The Faerie Folk have inhabited the hills, valleys and plains of the Earth since the very beginning of time. Shamanism is as old and as vast as the night sky. Paganism, as a religion based on paganism, has been a part of humanity since the building of the first small communal village. Faerie Paganism is a modern expression of these Universal Creations.

Faerie Shamanism and Paganism is a religion and belief system of great personal and universal power. Imbedded in the Faith of the Fey is a deep reverence for the Earth and all of her bounties a firm belief in the Faerie Folk of the Ancient Celtic and Nordic Worlds, a respect for all life from the tiny insect to the gigantic whale, a personal internal and external power called Magick, a love of the nature inherent in human beings both inner and outer, and a communion with the Ancient Divinities of the Earth, Sea, Sky, and Stars.

One of the first and most important beliefs of Faerie Paganism is a respect for the Earth and an environmental consciousness which runs so deep it connects with the divine spirit within. Energy and healing are gained from the soil�?knowledge and wisdom are gained from the trees, cleansing and purging comes from the lakes, rivers, and streams�?protection comes from the rocks and fire. The Earth is a magickal, mystical Realm which mirrors the Astral Other Worlds and it is important to see her as the Ultimate Mother who nurtures and protects her children, whether they are Faerie, Human, Animal, Plant, and Mineral. Rites are practiced which attune the seeker to the harmonious workings of the seasons of nature.

Faerie Paganism has a firm belief in the Faerie Folk stemming from the mythologies and folk beliefs of the Celtic and Nordic Peoples. The Faeries are sought for protection, companionship, wisdom, knowledge, inspiration, and magick. They are invited to all of the Rites and Rituals, and they are acknowledged in every aspect of life. Along with this comes a respect for all creatures, both great and small. For the Fey are Shape-Shifters, and can assume any shape�?from a lady bug, to a bear, to a rock, a tree, or spring mist.

Magick is an integral part of the Faerie Shaman Faith. Magick is the art and science of causing change in ones environment in conformity with one's will. Magick can be used to heal, to divine, or to assist in the obtaining of goals. The only possible limits of Magick are the self, the imagination, and the knowledge of the Faerie (or any other) Magickal System. In Faerie Paganism, the natural human body, soul, and mind are seen as beautiful, powerful, and divine. Human beings were not cast out of paradise, they are born into it.

Human beings are not born inherently evil or bad, they are born innocent with the gift of choice. Human beings do not answer to the laws of an omnipotent god, they answer and account for their own actions. And the eternal afterlife of a human being is not judged by one lifetime alone�?many lifetimes will be traversed before we are all reconnected with divinity.

Finally, in Faerie Paganism, there is the communion with the Ancient Divinities of the Ancient World�?the Gods and Goddesses, Heroes and Heroines of the ancient Celtic and Nordic lands. The original race of Faeries who first came to the Earth from the Stars were known to the Celts as the Tuatha De Danaan, or People of the Goddess Dana. Eventually, when the Milesians (humans) came to inhabit the Earth, the Tuatha De Danaan moved into the Realm of the Faerie, or Faerie Land. We know speak and commune with them when we travel to their Realm or when they cross over into reality.

Faerie Paganism is a religion of love and beauty. It is a wonderful ideology coveting the goodness inherent in humankind. It is a religion containing all of the wonderful enchantments of the Faerie Realm. And it is a religion revering the wondrous beauty, enchantment and magick of the Earth, the Sea, the Sky, and the Stars. Note: the ideas and concepts here are mine and only mine. When I say "Faerie Paganism," I mean my own idea of Faerie Paganism and Shamanism, NOT Celtic Paganism or Nordic Paganism in general.

COMMON TYPES OF FAERIES

Faerie people can be divided into numerous classes, or races. Faerie is a collective term for many different beings, usually possessing magical powers. Many fairies have a human form, but some have animal or human/animal shapes

Elves, Goblins, Gnomes, Dwarves and Trolls are the most representative of Faerie races among the many different cultures of Europe.

