~*~ FAERY REALM ~*~ EaRtH GuArDiAnS & EleMenTaLs
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Faeries or Earth Elementals are very jumpy & active...tend to be abit naughty but they are very Protective over their Master....Generally they will render help to you if its within their Means...Originally posted by zacken99:ph pk... but r they obident? do they listen to instruction?
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The History of Faeries And Their Role In Pagan Belief ~ Part 1
Pagan gods and goddesses, tribal ancestors, and those who worshipped them all became 'fairies' in the traditions of France, Germany, and the British Isles. The Irish still say fairies live in the pagan sidh (burial mounds and barow graves), several hundred of which still stand in the Irish countryside. The Welsh knew their ancestors had a matriarchal society. Like the Irish, they called fairies The Mothers, or The Mother's Blessing; and fairyland was always the Land of Women. Fairies came outof their fairy hills at Halloween, Celtic folk said, because the hills themselves were tomb-wombs of rebirth according to the ancient belief, and Halloween was only anew name for Samhain, when the dead returned to the earth with the help of the priestesses -- who, under Christianity, were newly described as witches. Respect for the Pagan dead endured to a remarkably late date, even among Christians whose church taught them that the old deities were devils. Cornish miners refused to make the sign of the cross when down in a mine, for fear of offending the fairies in their own subterranean territory by making a gesture that invoked their enemy.
In the Book of the Dun Cow, the fairy queen described her realm as 'the land of the ever-living, a place where there is neither death, nor sin, nor transgression. We have continual feasts: we practice every benevolent work without contention. We dwell in a large Shee (sidh); and hence we are called the people of the Fairy-Mound."
The pagan afterworld was a golden dream time of long ago, when heroes were deified by sacred marriage with the Goddess. The Great God Lug, father of Ireland's dying savior Cu Chulainn, came 'out of the chambered underground's of Tara where dwell the fourth race of gods who settled Ireland. They are the glorious and golden giants, Tuatha De Danann. These people of the goddess Dana first used gold and silver in an Age of Brinze. They first cleared the land, first drained the swamps. They built the great temples of stone like the one they sent to Britain - Stonehenge. When conquered, they retired to their underground barrows or Sidhe where they still live today."
Fairy mounds were entrances to the pagan paradise, which might be located underground, or under water, or under hills on distant islands across the western sea where the sun died. The fairy queen was obviously the ancient fertility mother, like Demeter or Ceres. William of Auvergne said in the 13th century she was called Abundia, or Dame Abonde: 'Abundance.' She was also called Diana, Venus, Hecate, Sybil, or Titania - a title of Cretan Rhea as ruler of the earth-spirits called Titans, predecessors of the Olympian gods. She had all three personae of the Triple Goddess, including the death-dealing Crone -- which is why an Irish title Bean-Sidhe, 'Woman of the Fairy-Mounds', was corrupted into banshee, the shrieking demoness whose voice brought death. In the form of the triple Morrigan, she sang of blood sacrifices related to springtime renewal of vegetation. A variation on her title was the notorious Morganle Fay or Morgan the Fairy, also known as the
death-goddess, 'Morgue la faye.' -
The History of Faeries And Their Role In Pagan Belief ~ Part 2
The Romance of Lancelot du Lac spoke of the fairy queen in another incarnation as Lady of the Lake: 'The damsel who carried Lancelot to the lake was a fay, and in those times all those women were called fays who had to do with enchantments and charms -- and there were many of them then, principally in Great Britain -- and knew the power and virtues of words, of stones, and of herbs.' Their knights were forbidden to speak their names, for fear of betraying them to Christian persecutors. Secrecy attended many aspects of the fairy-religion, for the very reason that it was carried on Clandestinely under a dominant religious system that threatened its practitioners with torture and death. One of the charges that sent Joan of Arc to the stake was that she 'adored the fairies and did them reverence.'
