The Fae - Tumblr Posts
babe wake up, new Shakespeare uquiz just dropped
link's over here it's a good time yall!
You know how people sometimes get a cat by just having a random stray cat with no collar and no chip walk in and sit on the couch like "yo fucknuts I live here now", and the people just go "well fuck, guess I gotta go get a litterbox then."
Now consider: Humans doing that to the fae. Not being captured by the fae folk, not taken against their will but stubbornly walking in to their realm and refusing to leave before one of them agrees to take this damn creature. Faeries telling each other "naww come on, you can't make it leave, it already ate your food. Everyone knows you gotta keep them if you've fed them."
And another faery yells back "I did not fucking feed that thing, it climbed into my pantry and was eating flour straight out of the bag!"
I love reading all the stories here; I’ve been up and down the notes and I have several versions saved to my drafts, one of which I’ve begun writing out my own Fae story on. However, this post has actually had an influence on how I interpret the play I’m currently in, so it seems only appropriate to reblog a version of it on the eve of our play opening as well.
The play is called Almost, Maine, and it’s a subtly surrealist series of small town romances. The blurb on the back of the script describes it as “a midwinter night’s dream”. Basically, weird, seemingly mystical things are happening in the lives of people in this town as they fall in and out of love, and at the end of the night, everyone sees the northern lights. You could read it just abstractly as ‘the northern lights make weird (or should I say wyrd) things happen’, or you could even rationalize most of the things away, but I’ve decided that it makes sense that Almost (that’s the name of the town) just has a very heavy Fae presence and the Fae--likely excited by the northern lights--are meddling in everyone’s affairs--much like in Midsummer Night’s Dream.
I even decided that one of the characters I play, Ginette, actually is a Fae who left the Fae realm because she’s in love with a human, Pete. That explains, for me, how she *SPOILERS* walks all the way around the Earth in about 10 minutes for him--it’s done with the Fae magic she has, but in my interpretation, she has literally travelled all that distance for him. Then, when the northern lights appear at the end, it’s even deeper for me, because I’ve decided that for Ginette that’s a sign that the Fae have finally approved of her romance with Pete.
Pete would be incredibly overwhelmed by all this. He freaks out when she says “I love you” for the first time. It’s best he doesn’t know all this.
Anyways, I know this is a digression from the main subject matter of this post, but I just wanted to share how considering the Fae has been useful to me in deepening my acting and my character backstories. Thanks for all the great stories!
Irish people; The faeries aren’t real
Irish people; No fucking way will I go in that faerie ring
The Fae
The Fae, the little folk, the fair folk, sidhe, faeries, there are so many names for this group of diverse and complicated beings. In this post we will go over what they are, what they aren’t, and so much more, read on to find out!
First let’s start with a disclaimer: Topics like this are always subject to bias and personal experience. I will do my best to give information that I find as unfiltered as I can, and my personal thoughts will be typed in blue and italicized for ease of understanding
Now, let’s get some of the basics out of the way, shall we?
What are they?
Fae is a broad term for a mythical creature or supernatural race of (usually humanoid) beings found in almost all cultures. "Fae" is an Old French term, and "fairy" or "faerie" is an Old English term.
These beings come in many shapes, sizes, and colors, and each kind has different abilities and preferences.
The specifics of the fae will be different depending on the language and culture you're interacting with. If you want to work with Irish fae, learn the types of Irish fae. If you want to work with Dutch fae, learn the types of Dutch fae. So on and so forth.
Where are they?
This depends on who you ask, honestly, but since there are fairy-like beings in almost every culture it could be seen that they can be found anywhere.
Wherever they are geographically, they are most likely going to be in nature rather than more urban areas. That doesn’t mean you can’t find them in cities, just that they probably won’t be as plentiful.
I am personally of the mindset that they can be anywhere, and will come and go as whenever and wherever they please.
Other Names for the Fae
The term you use to speak of the general "fae" rather than specific will depend on the language you're speaking in. In English-speaking countries, these tend to be used the most:
The Sidhe (Old Irish)
Aos Si (or Sith for the Scottish spelling)
Fey or Fay (Old French)
The Fair Folk (English, trans. from Irish)
However, if you know the specific type of fae you're working with, it's better to just call them that.
Speaking of which,
What kind/how many are there?
So many, and honestly I could just leave that answer there as there is so much lore across all those different cultures that you could consider Fae; many more than I am willing to write about in one post, to be sure.
However, I want to talk about some of the more commonly known names:
The Banshee. They are often misunderstood, people believing that they cause death, when really they just predict it.
Cat Sith, a species of sídhe. that takes on the form of a cat. They often said to resemble a large black cat with a white spot on its chest.
Changeling are said to be human-like children of the Fae that get swapped with human children after their birth.
Merrow, or mermaids, are depicted as mostly women with human upper halves, and fish below the torso.
Púca, pooka, or phouka, are bringers of luck–both good and bad–and are said to be shape-changers, often taking form as a dog, goat, horse, or other animal.
Dullahan, the headless horseman, exactly as you often see depicted during the Halloween season, Dullahan rides black or dark horses and looks all too human–but without the head, which he carries with him; either holding it or carrying it in a bag. Similar to the Banshee, the Dullahan prophesizes death, it’s believed that when he stops riding someone is about to die.
