Where Fairies Meet: The Relevance of Comparative Material

There is a sense of delight that I feel, as I hold the author copy of “Where Fairies Meet: Parallels between Irish and Romanian Fairy Traditions.” It is the first comparative study that brings side to side Irish and Romanian fairy folklore, and as I sit here, with the hard copy in hand, I can only think of why and how “Where Fairies Meet” came to be. The book came to life in his format because They (by ‘They’ I mean fairies[1]) wanted it so. I’ll give you the full story, shortly. My personal motivations however, lay along the lines of wanting to offer a useful resource to those who are interested to pursue a fairy-based spiritual path or have an interest in researching fairy lore cross-culturally. 

 

Being one such a path myself, I found it very important to have access to authentic fairy lore and folklore, especially to resources that examine similar traditions across two or more cultures.  I will underline the words authentic and cross-cultural, and here’s why: I needed more context for my own experiences as well as a better understanding of who and what was I dealing with. I needed a solid framework, one built on scholarship as opposed to speculative interpretation of lore, on traditions – such as those of fairy seers from places in Southern and Central Europe, that still survive today albeit scanty- as opposed to fakelore. 

 

More than once, I found myself running circles while trying to piecemeal an approach to working in partnership with fairies. I shall explain. I found excellent guidance through the work of Morgan Daimler, Lora O’Brien, Cat Heath, Sabina Magliocco, Dr. Simon Young, whose blogs, papers, books, and webpages I am adding to the list of resources at the end of this post. I also have had the memories from the times I apprenticed with my grandmother, herself a fairy seer and medicine woman. But the path I found myself treading over the past few years is an eclectic one, so I needed, and still need, resources that present information more in the fashion of comparative studies. I also believe with all my heart that I am not the only one trying connect bits and pieces into something coherent, into something that makes sense from a broader perspective and in the same time feels true to me. To all those seekers like myself, here’s one resource which I truly hope you may find useful.

 

I am aware that comparative studies can be problematic due the tendency to whitewash differences and present for example deities and fairy beings form various cultures as one and the same under different aspects. In the vast majority of cases this is not accurate, and in my opinion, it is offensive to the cultures as well as to the deities themselves to be conflated, squashed together as just one thing disregarding individuality. 

 

Yet those studies that present various elements and practices from different cultures using comparison instead of leveling of differences, that treat with care and consideration the uniqueness of each culture, are useful resources. In her excellent class “Charms, Wihta, and Story: An Animistic Approach to Modern Heathen Magic”, Cat Heath explains why comparative material is important.  Viewing the same practice (healing charm or ritual element, for example) through different cultural lenses offers different angles and perspectives that are oftentimes converging.  This in turn help seekers shed light especially over the cases where material is scanty or very fragmented.  Since modern personal practice is not a one hundred percent replica of something done in the distant past, comparative studies can help one’s personal practice to grow through the integration of various elements. Integration is different from slamming things together into a hodge-podge. Integration of elements coming from different cultures is based on understanding of how things evolved over time in response to the changes that occurred within society. Knowing the background gives a thorough understanding which is very important as one seeks to connect with theses practices, (healing, protective charms, ritual elements, propitiatory offerings, etc.) at deeper levels. Deep connection leads to internalizing the material which then can be adapted and incorporated into personal practice to create an organic blend.

 

I admit to the fact that I was not planning to write this book: not the way it came out anyway. Initially, I was focusing on a conference paper to present at Mystic South, Atlanta, 2022. I initially wrote the abstract of what I believed would be my paper, and then let it percolate before submitting it. That very night, one of my fairy guides told me in unequivocal terms that I was not going to submit that abstract. What I began as a paper had to be expanded into a book. I agreed to the undertaking, but I also made it clear that I needed ASAP a new idea for a paper as well as an abstract; you see, I had less that twenty-four hours till deadline.  Reassured by the fairy ally that it’ll all work out, I went back to sleep. In the morning, I woke up with a new paper title, and as soon as I sat down in front of the computer, the abstract began to flow through as if under dictation. (The link to the paper, which was accepted to the conference, is in the list of resources at the end of this post.)

 

Next, I focused on writing the book. As I expanded the initial outline, it became increasingly clearer that I have to go beyond focusing exclusively on scholarship which had been my initial intent. Thoroughly researched and complete with a long Bibliography section, the book offers study material for everyone interested in authentic fairy traditions, past and present. It also invites pondering over the reality behind the phenomena described in the collected material, since it includes the testimony of fairy seers of the twenty-first century, and personal experiences. This last aspect may be of use especially to those who have a more eclectic take to working in partnership with fairies. 

 

There’s never too much material to equip us for functioning in the space where the fairies meet, the space where fairy and fairy-like beings tug at one’s sleeve, inviting (I put this in the mildest possible terms) a partnership. For all those needing such material, I was thus guided to write “Where Fairies Meet: Parallels between Irish and Romanian Fairy Traditions.”

 

Thank you for reading, and until we next meet, bright fairy blessings.

Daniela Simina

Notes

[1] The term fairy/fairies as I use it here is intended as an umbrella term to include beings that are strikingly similar yet unique to the cultures they come from, and are known as the Aes Síde, Na Daoine Maithe in Ireland and zâne, either Rusalii or Sânziene, in Romania. 