A legend repeated by the gypsies said if a man found the statue of a naked fate (fairy) in the ruins of pagan temples or tombs, he should embrace it with love and eject semen on it. Then, like Pygmalion's Galatea, the fate would come to life in his dreams and tell her lover where to find buried treasure, and she would become 'fortune'. He would be happy with her forevermore, provided he agreed never to set foot in a Christian church again as long as he lived. This idea of the fairy-fortune might be traced all the way back to ancient customs of matrilineal inheritance and matrifocal marriage, characteristic both of Bronze Age myths and of fairy tales.
The fairy-tale hero rarely brought a bride to his own home; instead,
he left home to seek his 'fortune', which usually turned out to be a
foreign princess won by trial and wedded in her own country, which the hero afterward helped rule. As in the pre-patriarchal system, a woman was the 'fortune' or 'fate' of the young man, words which also meant 'fairy,' through such intermediates as Fata, Fay, Le Fee, or the 'fey' one. Fairy and Fate were further related through fear and fair: medieval Latin fatare, "to enchant", became French faer or feer. -
The History of Faeries And Their Role In Pagan Belief ~ Part 3
Many believed fairies lived in the deep woods where their sacred groves had been hidden from priestly interference. Romanians still speak of the Fata Padourri, Girl of the Woods, a fairy similar to the Irish banshee. At night she makes eerie sounds that portend death to the hearer. In Brittany, where there were many groves dedicated to the Moon-goddess throughout the middle-ages, fairies were sometimes called man-devent, "Moon-goddesses." It seems the fairy religion was practiced secretly through most of the Christian era, especially by women, whose Goddess the patriarchal church kept trying to take away, giving them no substitute but Mary, who lacked the old Goddess's powers.
Certain French leaders of the Old Religion were described as "great princesses who, having refused to embrace Christianity... were struck by the curse of God. Hence it is that they are said to be animated by a violent hatred of [Christian] religion and of the clergy." Sometimes they were called Korrigen, Korrig, or Korr, perhaps devotees of the Virgin Kore. A Breton lay said: " There are nine Korrigen, who dance, with flowers in their hair, and robes of white wool, around the fountain, by the light of the moon." They seem to have been old women who used masks or makeup: "Seen at night, or in the dusk of the evening, their beauty is great; but in the daylight their eyes appear red, their hair white, and their faces wrinkled; hence they rarely let themselves be seen by day."
As late as the 17th century it was said there were shrines kept by
"a thousand old women" who taught the rites of Venus to young maidens, and instructed them in fairy feats like shape-shifting and raising storms. They were known as fatuae or fatidicae, "seeresses" or sometimes bonnes filles, "good girls." Norwegian, Scottish, and Irish Christians claimed the fairies were offspring of the fallen angels. Like the non-fallen angels, they carried off souls of the dead. Any who happened to die at twilight, the fairies' hour between day and night, would find themselves in fairyland between life and death, or between heaven and hell. Such legends reflect ancient views of the afterworld as without either punishment or reward but only a way-station in the karmic cycle, which is why fairies were like the un-dead -- able to emerge from their tombs at will.
As psychopomps, they were the same as Valkyries or Hindu apsaras, the heavenly nymphs who became peris, "fairies", in Middle-Eastern countries where the Old Religion was also maintained as a sub-current in patriarchal culture. Certainly on of the strongest attractions of the fairy-religion was its permissive view of sexuality, typical of ancient matriarchal societies, living on in contrast to the harsh anti-sexual attitudes of orthodoxy. Fairyland was the heaven where "bliss" was specifically not sexual, not even in matrimony (Matthew 22:30). The fairyland called Torelore in the romance of Aucassin and Nicolette was a home for lovers, as opposed to the Christian heaven of "old priests, and halt old men and maimed." The fairy king lay in bed pretending to give birth to a child, in the ancient rite of couvade; the queen led an army against their enemies in a bloodless battle, the combatants pelting each other with symbolic foods such as apples, eggs, and cheeses. The king said, "it is nowise our custom to slay each other." Toward this paradise the Fairy Queen led her lovers on a "broad, broad road across the lily lea," as Thomas Rhymer's ballad said, which some called the road to heaven, and others the road to hell: a prototype of the famous Primrose Path. The Queen herself was addressed as Queen of Heaven. Sometimes her earthly angels were more spirit than mortal, like the fairies called Little Wood Women (wudu-maer) in Bavaria, to whom dumplings and other foodstuffs were offered. Yet most sources admitted that the fairies were real live women. Prior wrore, "In Danish ballads fairies are full grown women and not the diminutive beings of our English tales." Said Andrew Lang, "There seems little in the characteristics of these fairies of romance to distinguish them from human beings, except their supernatural knowledge and power.