Creideamh Sí, or “Fairy Faith”
The Creideamh Sí is the term used to describe the collection of beliefs, rituals, or practices observed by the folks who believe in and wish to stay on the good side of the Fae. This mostly involves offerings of milk and honey, baked goods, or fruits, as well as respecting the areas where the Fae roam.
How do I interact with them?
Honestly I’m not comfortable telling you in a Basic Information post how you can interact with the Fae. They are far from human, meaning their morals are vastly different than ours; and unlike gods, they don’t feel the need to be particularly involved with us or our human nature. That isn’t to say that they’re bad, but they aren’t necessarily benevolent either. They’re a pretty neutral bunch by human moral standards.
If you’d like to learn how to interact with them, feel free to do your own research or look to the bottom of this post for a resource and further reading list. This is based more on English and Irish lore but may transfer through to other cultures. Be sure to do your research.
However, I will give you a few tips to start you off:
Never say Thank you or Thanks, it implies that you owe them something, and chances are you don't want to owe them anything. That’s not to say “don’t show gratitude”, it just means show it in other ways.
Never say sorry, a "pardon me" or even "forgive me" would be better.
Always be polite when speaking to them. You don’t need to sound like a Victorian Noble or anything, just don’t be impolite. Treat the interaction like you would a really important job interview.
Don’t give them your real name, it’s said to give them power over you. You can choose a made-up name or a nickname.
If you give them something it’s theirs, moving or disposing of it is seen as rude.
If you travel to their realm (trance, dreaming, or astral travel) treat it like you’re physically there. Don’t eat the food.
Cast iron, iron, pure silver and the sound of chimes is said to keep them away.
It’s generally not a good idea to make a deal with them. They can twist words and suddenly you’re in for more than you bargained for.
Are they dangerous?
Sure, they can be, but so can any magical or mystical being–or living thing, really. Hell, even non-living things can be dangerous!
But for real, are they dangerous?
Yes, especially if you have no clue what you’re doing. Some Fae are nicer than others, and certainly some are easier to work with. Some, however, are malicious--by human standards--and you’ll want to avoid them at all costs.
That being said, as long as you’re polite, and you do your research, you’ll probably be fine.
Resources and Further Reading
Misconceptions About Faries by @samwisethewitch
Fairies: A Guide to the Celtic Fair Folk by Morgan Daimler
On the Origin of Fairies: Victorians, Romantics, and Folk Belief by Carole Silver
Faery: A Guide to the Lore, Magic, & World of the Good Folk by John T. Kruse
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Updated for accuracy.
Safety and protection with fae
I personally love the fae, but I know many people would rather stay far away (and of course it’s very important to know safety guidelines whether you do or not!) so here’s some information I’ve collected.
From many different sources:
Never use your real name when interacting with fae, or they can take control over you
Always be polite and respectful and do your best not to offend. Remember, better safe than sorry
As a general rule, don’t eat food when visiting the fae realm. This will make you a captive, unable to leave, and often the food isn’t as wonderful as it may seem, and only glamoured rocks, mud and sticks. (It’s said faeries will take offense if you don’t accept food they offer to you in our own world though)
Do not think yourself more clever than them or try to swindle them; you will end up in very hot water
You may not want to accept faerie money.. as again, it is often glamoured and will turn back into leaves and acorns soon after
Do not blindly intrude were you are not wanted (fairy rings, sacred faerie places, etc) Always ask first and respect their answer!
Should you find you’ve wandered into a place where you feel strong malevolent energy or evil presence and experience “faerie terror”, back away slowly, don’t run or you might get lost. Send out your good will, and if you can, throw up a bubble/egg ward to protect yourself
Do not to take the fae lightly or seek them half-heartedly. Take care not to act as if they were weak, harmless or lenient. It is very foolish to underestimate them. Faeries are not strictly good or evil (neither are humans), and respect and caution are always best
Salt and iron (tools made from iron, a nail in your pocket) are traditional faerie deterrents
Three leaf clovers can be carried as a protective charm, and four leaf ones can break through faerie magic or allow you to see hidden fae (note some traditions say you should have multiple clovers as each will only work once)
Wearing St. John’s Wort will give you strong protection from faerie magic
As will wearing a daisy
Carrying a rowan twig, or hanging one over your door, that was collected on Betaine may bring protection
Flipping your clothes inside out can prevent faerie mischief by its unexpectedness
Visualisation wards can be effective
Scatter primrose petals outside your door to keep faeries at bay by creating a barrier
If you hear bluebells chime it is a warning that danger or faerie enchantments are near
Putting a daisy chain on a child is said to protect them from being taken as a changeling
Forget me nots can be used for faerie protection
If you’re friendly with any other faeries, you may ask them for protection against ill-willed fae
Faeries will avoid gardens with tomato plants
Make a bundle of twigs from the trees of the faerie triad, oak ash and thorn, and carry it for protection (it will only work if they’re bound together, if separate, they are an invitation to the fae)
One traditional faerie protection is placing mirrors throughout your home
Cats may chase away faeries
The sound of heavy iron bells and chimes may drive them away
Leaving out gifts of honey and milk can appease the fae if you wish them to leave you alone
Also: 40 ideas for connecting with faeries
Mark Blackthorn in his fur coat
(Might add more or do 18+ version)