Bean-Sidhe

Aka : Washer of the Shrouds, Washer at the Banks, Washer at the Ford, Cointeach, Cyhiraeth, Cyoerraeth, Gwrach y Rhibyn, Eur-Cunnere Noe, Beansidhe, Bean Chaointe, the Bean-nighe, Kannerez-Noz

Race : Washerwoman, death spirit.

Origin : Ireland, Scotland, Germany

Element : Water.

Origin: The bean-sidhe (woman of the fairy) may be an ancestral spirit appointed to forewarn members of certain ancient Irish families of their time of death. According to tradition, the banshee can only cry for five major Irish families: the O'Neills, the O'Briens, the O'Connors, the O'Gradys and the Kavanaghs. Intermarriage has since extended this select list.

Appearance : Whatever her origins, the banshee chiefly appears in one of three guises: a young woman, a stately matron or a raddled old hag. These represent the triple aspects of the Celtic goddess of war and death, namely Badb, Macha and Mor-Rioghain. She has very long, flowing hair and wears green dresses with grey cloaks. In Cornwall she is said to have long black teeth. At times she is seen in lonely places, beside a pool or stream, washing the linen of those soon to die, and folding and beating it with her hands on a stone in the middle of the water. She is then known as the Bean-nighe, or washing woman; and her being seen is a sure sign that death is near. The Beansidhe's keening (mourning wail) can also be heard at night prior to a death. In 1437, King James I of Scotland was approached by an Irish seeress or banshee who foretold his murder at the instigation of the Earl of Atholl. This is an example of the banshee in human form. There are records of several human banshees or prophetesses attending the great houses of Ireland and the courts of local Irish kings. In some parts of Leinster, she is referred to as the bean chaointe (keening woman) whose wail can be so piercing that it shatters glass. In Kerry, the keen is experienced as a "low, pleasant singing"; in Tyrone as "the sound of two boards being struck together"; and on Rathlin Island as "a thin, screeching sound somewhere between the wail of a woman and the moan of an owl". The banshee may also appear in a variety of other forms, such as that of a hooded crow, stoat, hare and weasel - animals associated in Ireland with witchcraft.

Lore : dark rivers around big cities

Magic : In Mull and Tiree islands in Scotland, she is said to have preternaturally long breasts, which are in the way as she stoops at her washing. She throws them over her shoulders, and they hang down her back. Whoever sees her must not turn away, but steal up behind and endeavor to approach her unawares. When he is near enough he is to catch one of her breasts, and, putting it to his mouth, calls herself to witness that she is his first nursing or foster-mother. She answers that he has need of that being the case, and will then communicate whatever knowledge he desires. If she says the shirt she is washing is that of an enemy he allows the washing to go on, and that man's death follows; if it be that of her captor or any of his friends, she is put a stop to. She can also be caught and mastered and made to communicate her information at the point of a sword.

Elves

Aka : Elb, Erl, Mannikin (Germany)

Race : Elves

Elves are often used as a general term for fairies especially in the XIXth Anglo-Saxon literature. The king of the elves, Oberon, and his wife Titania appear in some very important works of medieval literature, such as Huon de Bordeaux and Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

In this section, we mainly deal with the Celtic elf, even if we have incorporated features from other cultures. There are quantities of descriptions that may vary from Monstrous�? especially in RPG games.

You may also be interested in how Tolkien rendered the elfic concept in his own mythical saga.

Origin : Elves were a very mysterious race from the beginning of time. Later they became supernatural beings, mainly shaped as humans. They were worshipped in trees, mountains and waterfalls.

Description : Elves vary in size from 4'10" and 5'8". However, according to their delicate bodies they seem much taller than they really are. Often male and female elves are hard to discern, at first glance. Both sexes usually have big, expressive eyes (in the most splendid colors). They wear their hair uncut and open, have graceful, fragile features and are of extraordinary beauty. Male elves also don't have any beard growth. Very typical for elves are their pointed ears, and high cheekbones. In modern descriptions, elves are either light or dark, the light elves having starlike eyes, faces brighter than the sun, and golden-colored hair; the dark elves are pitch black and have sometimes fluorescent eyes, this quality being indicative of their dealing with black magic. Both are attractive, in appearance at least. Elves prefer greens and greenish-greys while dark elves prefer blacks, dark grey, and sometimes silver.