 

Resources

Daimler, Morgan “A New Dictionary of Fairies: A 21^st Century Exploration of Celtic and Related Western European Fairies” , 2020

Daimler, Morgan “Living Liminally” https://lairbhan.blogspot.com

Heath, Cat “Elves, Witches, and Gods: Spinning Old Heathen Magic in the Modern Day”, 2021

Heath, Cat “Charms, Wihta, and Story: An Animistic Approach to Modern Heathen Magic”, https://www.eventbrite.com(contact Cat Heath for class recordings)

Magliocco, Sabina “Magliocco, Sabina, “The Taming of the Fae: Literary and Folkloric Fairies in Modern Paganism”, Magic and Witchery in the Modern West edited by Shai Feraro and Ethan Doyle White (Palgrave MacMillan, 2019) 

O’Brien, Lora, and Jon O’Sullivan,  “Irish Pagan School: Authentic Connection to Ireland” https://irishpaganschool.com

Young, Simon, Ceri Houlbrook, “British and Irish Fairies -500AD to the Present”, 2017

Young, Simon, Ceri Houlbrook, “Magical Folk: A History of Real Fairies, 500 AD to the Present”, 2022

 

An Herbal Charm to Propitiate Abundance

Bearded Iris. Photo credit: Daniela Simina, 2022

Sânziene, the fairies which according to Romanian lore are intensly active during summer, have under their purview the use of herbs for both medicinal and magical uses.  From my own practice, I am sharing here the nuts and bolts of crafting a little herbal charm to propitiate abundance.  

https://youtu.be/C7PYDRY2bhA 

Enjoy watching, and until we next meet, bright fairy blessings to all of you.

Daniela 

Fairy Partnerships: Who Comes in, and Who Stays Out

 

 Whimsical window display. Hill of Tara coffeeshop, June 21, 2022

Photo credit: Daniela Simina

According to the fairy lore provenient from several European cultures, fairies – by whatever name they go- are best when left alone.  To this day, people in Ireland caution against disturbing fairy mounds and fairy trees. Actively seeking fairies is not only discouraged, but regarded as very unwise. In Romania, as well as other countries in the Central and Eastern Europe, fairies are presented with offerings on different occasions outside of which people do not seek to engage with them in any form. From culture to culture, fairies show various degrees of hostility and friendliness toward humans, all of which is context bound.

Fairy witches, fairy doctors, fairy seers, known by different names and whose attributions vary slightly according to the culture they belong to, share one common denominator: they all work in partnership with fairies. This seems to contradict everything the cultures themselves recommend, namely, leaving fairies alone. It seems though that certain individuals are somehow called to develop working partnership with fairies. The tradition of fairy witches/doctors[1], once wide spread, has currently declined and it has been driven nearly to extinction. However, isolated cases of practitioners working in partnership with fairies are still to be found. For example, a Romanian community settled in Eastern Serbia, has active fairy seers[2]. In Ireland, Pat Noone[3], at Green Hills Farm in Co. Longford, talks about the fairy activity on his farm which has acquired a world wide reputation. 

In modern times, barriers around spiritual beliefs have thinned, and people are more comfortable talking about various experiences they’ve had, including encounters and interactions with fairies[4]^,[5]. It seems that fairies themselves have began to show a vested interest in humans, to an extent previously unknown. This goes hand in hand with modern spiritual seekers’ desire to develop partnerships with fairies. For short, fairies associated with different pantheons and bodies of lore seek to connect with humans, while people from the most varied spiritual paths are actively seeking to connect with fairies both local and from pantheons outside one’s native culture. 

While many express positive feelings and impressions following fairy interactions, others follow along the norms’ presented in the source material describing fairies as mainly dangerous, and – as previously mentioned-  best left alone. 

Positive or less so, sought after or steamrolling into one’s life regardless the human’s intent or desire, fairy interaction happens today as it always did, maybe nowadays being marked by a more pronounced willingness from people to encourage or actively seek such connection. In the modern world, similarly to the ages past, humans and fairy relationships take a wide variety of expressions. Regardless of form, degree of closeness, degree of casualness or structure, entertaining these relationships brings up one important question to consider: how does someone invite fairy partnership while still protecting against fairy beings who are less then fond of humans? Warding and shielding using materials which repel fairy presence will keep out all fairies, most likely including those that one wishes to partner up with. On the other hand, not warding against anything at all allows all kinds of energies and beings to gather around, including fairies or beings of other nature who are not necessarily friendly or goodly inclined. 

Selective, filter-like protection measures seem to be the answer to this dilemma. I cannot speak for everyone, but I would like to share what is my own approach to selective protection. By selective protection I mean what I do not to allow and actively invite near me some among the fairies, while respectfully keeping away some other.  I’ll emphasize that respectfully is a key word, and it applies to everything I do regarding fairies; this is how Grandma taught me to approach anything connected to them. 

So, in practical terms:

-It was Grandma[6] who taught me to keep mugwort and basil under my pillow, and when doing so to intend for the energy of those plants to keep away anyone and anything inimical to me. In retrospect, I discern several layers to this kind of protection. Firstly, in Romanian lore, some fairies are averse to basil and mugwort while other are not. The ones known to be verse, are the unfriendly ones, while the ones who are not deterred by these herbs are know in the lore as friendly and goodly inclined toward people. With this in mind, I would suggest to anyone who seeks to use herbs for protection, to check out in the specific body of lore what is the relationship between fairies in that culture and the herbs intended to be used to protect. Second, I was not to simply dump a bunch of mugwort and basil on my bed and slam the pillow on top; the intention regarding whom to allow and who to keep away had to be clearly expressed. Also, I was told to give thanks to the plants themselves. These details made me realize that clearly stated intention is not only a powerful and very important component in setting up protections, but more like the crux of it.