They are... usually of ordinary stature, indeed not to be recognized
as varying from mankind except by their proceedings." In other words, they were women practicing heathen rites
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Believing In Fairies
by Jaq D Hawkins
The realm of belief is an elusive creature in the worlds of Paganism, Witchcraft and Magic. There are variations of tradition between one path and another, or even from one group within a specific tradition and another, yet most share some common elements. One of these is usually a belief in some form of natural spirits.
Classic fairies of the Victorian flowery variety generally give way to less fanciful ideas of nature spirits in modern Paganism, yet still there are some who cling to visions of Tolkien elves or folklorish visions of Spriggans, Kobolds and Brownies, among others. Still others will insist on goblinish depictions of the spirits of nature, and many will claim to have seen their own version of nature spirits in the local park or forested area.
In my Spirits of the Elements series (Capall Bann), I try to allow for all of these interpretations of Spirit, as one is not more valid than another. People will perceive the spirits of nature in their own preferred ways. The spirits themselves are of a different sort of body than what we know, and our perceptions of them come from more of a psychic interpretation than the sort of visual light and shadow discernment which we use when interpreting more solid beings, like each other. While some may get carried away into their own fantasies to an extent, no perception of faery is 'wrong' per se. It is only personal interpretation, just as no two artists will perceive or depict something in exactly the same way.
Regardless of our interpretations of the spirits of nature, most Pagans will agree that they do exist in some form or another. Many only recognize the archetypal forms of gnomes, sylphs, salamanders and undines in their rituals, yet still there is an awareness that the spirit of a specific tree is 'other' than these classic categories, which were after all originally named by the Alchemists and popularized by Paracelsus.
Believing in fairies, or nature spirits by any name, seems a natural progression in the pathways of magic. In Paganism of any form, nature worship of some sort plays a part, but how could one worship something which one didn't believe was in some way 'of Spirit'? Some say "reverence for nature" rather than worship, yet the result is the same. Reverence or worship, we all seek the spiritual in our own paths. Although my own magical path takes me far away from the religions of 'The Craft' and well into study of magic for its own sake, I believe that the magic requires a belief in Spirit, and in that is also the recognition of the different forms of spirits of all things in nature.
If hard pressed, many of those who claim to have seen fairies in the local park will confess that they didn't actually see them, but they knew they were there. I have no trouble believing this. There are some who do naturally see nature spirits, and more can learn the knack but by and large the majority perceive them on another level, which does not require visual validation. The important thing is that belief precedes perception.
All too often, many of us know the spirits of nature but keep quiet about it in day to day life, presuming that 'mundane' people, like our co-workers, will think us mad if we confess to believing in fairies. Personally, I have always been very open about my occult interests and wont hesitate to discuss my books with mundane co-workers. Often, they will become interested and eventually someone will come out and ask me if I believe in fairies. My answer is "absolutely!" They don't shy away. In fact, some of them will inevitably admit that they have always known something was there, but didn't talk about it for fear of negative reactions from people they know. It makes one wonder just how many 'ordinary' people share our beliefs in nature spirits on some level. It does, after all, go rather far back in history in some form or another.
Intentionally acknowledging the spirits of nature in daily rituals like the tradition of leaving a bit of milk or honey out for the fairies is, in my opinion, an act of spirituality which admits the world of Spirit into what may be an otherwise ordinary existence. Performing rituals which also acknowledge the spirits, even in the routine of calling quarters, is another way of bringing the spirits of nature into our consciousness, if it is done often enough. A fairy garden tended daily, as described in Spirits of the Earth, is a more direct method of daily communion with the spirits of nature and a daily reminder and acknowledgement of one's belief in these creatures.