Species: Dark or light, the elfic race is rarely seen and if so, elves only appear on certain times and on special places in the untouched nature. During the course of time elves moved to other places in the world and in many tribes their spiritual shape was lost completely and elves changed to beings consisting of blood and flesh. The light elves are a peaceful, nature-loving who love beautiful things and often try themselves in the arts of drawing and music. The black or dark elves are also called "Drow". Beautiful, agile, proud, dexterous and extremely deadly, they are the Drow, Elves of the underground. Very little is known about them.

Powers: In comparison to humans elves are stronger in spirit and in limb and have an exceptional constitution and endurance. When they grow older they seldom get weaker, instead they become wiser and even fairer. Elven senses, especially of hearing and sight, are much keener and intense than those of Men and are highly resistant to extremes of temperatures and also have several natural defenses against magical influences. The long life-spans of elves may be accounted to one of the main reasons that elves are very calm and patient in all their actions.

Even if some elves are said to be immortal, elves of all other tribes die a natural death after long lives. The amount of years elves live indeed varies enormously, ranging from 100 years to over 1000. It is also known that very often elves end their lives of their own will when they see a necessity to do so or if they think that their life's goal has been reached. Of course elves may also die when they are wounded severely, but in general elves heal very fast when they are tended to quickly. Death on the other hand is nothing an elf fears. The fact of death is interpreted by the elves as a return to nature.

Lore: Elves live in forests while dark elves live in deep underground caves. In spring they are viewed celebrating the blossoms and during the summer they swim in the rivers with their friends ondines. Elves usually settle in dense forests or at wooded lakes and lead quiet lives without interfering directly in other races activities and struggle for domination.

Gnomes

(Source : Wil Huygen's books, Gnomes, Secrets of the Gnomes and The Complete Gnomes)

Gnomes are very widespread species, known to a number of human races. Germans name them Erdmanleins, except in the Alpine areas, where they are called Heinzemannchens. In Denmark and Norway they are Nisse; Nissen is a Swedish variation. In Brittany they are called Nains. Tontti to the Finns and Foddenskkmaend is their name in Iceland. The Polish call they by the familar Gnom. Bulgaria and Albania, however, use Dudje. In Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia, Gnomes are called Mano. The Dutch use Kabouter and the Belgian, Skritek. Switzerland and Luxembourg use the same name, Kleinmanneken, which means "littlemen." Domovoi Djedoes is used in western Russia.

Race :Gnomes consist of a number of different types. The most common is the Forest Gnome who rarely comes into contact with man. The Garden Gnome lives in old gardens and enjoys telling melancholy tales. Dune Gnomes are slightly larger than their woodland brethren and choose remarkably drab clothing. House Gnomes have the most knowledge of man, often speaking his language. It is from this family that Gnome Kings are chosen. Farm Gnomes resemble their House brethren, but are more conservative in manner and dress. Siberian Gnomes have been more interbred than other Gnomes and associate freely with trolls. They are much larger than the other types and have an infinitely more nasty nature. It is best never to evoke the ire of such Gnomes for they delight in revenge.

Origin :Originating in Scandinavia, Gnomes later migrated to the lowlands some 1500 years ago.

Description : Gnomes are usually an average of 15 centimeters tall, but with its cap on it appears much taller. Their feet are somewhat pigeon toed which gives them an extra edge on speed and agility through the wood and grass. The males weigh 300 grams, and female is 250-275 grams.

The male wears a peaked red cap, blue brown-green pants, and ether felt boots, birch shoes, or wooden clogs. Around his waist is a belt with a tool kit attached, holding a knife, hammer, etc. They are fair of face, though the boast rosy red cheeks. Long beards adorn their faces and turn gray far sooner than their hair.

The female wears gray or khaki clothing, consisting of a blouse and skirt (to ankles). She also has black-gray knee socks and high shoes or slippers. Before she is married, she dons a green cap.