-My main line of defense has always been my allies. I will compere here my personal allies to really close and trusted friends that I feel not only comfortable but outright happy to have around at any given time. Since very young, I developed such a relationship with a fairy woman whose true identity and power I only came to know much later in life. Back then, at some point, I did something really disrespectful toward her, and it came at a price. Years later, our relationship healed, and she is with me now as much as, if not even more than when I was a child. Our relationship is rather complicated, but she was, is, and will always be around to protect me. This has nothing to do with the anthropocentric view of fairies being guardians-on-duty to silly humans doing silly stuff: I have been tasked with work to carry on, by her and other members of the Other Crowd to whom I have various degrees of connections and closeness. In Fairy nothing is really for free, and I am not to take for granted the protection and friendship they offer. 

To her and to the fairy king to whom I am connected, I make offerings regularly. Offerings consist of food and drinks presented weekly, and on special occasions I am adding poetry, music, or dance. 

Photo credit: Daniela Simina

-While I leave offerings for the closest allies on the indoor altar, there is an outdoor space where I leave offerings for various Other whom I do acknowledge and respect, but do not have such close, intimate connection. Whenever I present their offerings, I explicitly welcome only those among the Other Crowd who are friendly and goodly inclined toward me and mine, and express gratitude for the protection they provide.

-I also strengthen my personal defenses by cultivating the connection to, and living in alignment with, the cycles of the seasons, solar and lunar cycles, and the Powers associated with these, the Fairy Gods. 

- I am aware that different bodies of lore recommend iron as a protection against fairies in general, so, if someone does not want any fairy in their proximity, they are advised to use iron in various forms: knives, scissors, horseshoes – etc. But, if someone seeks to connect with fairies, then iron may undermine the purpose. Most of the fairies around my household and the close fairy allies that I and my family have, do not mind iron at all. However, I still prefer to use wood, ceramic, copper, and glass bowls to place food and drink offerings out of respect and caring for the Other Crowd, if nothing else. There may be places around one’s house or yard that demand special warding, and iron implements could be used on that isolated patch. As always, being specific is very important, so state clearly what is the extent of the warding and who is guarding against. 

- Leaving offerings and setting up spaces especially for the fairies to enjoy are ways to invite them near. There are fairy flowers that make a space more appealing to the fairy people. In choosing how to render a space fairy-friendly, check the lore. Whenever possible go to the source material first, and see what flowers, herbs, trees, crystals, rocks have been recorded as ‘fairy-friendly’ within specific cultural frameworks.  Then proceed from there.

I shall conclude that selective protections act as filters that allow some things to pass through, while retaining others. In forming fairy partnerships, the challenge to invite the fairies that one would like to partner with while staying safe from the intrusion of less then friendly entities. Combining defensive and propitiating elements into a synergistic approach, clearly expressed intent about who shall join and who shall not, being courteous, smart, and and cautious shall help.

 

Thank you for reading, and until the next time, the blessing of the Shiny Ones be with you.

 

Daniela

 

---

[1] An excellent article that details the functions of fairy witches, fairy doctors is Morgan Daimler’s paper “The Witch, the Bean Feasa, and the Fairy Doctor in Irish Culture”, available at  https://www.academia.edu/17823067/The_Witch_the_Bean_Feasa_and_the_Fairy_Doctor_in_Irish_Culture

[2] Maria Vivod, “Fairy Seers from Eastern Serbia”, available at https://www.academia.edu/36940629/The_Fairy_Seers_of_Eastern_Serbia_Seeing_Fairies_Speaking_through_Trance?email_work_card=title

[3] Pat Noone, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yci8WOlo7T0

[4] Simon Young,  Magical Folk: A History of Real Fairies , 500AD to the Present

[5] Sabina Magliocco, “The Taming of the Fae” available at https://www.academia.edu/40416801/The_Taming_of_the_Fae_Literary_and_Folkloric_Fairies_in_Modern_Paganisms_prepublication_copy

[6] My Grandmother was a fairy seer and, when I was a child, I apprenticed with her. The full story is in the book “A Fairy Path: The Memoirs of A Young Fairy Seer”, that will be released most likely toward the end of 2023.

May Day: Integrating Beliefs and Traditions

I grew up in a strongly dualistic society. The beliefs in the supernatural ran deep, and the majority of people honored those beliefs with a certain degree of discretion. On the other hand, what I was taught in school and what was publically, albeit superficially upheld as the norm, was to deny the supernatural. Great mental and emotional place to be, isn’t it, especially for a child who can see those things that the official system of education affirms they don’t exist. 

 

The way I approached holidays then attempted to bridge this duality. I enjoyed the days off from school and my parents' days off from work because we could visit with friends or travel. But on such days I also wanted to do something special for the Others, like I saw my grandmother doing more or less secretly. My personal feel was that holidays encompassed the laic and spiritual dimensions, and the spiritual layer always stood out bold and strong, no matter how much the modern and “progressive” forces within society tried to drown it.  Bealtaine¹, Walpurgisnacht², or as lived it in my childhood years, May Day, is one such example. I shall explain.

