Gods and Fairies - Excerpt from Fairycraft
In
Christian myth it is said that the fairies exist as beings that are between the
nature of angels and demons; many people dismiss this as later propaganda but I
believe it represents a reflection of genuine older belief. In pagan times the
fairies were seen as being of the same nature as the Gods, but on a lower
level, existing somewhere between the Gods and humans. Within modern Fairy
Faiths the fairies - as well as the old Gods - have been greatly diminished and
reduced to beings that are often seen as less than human, but this is not true
to the older view.
In Grimm's Teutonic Mythology we are told:
"On the nature of Elves I resort for
advice to the ON. [old Norse] authorities, before all others…..the Elder Edda
several times couples œsir and âlfar together, as though they were a compendium
of all higher beings, and that the AS. [Anglo-Saxon] ês and ylfe stand together
in exactly the same way. This apparently concedes more of a divinity to elves
than to men." (Grimm, 1882). From this we can understand that in both
Norse and Germanic as well as Anglo-Saxon belief the Alfar, who were roughly
equivalent to the Irish Sí, were seen as a semi-divine race of beings that were
often placed alongside the Gods.
Robert Kirk's book Secret Commonwealth,
based on his 17th century experiences with fairies, says: "These Siths, or fairies... are said to be of
a middle Nature betwixt Man and Angel, as were Dæmons[i] thought to be of old." (Kirk, 2007). This also shows the idea
of the fairies as beings that exist above humans but below Gods in the
universal hierarchy.
Evans Wentz, writing 200 years later says:
"In the Book of Leinster the poem of
Eochaid records that the Tuatha De Danann, the conquerors of the Fir-Bolgs,
were hosts of siabra; and siabra is an Old Irish word meaning fairies, sprites,
or ghosts." (Evans Wentz, 1911) This connects the Irish Tuatha de
Danann, often seen as the old pagan Gods, with the fairies. Wentz goes on to
say: "In the two chief Irish MSS., [manuscripts]
the Book of the Dun Cow and the Book of Leinster, the Tuatha De Danann are
described as 'gods and not-gods'; and Sir John Rhys considers this an ancient
formula comparable with the Sanskrit deva and adeva, but not with 'poets (dée)
and husbandmen (an dée)' as the author of Cóir Anmann learnedly guessed."
(Evans Wentz, 1911). Some modern authors do indeed see the reference to
"Gods and not-Gods" as referring to the division between the people
of skill and the common laborers, however I agree with Rhys that it more likely
refers to the separation of the Gods and the fairies, in the same way that we
see the Aesir and Alfar referred to in the Norse/Germanic material. There are
many additional references in Irish myth to the sí, particularly the riders of
the sí, acting with or at the request or direction of the Gods. It can be
difficult to discern if these references are meant to indicate that the riders
of the sí are the Tuatha Dé Danann or if they represent a separate force under
the command of the Tuatha Dé, but I tend to favor seeing them as the
"not-gods" who are allied with the Gods. If this is accepted along
with the references to the fairies existing between men and Gods, then it
becomes clear that the fairies exist as beings part of but separate from the
Gods, and would likely have arrived in Ireland before the Gods and have been in
the mounds before the Gods were driven into them.
Are the fairies the "not-Gods" of
Irish myth? It is impossible to know with certainty, but it is a possibility,
and one I embrace. Whether they are or not, it can be said that they have long
been viewed as powerful beings that are less than Gods but more than humans and
should be given our respect. Using the framework of the old Fairy Faith
provides an excellent way to do this.
Within
the loose category of the term ‘fairy’ there are a huge array of different
beings and it is far beyond the scope of this book to discuss them all, however
it’s important for us to look at several specific types...
It’s also always best to keep in mind
that although we are seeking these beings out as allies and even friends, they
must be treated with respect and caution. As Terry Pratchett said:
“Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder.
Elves are
marvelous. They cause marvels.
Elves are fantastic.
They create fantasies.
Elves are
glamorous. They project glamour.
Elves are
enchanting. They weave enchantment.
Elves are
terrific. They beget terror.
The thing about
words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes
look for them behind words that have changed their meaning.
No one ever said
elves are nice.”
[i] Daemon
- "(in ancient Greek belief) A divinity or supernatural being of a nature
between gods and humans."
https://www.google.com/search?q=definition+daemon&oq=definition+daemon&aqs=chrome.0.69i57j0l3j69i62l2.6419j0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
I am so enjoying your blog, and finding some odd synchronicity as well. Have been wondering if you thought Elves roughly equated to the Fae, as this has been my thinking for some time. Thank you for answering even before I asked....
ReplyDeleteYour review of lore material is excellent. However, after twenty five years of "doing the homework", what I am looking for is people's experience and personal gnosis in dealing with the Alfar. Our knowledge isn't increased by re-treading the same research. Do any of your blog posts describe personal interactions? I can't find any such thing from looking at the table of contents of your books either, they seem to be about lore and practices and devoid of experience. I was hoping to find some of that from a self-professed Alfatru.
ReplyDeleteI can find a number of blogs with personal experience of the gods, but none of the Alfar, and at this point what I need most is to compare notes on discoveries. Thanks.
I have written more about my personal experiences with the Irish aos sidhe and Good Neighbors, but not the alfar specifically. Part of that is because much of my interaction with the alfar - both the ljossalfar and huldufolk - is either too personal to publicly blog about or too interrelated to other things.
DeleteHowever if the more general Otherworldly experiences aren't what you're looking for I'll see what I can write publicly about and share it.
Thank you. I understand the issue of running into taboos when talking about them, though I've found a few people to compare notes with. Some of those restrictions I get around by writing stories on my blog. Because... they're just stories, right? :)
ReplyDeleteSo instead of writing an excellent list of warnings like your post "Morgan's Basic Guide to Dealing with Non-Human Spirits," I've written the story of a Pagan named Shining Song visiting Alfheim. Because all spirits are honest and want to help us out for free, right? Riiiight.
I loved this book!
ReplyDelete