Prior to marriage her hair in hanging down, the outfit is complemented by a green cap and braids with which later disappear under a scarf while the green cap is replaced by more somber tones after she marries.

Friends/Foes :Males are the guardians of animal kind and show little preference for their animal friends, not withstanding their aversion to cats both wild and domesticated. They are known for freeing wildlife from man's traps and for operating on farm animals whose owners have neglected them or who are simply to poor to afford a veterinarian. Their enemies are mainly Trolls, and other beings who would try to destroy them or their homes. Otherwise, they are mostly peaceful beings.

Lore : Gnomes tend to live in hilly meadows and rocky woodlands. In Huygen's book, it says they live in three trees, the house itself, with a hidden entrance from another tree, and then a third is the supply room, with grains, beans, potatoes and everything else the gnomes may need during the winter.

Powers :Most Gnomes are 7 times stronger than a man, can run at speeds of 35 miles per hour, and have better sight than a hawk. These abilities help the Gnome to do many things, such as find wounded, dying animals for which they feel they are responsible for. Because of their love for animals, all the animals of the forest are the Gnome's friends and are willing to help him at any time. Many people say that gnomes have elevated practical jokes to an art form. But most especially they love gems and jewelry and are considered by many to be the best gem cutters and jewelers in existence

Element : Earth

They are generally vegetarian and never worry. The main meal consists of: Nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, beechnuts, etc), mushrooms, peas, beans, a small potato, applesauce, fruit, berries (all kinds), tubers, spices, vegetables, and preserves for dessert. As a beverage, the gnome drinks mead dew (fermented honey), fermented raspberries (which have a very high alcohol content), and spiced gin as a nightcap. The gnome eats no meat, so often consumes the nectar of the high protein plant called 'Vicia Sepuim'. fluffy willow catkins, dressing them up like dolls.

Leprechauns

Aka : The Gentry, Monaciello, Fir Darrig, Cluricaune, Logherima,

Race : treasure-hoarding faeries

Origin : Ireland. Originally coined by Thomas Keightley in The Fairy Mythology (1850) from the Irish "Leith bhroyan" or "Leith phroyan" meaning "one shoemaker," comes the name Leprechaun.

Element : Earth.

Appearance : solitary dwarf male faery wearing green clothing of a costly material and green tri-cornered hats. Infamous hoarders, they are loathe to spend a single penny, which probably explains their poor appearance in spite of their great wealth.

Function : shoemakers by trade, but their clientele is limited to the faery world and they only work on one shoe

Friends/Foes : trickster who loves to play pranks

Lore : around springs in wild areas with large grassy hills, sometimes in cellars

Magic : Music, dancing, fox hunting, and drinking Irish whiskey are said to be the Leprechauns' favorite pastimes. Once a leprechaun begins dancing to a human's song, it is said that he cannot stop until the tune ceases. His exhausted state may cause him to make outlandish offers, including his crock of gold, if you will please only allow him to stop dancing. Other means of finding his gold include looking at the end of a rainbow, which may lead him offer 3 wishes in exchange for his treasure. His promises of gold always proves hollow, as the Leprechaun always employs clever tricks in his granting of wishes, often resulting in the embarrassment or injury to the one who expected a bounteous reward.

Ogres

Aka : Orculli, Norrgens,

Race : Giants

Origin : They are born from a confusion between Orcus, the roman god of death and darkness, and Saturn who eats his own children and the Oïgours, hungarian tribes which made havoc in northern Europe in the IX and Xth centuries.

Element : Earth

Appearance : Ogres look like humans but are much larger sometimes with deformed faces, excessive body hair and sometimes a hump in their backs. One can always tell when an ogre is around because of the smell they produce, said to be like that of a rotting carcass. Despite their size they are slow and clumsy, and humans can easily get away from them.

Friends/Foes : Perhaps because of their size and unappealing appearance ogres have been regarded as unfriendly, but some folklore exists which tells us this is not so. Ogres enjoy eating human children and young faeries. Ogres are pretty fearless, but Giants are terrified of cats.