In Romania of my childhood, May 1^st was officially celebrated as the International Workers Day, when schools and public institutions were decorated with flowers and flags in the national colors, and parades were organized in almost all the cities. People gathered around tables on terraces for cold beer and “mici”³ , gathered for picnics, and generally had a good time. But in the rural areas, May Day had a different flavor. May Day marked the transition into summer, and signaled the beginning of a new season in the agricultural calendar. As a time of transition, the beginning of May called for specific rituals. Such knowledge has been handed down from one generation to the next through hundreds, if not through thousands of years. Maypole, specific foods, fire-lighting, people dressing in traditional garb, dancing and feasting, magic for protection and prosperity, and charms for health and beauty – that was, and still is, my kind of holiday. 

Photo credit: "Unirea" newspaper archives

Fortunately, many traditions survived modernization quite successfully, especially in rural areas. Same as forty-five years go, on May Day Eve, green boughs are hung at doors and gates, around byres and stalls to keep people and livestock safe from the mischief caused by iele⁴ and other malicious spirits. A long pole with green boughs tied on top, or a small tree, is decorated with flower wreaths, and then planted in the front yard or at the front gate. This is done for protection, but also to propitiate the God of vegetation⁵, protector of crops, orchards, wildlife, and cattle. I found this practice to be very similar to the Irish custom of decorating the May Bush for Bealtaine, May 1^st. 

A much older name for May Day, still in use in rural areas, is Armindeni. It is also known as the Wormwood Holiday. Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) is a close related to Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris). Both herbs are known for their magic properties and are used in very similar ways. On May Day bunches of Wormwood and/or Mugwort are used to sweep back, bring back, a person who has left home and their return is much desired. The same bunches can be used to sweep out disease. This is done either by the elder woman in the house who uses the herbs to sweep all family members with long, downward strokes running from head to feet, or by each person using the bunch of herbs to brush themselves form head to toes.  Wormwood is also added to red wine which is drunk on this occasion to strengthen the body. Wormwood and/or Mugwort twigs are carried inside pockets, belts, or pinned on hats to ward off malicious spirits.

Photo credit: Mythologica.ro

 

My practice, as it is today, still carries a flavor that is reminiscent of the traditions that I grew up with, specifically those traditions that focus on fairies. I bring this up for discussion because as I said in previous posts (August and September 2021), I currently follow a path that is centered on fairy beliefs from Romanian, Irish, and to some extent Norse⁶traditions, and it is hard work to preserve balance with regard to authenticity of traditions in their cultural context and the need to practice in a way that is authentic to myself and my personal beliefs. I am pretty sure that I am not the only one trying to integrate elements from various cultures into a cohesive personal approach, so I thought I’d share my own experience here. 

In Ireland Bealtaine, May Day, is one of the four fire festivals. The holiday, under various names, is celebrated everywhere in the territories inhabited by Celtic languages speaking cultures, and in those area where Norse/Germanic influences are present, including Romania.

Bealtaine marks the half way between Spring Equinox and Summer solstice, but more importantly, it marks the beginning of summer on the agrarian calendar. The Pleiades, know as 7 Queens, 7 Sisters, The Hen, The Clock, The Wren, disappearing from the western sky (by April 30 this star cluster it is no longer visible in the night sky anywhere in the Northern hemisphere) announces the change in the natural rhythm, the season shifting, and the time to begin various seasonal activities. It is not so much the date, May 1^st that is important but it is the Pleiades position signaling the cycle, the season, and the right time for people to engage in agricultural, farming, fishing, sailing activities. This is a time when I acknowledge the presence of the Other as I learned from my native culture as well as from those traditions that fused into my current path.  

Bealtaine, May Day, or Walpurgisnacht, officially begins on April 30, at sunset (May Day Eve). In my own practice and beliefs, during this time the Fairy Gods or Liminal Powers exercise a very strong presence. They are connected to the seasons changing, the shifting into summer. Also, fairies travel around more than usually, and their paths intersect those of humans. In my own experience and according to Romanian fairy lore, this is the time when Sânziene begin to make their presence felt. Their activity peaks on their own eponymous holiday, the Feast of Sânziene on Midsummer. In addition to the Fairy Gods, on this holiday I welcome the Zâne, acknowledge the Aos Side and the Alfar, and honor my guides and familiars.

 On April 30^th, early in the day, I decorate the May bush, clean and arrange the altar, and prepare what I need for the ritual that I’ll hold later. At sunset I bring the supplies and offerings by the Fairy Tree, where there is a dedicated space for rituals, ceremonies, meditation, offerings, etc. I like to keep things simple. I prepare the space, acknowledge the Powers, invite my Otherworldly guests, make offerings- whatever forms offerings may take, light the fire, do some magic, give thanks and pour out some more offerings- could be fresh water, and close the ritual. 

Picture taken by Daniela Simina on May Eve,2022

I do not have a proper fire pit in my backyard, so I light up the fire in a rather large, heat-resisting ceramic bowl which I crafted myself when I was in college. I also light some incense. I walk around the fire, basking in the warmth and brightness, and invite cleansing and protective energies. I meditate, renew the wards around the property, and after the fire goes out, I scatter the ashes in the yard and around the house, on the outside, for prosperity and protection.

Picture taken by Daniela Simina on May Eve, 2022

The next day, May 1^st, I get out early to walk barefoot in the grass and wash my face with dewdrops, as I learned from my grandmother.  I spend time outside, by myself or with my family, take omens, feast, and have a good time. I prefer Mugwort for warding, cleansing and protection. I have never been fond of red wine with wormwood in it because it is very bitter, however I do acknowledge it as a powerful liver tonic used in folk medicine⁷. 

