
• Kelpie
• Leanan Sídhe / Leannan Sìth
• Leprechaun
• Merrow
• Oilliphéist
• Púca
• Selkie
• Sluagh

Creideamh Sí

Hawthorn tree, considered in local Irish lore, and Celtic folklore in general, to be sacred to the Aos Sí

Creideamh Sí is Irish for the "Fairy Faith", a collection of beliefs and practices observed by those who wish to keep good relationships with the aos sí and avoid angering them. The custom of offering milk and traditional foods—such as baked goods, apples or berries—to the aos sí have survived through the Christian era into the present day in parts of Ireland, Scotland and the diaspora. Those who maintain some degree of belief in the aos sí also are aware to leave their sacred places alone and protect them from damage through road or housing construction.