Powers : They have a very good hear and smell, thanks to their enchanted boots some are able to walk at great speed.

Lore : Ogres usually live on clouds just like the Giant in the fable "Jack and the Beanstalk" and descend to earth only to obtain food. They prefer to eat their own kind, but will settle for beef and human meat if they must. Their touch alone can sicken cattle to death, and they are adept thieves.

Famous : Giants and Ogres both figure largely in children's faery tales. The best known Giant is probably the one from the tale "Jack and the Beanstalk" where he is portrayed as evil, though in fact he is the victim of the story even though we are taught to identify Jack as the protagonist. Other popular faery tales from Yorkshire about giants are "The Brave Little Tailor" and "Jack the Giant Killer."

Other famous ogres include : Pacolet, Allewyn, Orlo, Orch, Saalah, Balardeu, Galaffre, Fine Oreille, Dents Rouge, Grand Colin, Raminagrobis, L’Homme Rouge, Babau, Babou, Pier Jan Claes, Pere Fouettard, Pere Lustucru, Croque-mitaine and Tartaro

Pixies

Aka : Urchins, Pisgies, Piskies, Pigseys, Pechts, Pechs, Pickers, Grigs or Dusters

Origin : Scotland,Cornwall

Element : Air

Appearance : small, winged creatures with pointed ears, noses and arched eyebrows. Their wings are shiny and translucent, and they are usually seen wearing seasonal colors and flora. The little caps they wear are the tops of foxglove or toadstool, plants they hold sacred. Their bells are often heard on the moor. They like to steal horses and torture them to get them to run faster.

Friends/Foes : friendly but capricious. Beware of doing pixies favors, for they have a tendency to backfire. Excessive contact with iron can kill Pixies.

Lore : In flower gardens. Pixies are trooping faeries who love playing, dancing, and music especially during large gatherings known in northern England as Pixie Fairs.

Faeries' Style of Life

The Fairies are counterparts of mankind. There are children and old people among them; they practice all kinds of trades and handicrafts; they possess cattle, dogs, arms; they require food, clothing, sleep; they are liable to disease, and can be killed. People entering their brughs, have found the inmates engaged in similar occupations to mankind, the women spinning, weaving, grinding meal, baking, cooking, churning, etc., and the men sleeping, dancing, and making merry, or sitting round a fire in the middle of the floor. Some Fairy families or communities are poorer than others, and borrow meal and other articles of domestic use from each other and from their neighbours of mankind.

The fairies have a great reputation for various skills. They are seen and heard working on their own account, they teach skills to mortals and they do work for them. Of the crafts in which fairies are distinguished, the most curious and contradictory is smithy work, when we consider the fairies' fear of cold iron. Gnomes and dwarves are reputed metal-workers, and many famous swords and breastplates were wrought by them.

Leprechauns were reputed to be highly skilled at shoemaking, but since there is no record that they made shoes for other than fairy feet, there is no certitude.

Goblins labouring in the mines were proverbial in the 17th century for producing no results by their deedy labours. Boat-building, on the other hand, was a work on which they nightly laboured and which they could transfer to human protégés. The men have smithies, in which they make the Fairy arrows and other weapons.

Fairy food consists principally of things intended for human food, of which the elves take the substance, fruit, or benefit, leaving the semblance or appearance to men themselves. In his manner they take cows, sheep, goats, meal, sowens, the produce of the land, �?Cattle falling over rocks are particularly liable to being taken by them, and milk spilt in coming from the dairy is theirs by right. They have, of food peculiar to themselves and not acquired from men, the root of silver weed (brisgein), the stalks of heather (cuiseagan an fhraoich), the milk of the red deer hinds and of goats, weeds gathered in the fields, and barleymeal. The brisgein is a root plentifully turned up by the plough in spring, and ranked in olden times as the `seventh bread'. Its inferior quality and its being found underground, are probably the cause of its being assigned to the Fairies.