I also add May 2^nd to the actual holiday since it feels right to me to do so. My feeling is that the energy of Bealtaine doesn’t, all of a sudden, stop flowing at the end of May 1^st as if someone flips a switch to the “Off“ position.  April 30 through May 2 feels, in my own perception, a smooth continuum that initiates with the approach of April 30, builds up gradually, and begins to fade with the sunset of May 2^nd. On this evening, May 2, as I take down the May bush, I give thanks for the Spring that just passed and ready myself the Summer ahead. Another season filled with Their gifts, blessings, and challenges is just about to begin.

Notes:

1.         I began to use systematically the name Bealtaine in 2013 when I shifted toward an Irish-based pagan practice.

2.         In my family, we occasionally referred to May Day Eve as Walpurgisnacht. For context, my father was born and raised in the German community in Transylvania, the western region of Romania. I attended German school until age 7, so I had a fair amount of exposure to German customs and lore.

3.         “mici” literally translate as “smalls”, and are made of ground meat and spices, shaped into small rolls which are then roasted on the grill. 

4.         Fairies who can become very dangerous when shown disrespect, or intruded upon. Iele are not particularly fond of humans, although they can, and do help people heal, or grant healing powers to those fairy-seers who they favor.

5.         The practice maintains its pagan overtones and interpretations alongside Christian meanings acquired later on.

6.         I shall explain where the Norse/Germanic component comes from and how does it fit along with the rest, in a separate post.

7.         This is NOT intended as medical advice, NOR is this something I recommend that you consume. Whatever food and drink you ingest, ritually or otherwise, it is entirely your own responsibility.  

Resources:

Daimler, Morgan “Living Fairy”, 2020

Dobrescu, Petre  “1 Mai- Sarbatoarea de Armindeni.” , 2018. Retrieved at https://www.libertatea.ro/stiri/1-mai-sarbatoarea-de-armindeni-traditii-populare-romanesti-2230701

Ghinoiu, Ion “Romanian Folk Almanac”, 2021

Gundarsson, Kveldwulf “Elves, Wights, and Trolls”, 2007

 

 

 

The Insidiously Damaging Alteration of Fairy Characters in Stories

"Blue Hair Fairy" Art credit Desktop Nexus, 2022

I grew up with fairy stories which, to this day, still play a significant role in my life. There were two kinds of fairy tales, as I remember. One kind drew from bodies of lore connected to traditions regarding fairies, still in use and surviving through generations. Those had the inebriating flavor of history. Those stories were glowing, like powdered with golden dust that awaited to be blown off to reveal treasures of hidden meanings and deeds impossible for the modern folks to fathom. Yeah, that kind of lore. 

The other kind had nothing to do with the first. It was made up mainly through depicting objects caricaturized as fairies. Those stories, modern fairytales for children, or fairytales for modern children, were populated with stereotypes that had very little in common with the “a long, long time ago…” kind of tales. 

About the stories in the second category… well, oftentimes those involved turning objects into fairies to suggest that imagination can make a fairy out of everything. They were not connected to the belief that consciousness could found in many forms, other that human, often encountered in Romanian and German fairy lore, where trees and wells give protagonists advise or warnings. In the type of stories that I bring under scrutiny here, fakelore[1] and other similarly developed ones intended to replace children’s folklore, authors plainly turn objects of common use into fairies in a sort of personification taken to an extreme. 

Is this a problem? Let’s see.

I have a vivid memory of such story where aniline, the substance used in preparing oil painting colors, turns into Aniline, a fairy in charge of colors all around. It was not enough to personify aniline as a magical spirit that oversees colors: it hadto be a fairy. 

When I red it, some fifty years ago, I found the story to be a pretty one, yet it left me with a feel of disappointment about the fairy character. That kind of fairy felt alien, and I could not connect with it, not even remotely. It felt like a kitsch plastic replica of some valuable antique.   

In retrospect, there are few things that I find quite annoying in this and other similar approach to fairy characters in children’s stories. The stereotypical fairy, always good, is invariably clashing against a dragon or a witch, always villains. It isn’t the roles per sé that bother me: it is the always aspect. This doesn’t match what I know from older stories based in authentic lore, where fairies aren’t always that good, nor witches are always that bad. 

Fairy tales and stories in the second category didn’t and still don’t sit well with me. The cause of disconcert may not be obvious, so I shall explain: it is due precisely to this innocuous appearance that the effects of many modern fairy tales are insidiously destructive. I am not criticizing the use of fantasy in creating stories to teach children values and important life lessons. Far from it. But I am concerned about the muddling of fairies’ character, personality, deeds, legends as preserved into bodies of lore of native cultures. Fairy lore acts as an intergenerational compass: if we just mess up with carelessly, it will stop pointing north altogether. 

 

Why is flipping objects of common use into fairies as bad as objectifying and/or infantilizing fairies? Because it trivializes something that it was not supposed to be treated as trivial. Denizens of Fairy were and still are in some cultures treated with reverence. Some have connections with aspects of nature, abundance or fertility, such as Áine in Irish lore, Ileana Sânziana in Romanian lore, and Fro Ing in Germanic/Norse traditions are still honored as sacred beings. Trivialization destroys the sacredness, and turns something that once was treated with reverence into some sort of a toy. Infusing fairies with childishness has been done purposefully by various bodies of authority to strip them of power and make those who believed in them look awkward and ‘primitive’. Then once the mystique is gone, what’s left is mockery. Paradoxically, turning everything around into fairy- the aniline that turns fairy-  doesn’t bring more magic into our life; if anything, it strips off the enchantment, de-spiritualizes the world, and reduces all that surrounds us to a joke. 

 

Fakelore may teach that things turn into fairies, fairies becomes things, and children “learn” that with a little bit of imagination all things can be fairies: or that fairies are only a product of one’s imagination. Since they are an entirely made up thing, fairies have no real power or agency. This goes against the massive body of anecdotal evidence and corpus of material showing the exact opposite. 

 

There are of course great stories that incorporate fairies in order to educate young audiences and entertain readers of all ages. Carlo Collodi brings Fata Turchina (the exact meaning is The Girl with Dark-blue Hair) in his story “Pinochio”. Fata Turchina is Collodi’s creation. He doesn’t turn a pencil or an inkbottle into a fairy, he brings a fairy character that is very carefully developed. Fata Turchina, while fictitious, it is developed based on the lore of the Bambinin Aquatici (Aquatic Children), where fairy beings, oftentimes depicted as blue or having blue hair, take care of young children. The association with the aquatic fairy-beings, known for both their blue color and nurturing of children, lend strength and credibility to Fata Turchina in her role of care taker, almost a maternal figure, for Pinocchio.  

 

Anthropomorphizing animals, plants and objects did and will always be efficient in teaching children. In a cartoons or books, seeing animals and plants speaking and acting like humans, help empathizing with the natural world. Empathy is the foundation for acting with consideration. 

Bringing fairy protagonists into modern children’s lore is a wonderful thing from all perspectives. However, such fairy protagonists must be developed carefully. Authors should draw inspiration from traditional ancient lore, not destroy it. What is the danger? Gradual substitution leads to annihilation and complete loss of original characters. This means cutting off bridges with spiritual roots. 

 

The solution? Whether you are writer or a parent telling your kids fairy tales, find creative ways to make up stories where innovation and preservation go hand in hand. Children, parents, and fairies, everyone wins.

 

Bright fairy blessings, 

Daniela

 

Resources:

The Right and Wrong of Fictional Fairies, by Morgan Daimler https://www.patheos.com/blogs/agora/2019/03/irish-american-witchcraft-the-right-and-wrong-of-fictional-fairies/

Le Sfumature della Fata Turchina, di Angelo Serfilippi https://heroica.it/le-sfumature-della-fata-turchina/

 

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[1] “Fakelore or pseudo-folklore is inauthentic, manufactured folklore presented as if it were genuinely traditional. The term can refer to new stories or songs made up, or to folklore that is reworked and modified for modern tastes. The element of misrepresentation is central; artists who draw on traditional stories in their work are not producing fakelore unless they claim that their creations are real folklore.” (https://www.definitions.net/definition/fakelore)

 

Offerings for Fairies: What’s this, what’s not, and why bother?

Offerings. Art credit Maria Orlova, 2021, pexels.com

The concept of making offerings to spirit allies, whether they are gods or from among the fairies, is as old as the humankind itself. However, for some, making offerings to spirit entities seems out of place, awkward, pointless, and even foolish. Is this really so? Does the modern person truly hold the monopoly on truth in deciding, based solely on “logical” understanding, that the practice of making offerings has run its historical course? If the answer is yes, the discussion might stop here. But what if the answer is no? 

First, what exactly offerings are?

Part of the answer, grizzly as it is, comes from numerous archaeologic excavations conducted at prehistoric ceremonial sites around the world. Analysis and interpretation of these findings shed at least some light over the practice of sacrifices, both human and animal. 

 

Our earliest ancestors understood that the fate of human communities was, to its largest extent, at the mercy of forces controlling the environment. Land fertility or infertility, clement or inclement weather, presence or absence of game and that bit of hunters’ luck, meant either life or death. Aside from skill and astuteness, humans needed the assistance of those powers from outside their direct control to ensure survival. Extreme situations called for extreme forms of exchange, which often times meant a life-for-a-life. Sacrificial offerings were thus means to bargain, appease, propitiate, and express gratitude. 

Dromberg Neolithic Stone Circle, Ireland. Photo credit Ingo Mehling

 

The other part of the answer to the question about what offering were/are, comes from studying the evolution of beliefs and understanding of the relationships humans had with nature and other governing forces. The analysis of these lead to the understanding of how human sacrifices have been gradually abandoned, and how even animal sacrifices have become relatively rare[1] . Offerings of food have supplemented and in many cases replaced animal offerings for both economical and ethical reasons. 

 

Stories tell about denizens of the Otherworld asking for their share, and human communities having no other choice but to comply. For example, An Dagda, god and king of fairies in Ireland, asks the human kings for a tribute of dairy and grains. Findings at Ard Mhacha in Northern Ireland show that offerings had a sacrificial character. People gave portions of highly valuable resources, and from later texts we learn that sacrificial items were of premium quality: best animals, best dairy, best grains and/or baked good, votive items, etc.  In modern times, the custom of making offerings is encountered across various religions in conjunction with honoring the ancestors[2]. Pagans, usually[3], offer or sacrifice to the deities and spirit allies to whom they feel connected. 

 

Since this is not a generic post on paganism, and these pages are centered on a fairy-based spiritual path, I shall explicitly connect the two, offerings and fairy allies.