How to attract--and see--faeries

First of all, hardly anyone sees faeries (or fairies), full-face and in bright light. Most people see them slightly out of straight-on vision, or out of the corner of an eye. (When you look straight at them, they vanish. Part of this may be the legend that you can gain control over a faerie if you are able to look him/her straight in the eye.) 

What faeries look like

Many people see the small ones as little balls of light or shadow, flitting around the room. The lights can be white or pastel, usually. In our house, these are about two or three inches in diameter.

The small ones are more likely to interact with you, and--frankly--I think they're the ones who hide things.

The human-sized ones don't seem particularly interested in us, when they appear. They interact on a personal level, in Underworld journeys and in dream/messages. However, I don't think they're "borrowing" shiny and glittery objects from us. That wouldn't make sense, from their demeanor.

The larger ones can range from two- or three-foot tall "gnome" size, to people who look just like you and me, or even larger.

Among the smaller "gnome-sized" ones, I usually notice that they're wearing something red, and some green (usually a moss green color), but otherwise I don't see them long enough to give a good description.

The larger ones (human sized, or larger) tend to be wearing more somber colors, often shades of tan or brown, the sort of thing peasants wove in the Middle Ages.

But, when I see these larger figures, they appear for about 1/10 the duration of the smaller ones, and they're usually striding quickly as if going somewhere in my apartment. Perhaps they're just passing through our dimension/world briefly. I have no idea.

I often see a cloak billowing behind the human-sized ones. It's not a huge cloak, just a normal one as someone would wear for casual, everyday dress. The color is usually a warm brown, similar to the color of hot cocoa, but more reddish like oak.

Are these all faeries? I haven't a clue. They seem to have something in common, including their manner of vanishing, so--for now--I call them all "faeries." (Again, we get into the question of whether "faeries" are just the small--often winged--creatures, or can faeries be larger and/or include the Tuathai?)

But it's not just seeing them. As an artist and author, I'm visually oriented, so it's probably natural for me to see them, more than anything else.

Other people hear them but don't see them.

Keep your expectations reasonable, and you will be rewarded.

 

Faeries' likes & dislikes

You do not have to believe in faeries. You must be willing to objectively see what's going on around you, but you don't have to believe. 

The faeries are real, whether you believe in them or not. They won't stay where they're ignored or ridiculed, but they are very, very real.

I realize how crazy it sounds, to say that I see faeries and interact with them. I mean, I would never mention this in conversation at a corporate cocktail party, and expect to be taken seriously!

However, I really do see them, and others do too, regardless of how they explain them. Even complete skeptics notice the flitting lights and shadows in our home, and often ask what they are.

Sometimes I say, "I don't know," which is true. At other times, I'll admit, "We think they're faeries."

Regardless of the explanation, the visitor will usually comment that he/she is still seeing these odd little things, later.

So, if you raise an eyebrow as you read this, it's okay. I know that, whether or not you believe in them, you will see them if they're nearby.

It will take an open mind to accept their reality.

How to attract faeries

How do you attract faeries? Like other beings, faeries have their own likes and dislikes. It's difficult to say, "Oh, this will definitely work," because they're just like you and me in that respect.

We have our own reasons for going places.

For example, I love libraries but if the librarians are snooty, I won't go back a second time.

So, if you don't let the faeries know that you are aware of them and appreciate them, they may not return.

Here are common likes (and dislikes) of faeries:

Likes:

• Tidiness, order, and cleanliness, especially in the kitchen
• Bread and cake - little bits set out in the evening
• Something that clearly invites them. The faerie Door is a good example. (picture below) 
• Milk or water, set out in the evening, perhaps in a nice thimble (but not one made of iron or steel)
• Glittery and shiny things - small bells, marbles, jewelry (no iron or steel)
• Music - light, happy music, even singing in the shower can help
• Low lighting - they are most often seen at dusk and dawn, but a small candle (electric is okay) can guide them to your home

Dislikes:

• Iron things. Especially scissors left out in plain view. Pins, knives, anything made of iron will frighten them, sometimes.
• Clutter, disorder, stacks of things that haven't been sorted, and so on
• Bells. I know that some faeries like bells, but they are their own bells. If your cat wears a bell, or you have a very rude alarm clock, or something like that, the noise may drive away the faeries.
• Water. Many "psychic" experiences are attributed to a deep, hidden stream under a building. Some faeries are the opposite: They don't like to cross a stream, hidden or visible. (Then again, we have plenty of faeries who live in or near the water, so this isn't a firm rule.)
• Looking them in the eye. It is said that you can gain control over a faerie, especially a Leprechaun, if you look him/her straight in the eye and hold that gaze.

 

Those who have touched the faerie world have sometimes written poetry about it.
Thomas the Rhymer is one of the most famous faerie / fairy poems. [Note: The “Eildon Tree�?refers to a tree that once stood near the Eildon Hills. Today, a monument to the tree remains, just outside the Scottish town of Melrose.]

Thomas the Rhymer

True Thomas lay on Huntlie bank
A fairy he spied with his e’e
And there he saw a lady bright
Come riding down by the Eildon Tree

Her skirt was of the grass green silk
Her mantle of the velvet fine
At each tett of her horse’s mane
Hung fifty silver bells and nine

True Thomas, he pulled off his cap
And bowed low down to his knee
All hail, thou mighty Queen of Heaven
For thy peer on earth I never did see

Oh no, oh no, Thomas, she said
That name does not belong to me
I am but the Queen of fair Elfland
That am hither come to visit thee

Harp and carp, Thomas, she said
Harp and carp along with me
And if you dare to kiss my lips
Sure of your body I will be

Betide me well, betide me woe
That weird shall never daunton me
Syne he has kissed her rosy lips
All underneath the Eildon Tree

Now, ye maun go with me, she said
True Thomas, ye maun go with me
And ye maun serve me seven years
Though weal and woe, as may chance to be

She mounted on her milk white steed
She’s taken True Thomas up behind
And aye whenever her bridle rang
The steed flew swifter than the wind

Oh they rode on, and further on
The steed gaed swifter than the wind
Until they reached a desert wide
And living land was left behind

Light down, light down now, true Thomas
And lean you head upon my knee
Abide and rest a little space
And I will show you ferlies three

Oh, see you not yon narrow road
So thick beset with thorn and briars
That is the path of righteousness
Though after it but few enquire

And see you not that broad, broad road
That lies across that lily leven
That is the path of wickedness
Though some call it the road to Heaven

And see you not that bonnie road
That winds about the fernie brae
That is the road to fair Elfland
Where thou and I this night maun gae

But Thomas, you must hold your tongue
Whatever you may hear or see
For if you speak word in Elfin land
You’ll ne’er get back to you ain country

Then they came on to a garden green
And she pulled an apple frae a tree
Take this for thy wages, True Thomas
It will give the tongue that can never lie

My tongue is my own, True Thomas said
A goodly gift you would give to me
I neither dought to buy or sell
At fair or tryst where I may be

I dought neither speak to prince nor peer
Nor ask of grace from fair lady
Now hold thy peace, the lady said
For as I say, so it must be

He has gotten a coat of the even cloth
And a pair of shoes of velvet green
And till seven years were gone and past
True Thomas on earth was never seen

How Shakespeare changed everything

Shakespeare’s plays changed almost everything that we think about faeries.

Before Shakespeare wrote about them, most people were terrified of faeries.  One of the most frightening was a faerie called Robin Goodfellow.  He was blamed for bad luck, poor harvests, and even death.

Then, Shakespeare suggested that faeries might not be evil�?just mischievous.

During Shakespeare’s era, that was a radical idea.

Shakespeare’s influences

In the 16th century, our modern-day ideas of faeries were born in Shakespeare’s plays.

His most famous faerie play is A Midsummer Night’s Dream. That story included human-sized faeries such as Titania and Oberon, and lesser spirits–including tiny ones–who served them.

One of the leading characters is Puck, who—as Robin Goodfellow—had an evil reputation before this play.