 

I mentioned in previous posts that in many cultures the lines between fairies and gods are oftentimes blurred. Back to the example of An Dagda: in Irish lore he appears as a god of incredible power and skill, one of the chief deities in the Irish cultural pantheon, and the powerful king of fairies in Ireland. Macha herself is mentioned in the lore as goddess, warrior and sovereign[4], and woman of the fairy mounds. In Norse mythology, god Freyr or Fro Ing is connected to elves. In Romanian fairy traditions several fairy queens and kings are actually ancient deities who have been relegated to Fairy. This relegation doesn’t diminish their actual power, but it changes perception about their role and how they fit along various other beliefs. Whether gods, fairies, or ancestors, they, the denizens of the Otherworld, receive offering in various forms today, as they always did. 

 

Fairy is not populated with fairy queens and kings only. Many medicine women and men receive their knowledge from fairy allies who may or may not hold special ranks. Fairy familiars[5], as the name implies, are very close to their human partner. They provide support and impart various kinds of knowledge. Offerings are made to them in sign of gratitude, but also to balance the ongoing exchange of energy. 

 

Do offerings still make sense today?

 

Many among fairies are powerful entities who can and do intervene in people’s lives. Some among fairies are in many ways similar to people, with the added bonus of magical abilities. Some others, the Liminal Powers[6], are decisively more akin to gods, and connect to various aspects of nature. Big, powerful, and autonomous: do they really depend on the bit of food a human can offer? The answer is a multilayered one.

 

Firstly, they only take the vital substance from offerings, not the actual bulk of food. In making sacrifices on their temples’ altars, the priests of ancient Greece explained that the gods feast on the aroma, while the gathering of people feats on the flesh of the sacrificed animals. We, people, give out the energy coming from food offerings in exchange for help, which are all forms of energy. People may offer something to express gratitude for the partnership, or for the sheer joy of having  those spirit allies as part of one’s life.

 

Second, corporeal or non-corporeal beings need to replenish energetically much in the same way as humans need to replenish their resources through eating, drinking, and sleeping. So sending energy in whatever form is appropriate and inviting the fairy allies to partake is the equivalent of us, people, being offered a snack. How could one not feel grateful to the friend or co-worker who cheerfully walks in with treats for everyone in the office? It is not just the food or the coffee that is being brought, but the very gesture of bringing those in that count.

 

Thirdly, even when offerings may not be explicitly needed, still doesn’t mean they are not appreciated. Think of a friend who comes in to visit with you. It is a fundamental rule of hospitality to offer something: a cup of tea, a bite of food, a glass of water, just anything that would signal the visitor that their presence is welcomed.  It shows good manners. It is also a statement about your desire to maybe have them coming over more often. Now extend this to the fairy allies that you have as partners or teachers. Does this need any further explanation? Why would anyone, fairies of humans, feel drawn toward you if you consistently neglect basic rules of hospitality and act entitled, as if they owe you anything? Don’t be surprised that you get a cold shoulder next time when, in dire straits, you call on them. 

 

Fourth, the practice of making offerings also works for one’s own benefit. In offering food, the conscious mind acknowledges them, the fairies, as being not only real, but also endowed with agency and power to intervene and help. This in turn reinforces their reality in the subconscious mind, and each time assistance is needed the energy put into manifestation work or healing is more focused. The doubt surrounding fairies’ corporeality, agency, and power dilutes the intensity of someone’s intent and its corresponding energetic charge. Through eliminating this doubt, one can focus the energy with maximum strength and precision on whatever they seek to accomplish. A fairy ally who enjoys food has a degree a reality to it and it is therefore easier to trust they are present. In short, making offerings adds more substance to fairy partnerships. 

 Offering: hot drink and study time. Art credit Melissa Munez, 2022, pexels.com

What qualifies as an appropriate offering?

We see that offerings do have a sacrificial character in that people don’t give what they don’t need, have a surplus of, or things they’d rather want to get rid of. Whatever people have offered traditionally to fairies are goods of value, items that are typically destined to sustaining life, protect life, or enhance the quality of life.  As such, offerings could be food that is fresh and prepared especially for the occasion, but any food that one would enjoy is suited for fairy allies, too. In cultures across Europe, milk and dairy along with baked goods are staple items. I found out from other people’s experience as well as my own that fairies appreciate fresh fruits, fresh water, and at most of them wont turn down a sip of beer, wine, or whisky. Aside from foods, personal creations and significant actions make great offerings. One can offer them a song, a poem, or a ritual dance to be performed exclusively for the fairy allies. One may be tasked with work to complete on fairies' behalf such as taking care of a piece of land, planting something, volunteering at an animal shelter or wildlife rescue, learning various skills, study the fairy lore of a specific culture, etc.  Offerings can take many forms, but they have one common denominator: life-sustaining items and valuable service have replaced that life which was once laid down directly in form of ritual sacrifice. It feels to me a much better solution, and more viable one too, no pun intended. 

 

If you leave food and drinking offerings outside, make sure that whatever it is, it doesn’t harm local fauna. Do not pour alcohol on or near herbs because it will damage them.  At sacred sites, DO NOT pour anything on stones, and DO NOT leave food offerings on the premises. Present the offerings during ceremony or ritual, but then take them away and dispose appropriately. I am not going into the details of how exactly to make offerings, because various traditions follow slightly different approaches. 

 

Don’t offer anything that you would not eat such as spoiled food, or leftovers that you plan to throw away. If you are a guest in someone’s house, how would you like to be treated? Or imagine that you have your favorite person in the entire world dropping by: how would you show your joy and gratitude for their visit? Certainly not by pouring out for them spoiled drinks in dirty glasses.

 

Conclusion

Making offerings as part of modern spiritual practice is anything but a relic. Same as thousands of years ago, offerings are means to strengthen the connection with spirit allies, in this case, fairies.  The act of inviting them to partake of that which we want to share adds yet another layer to the personal connection and bridges the gap between our world and the Other. It is a way to show gratitude and sheer joy for their presence in our life. After all, aren’t fairies the reason for us to be on this path? 

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[1] Not as often as they were in the historical past, animal sacrifices are still part of reality. Whether it has survived in form of the Christian custom of pig slaughtering around Christmas or lamb slaughtering for Easter, the black rooster or hen killed on Michaelmas or in Voodoo rituals, the practice of animal sacrifice is still alive.

[2] Dumb supper on Samhain in Ireland, the feast of Rusalii in Romania, and around Yule in Norse traditions.

[3] I am aware of many Pagan traditions who honor deities and spirit guide with offerings, but I cannot speak for all Pagans of all traditions, because many of these are outside my knowledge and expertise.

[4] In this hypostasis Macha fulfills the social attributes of a king, not those of a queen. For more details of gender stereotypes in Irish history see “Uncovering Ireland’s Secret History” with Dr. Gillian Kenny at https://irishpaganschool.com/p/queer-history 

[5] Fairy guides who have become very close to the human partner in a relationship that is long term and involves a high level of commitment.

[6] The post “Liminal Powers: Fairy Gods and Gods of Fairy” coming up next.

Building Sound Foundations: Read the Fairy Lore

Art credit: Daniela Simina, collage.com, 2022

Pretend that you are someone interested in fairies but have little or no background at all. What would you do to begin learning?  Search the Internet for information, right? In doing so, there is a good chance for you to become overwhelmed and confused rather quickly. Nowadays, information abounds and the access is so easy. This is good, because easy access to information allows people to educate themselves. It is also bad, because a lot of the information out there is inaccurate at best, and sheer fabrication presented as historical fact at worse. The range in quality for the fairy material available online is broad, ranging from great to deplorable. Good sources are really hard to distinguish from bad ones[1]. This complicates the matter significantly, because fairies themselves are complicated, and an immensely diverse group as well.

 

There are numerous reasons for wanting to know better these beings, especially if you feel drawn toward them. It is in a sense similar to making friends among humans, enrolling to a new school, or moving into a new neighborhood. Gathering information that is accurate and weighing pluses against minuses helps one make the best decision. Whether entering relationships with people or fairies, knowing the terrain upfront paves the road for positive experiences, or at least, helps avoiding more serious trouble.

 

Learning the lore that is authentic to various cultures where fairies feature prominently is a very important step in getting to know them. This should be the first piece in the foundation that you are laying for a healthy and rewarding relationship with fairies. It is not the only piece, but it is a very important one. 

 

Throughout the history, fairy lore has developed from experiences that people had with fairies. (I am including modern times here, because fairy encounters and sightings not only did, but still do occur in the twenty-first century as much as they did in all centuries past[2].) Each epoch generated its own body of fairy lore. From lore we gather that fairies and humans underwent changes, Fairy[3] mirroring to a certain extent human society and culture. New encounters generate new lore which adds continuously to the already existing body. Conversely, the existing lore shapes people’s perception of fairy and to a large extent influences interaction. I know of teachers who insist that fairies did not change one bit over centuries, but in my opinion it is unrealistic to believe that fairies are frozen in time, and only humans move forward. This is like claiming that people of today speak, write, dress, eat or interact with one another in the exact same way they did a thousand years ago. This holds true for fairies as well.[4] If humans changed, and fairies mirrored the change, then the premises for interaction have also changed to some extent at least, which means that in many ways the relationships we develop with fairies today would be quite different form the past. At this point you may be wondering, with all these changes why should one still bother reading the lore? How could be stories, hundreds of years old in some cases, still be relevant?

 

Photo credit: Daniela Simina, 2022

I am aware that we live in the twenty-first century and our understanding of life, nature, and reality in general is different in many regards from how people perceived these, say five hundred years ago.  But… many things change on the surface while their core, the essence of what or who they are, doesn’t change.  There is a reason why children in school study World History: it is not an attempt made by the school system to entice people to live a lifestyle fit for the Middle Ages, but a way to help the present generations understand how the world has changed and the implications of change. This extends to our relationship to fairy traditions past and present: learning about their past helps us to better understand them in the present. The quality of our relationships depend on the degree of understanding, and the degree of understanding depends on what and how much we read, study, experience…

 

Fairies are not an element of fashion. Fairy-based spiritual beliefs are not fashion accessories. Being a fairy witch is not a trend. This is serious. In any successful partnership proper understanding is of paramount importance, and in the case of fairies, reading their lore holds the key.

Bright fairy blessings, and until next time ...really, read the lore.

Daniela

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[1] “Discerning Good Source Material”, Morgan Daimler,  https://lairbhan.blogspot.com/2018/02/discerning-good-source-material.html

[2] “The Paranormal and popular Culture, A Postmodern Religious Landscape”, Darryl Caterine and John W. Morehead; “Living Fairy”, Morgan Daimler; “Magical Folk: British and Irish Fairies, 500AD to the Present”, Simon Young and Ceri Houlbrook.

[3] Generic name for the part of the Otherworld, or the dimension where fairies live.

[4] “Fairies as the ‘Other’”David Halpin, https://www.facebook.com/page/505240543157960/search/?q=FAiries%20as%20the%20Other