However, in Act 2, Scene One, a character called “Fairy�?asks Puck if he is

“…that shrewd and knavish sprite
Called Robin Goodfellow. Are you not he
That frights the maidens in the villagery…�?/P>

Fairy then lists a series of other insults and injuries for which Robin Goodfellow was best known such as spoiling milk, and causing travelers to become lost. Puck replies,

“Thou speakest aright,
I am that merry wanderer of the night…�?/P>

And so Shakespeare introduces the idea that faeries are not necessarily malicious, just pranksters. By using Robin Goodfellow (aka Puck), Shakespeare has chosen one of England’s most notorious faeries to make his point.

Shakespeare’s audience was stunned by this idea, but–in time–it began to gain popularity.

In Act 4, Scene One of Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest, he reinforces this idea when shipwrecked Stephano says,

“Monster, your fairy,
Which you say is a harmless fairy,
Has done little better than play the Jack with us.�?/P>

Throughout this play, the audience sees the contrast between the clumsy underworld spirit, Caliban, and the ethereal, whimsical spirit of the air, Ariel.

An even earlier tradition

Whether Shakespeare planned it or not, he educated an entire generation on the qualities and characteristics of faeries.  Those images remain with us today.

But he was not the first to try to correct society’s misconceptions about the fae world.

In 1584, about ten years before A Midsummer Night’s Dream, English religious historian Reginald Scot wrote a book called Discoverie of Witchcraft.  In that book, Scot chided people for their senseless fear of faeries, “that we are afraid of our owne shadowes.�?/P>

King James tried to have Scot’s books burned, but the common sense in this text has been quoted repeatedly over the centuries.

Despite the efforts of Scot, Shakespeare, and others, it was nearly impossible to immediately overcome people’s fears. Perhaps they enjoyed ‘a good scare�?or they liked to blame faeries for their own mistakes.

But, Shakespeare’s ideas slowly took root.   As hundreds of thousands of people saw his plays, they began to accept the idea that some faeries might be happy and mischievous.

Today’s ideas

Shakespeare was probably the single greatest contributor to our modern conceptions of faeries. And while Shakespeare’s faeries are not always good, they are certainly no worse—and generally far better—than the mortals in his plays.

And so, to Ireland�?/STRONG>

The origins of faerie lore

Where do faeries come from? There are many theories. Fortunately, faeries appear in stories dating back to ancient times.  We have tremendous information to work with.

The written history of faeries

Faeries appear in literature at least as early as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey (approx. 850 BCE), in which he mentions nymphs and dryads. Some translators have romantically used the word “fairies,�?as in this Iliad passage quoted by 18th-century historian, Joseph Ritson:

“Where round the bed, whence Achelous springs,
That wat’ry Fairies dance in mazy rings.�?BR>(Iliad, Book XXIV, line 617)

Since that time, there have been many references to faeries, creatures of the Underworld (or Otherworld), and so on. The line between the fae folk and other spirits begins to blur, when we delve deeply into this subject.

However, for this page, let’s focus on when faeries in folklore became “little people,�?or smaller than humans.

Faeries as “little people�?/STRONG>

The first known mention of faeries as tiny beings, is in the 13th century work of Gervase of Tilbury. In his Otia imperialia, he describes “certain daemons, whom the French call Neptunes, the English Portunes,�?and are less than “half a thumb�?in height.

In the 14th century, Chaucer spoke of a land filled with faeries, in the opening of The Wyf of Bath’s Tale:

“In th�?olde dayes of the kyng arthour,
Of which that britons speken greet honour,
Al was this land fulfild of fayerye.
The elf-queene, with hir joly compaignye,
Daunced ful ofte in many a grene mede.�?/P>

(In the old days of King Arthur,
Of which Britons speak with honor,
All this land was filled with faeries.
The elf-queen with her jolly company
Danced often in many green meadows.)

In studying the roots of Shakespeare’s faerie beliefs, folk historian Alfred Nutt said, “we must quit Britain and the woodland glades of Shakespeare’s Arden and turn for a while to Ireland.�?/P>

Why Ireland? Very simply, it is one of our best resources when we study the fae world.

 

 

 

 

 

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