The benefits of this acknowledgement come not only in the inner peace of spirituality, but also in the options one has for magical practice. Fairies can be very helpful in magic if they choose to be so. They will not always cooperate and anyone who deals with nature spirits frequently will know why there are so many folktales of mischievous fairies, but still the spirits which become familiar to you can be a genuine asset to a magical working. They take the magic outside of oneself, and add their own special touches to the intent. Usually this is good, although again, one must be a bit careful of the possibility for misdirection. Nature spirits are, like nature itself, creatures of chaos.
Nature works in patterns which follow parameters, but cannot always be precisely predicted. In consequence, magic which involves nature spirits can deviate from one's intention if the parameters are not specifically set. Methods for doing this are written in my books, presenting a variety of examples. For those who do not wish to run out and buy them, I recommend requesting them from your local library.
Every persons perception of faery is unique, yet what binds us together is the belief of knowing that they are there. House spirits, nature spirits and Aetherial spirits alike, the fairies by whatever name continue to bring magic to the lives of those who choose to acknowledge them, and I for one will always believe in fairies. -
What does a fairy look like?
Fairies vary in size, some are of normal human size, or very
tiny, they have a multitude of hues also. Most fairies have various
human features. Some fairies including pixies, have great beauty.
Other fairies have ugly faces or deformed bodies like trolls. Many
fairies wear green or white clothing with red caps. Brownies usually wear brown cloaks and hoods.
Fairies, black, gray, green and white
Your moonshine revelers, and shades of night
{The Merry Wives of Windsor-William Shakespeare}
Fairies are hard to see because of their protective camouflage, generally termed 'glamour' and is often designed to deceive
mortals.
Faeries do not like to be seen by humans so the gaze of the observer must be steady for the little people will disappear in the blink of an eye. There are several days a year that are favorable times times for sighting a faery, they are May Day, Midsummer's Eve and Halloween. Faeries can be invisible to one person with invisible to another. There are times when they are working one can see them. There is a way to see faeries all the time its called "opened" of the eyes, one only needs to carry a four leafed clover on their person and if they come across a faery they will see it.
There is another way to see faeries and that is to apply faery ointment to the eyelids. However it is unwise to do this without the consent of the faeries, their punishment is harsh, for whoever applies this with without consent will be blinded.
Glamour....
Could make a ladye seem a knight,
A nutshell seem a gilded barge
A sheeling seem a palace large
And youth seem age and age seem youth
All was delusion, nought was truth.
(The Lay of the Last Minstrel - Reginald Scot)
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Originally posted by OCEANOS:
serious? just carry a four leave clover and can see faeries?? hmm... does 4 leave clover keychain counts??
Faeries do not like to be seen by humans so the gaze of the observer must be steady for the little people will disappear in the blink of an eye. There are several days a year that are favorable times times for sighting a faery, they are May Day, Midsummer's Eve and Halloween. Faeries can be invisible to one person with invisible to another. There are times when they are working one can see them. There is a way to see faeries all the time its called "opened" of the eyes, one only needs to carry a four leafed clover on their person and if they come across a faery they will see it.
me last time bought one real four leave clover for a fren.... but then dun think it helps in luck leh... hahaha -
Originally posted by coolger03:serious? just carry a four leave clover and can see faeries?? hmm... does 4 leave clover keychain counts??
me last time bought one real four leave clover for a fren.... but then dun think it helps in luck leh... hahaha
Merry Meet again coolger03,
You bought from Korea? Cast in resin & pewter cost around SGD 40 -70 rite? Well if they are Authentic...need to enchant them too as their energy is already encased in the Resin... Four leave Clover are really hard to find & Extremely Lucky if you found one...i can't seem to get one...sighz... The above are just Faery Lore...Ancient record...But again Faeries are fairly easy to see especially in areas of Greenery...Need not Four leave Clover at all if you are sensitive & observant...
Blessed Be,
Oceanos -
Originally posted by OCEANOS:
no! dun like korea... doubt will want to go there at all... bought from oz... was just a real leaf in the card... or i suppose it's real... hehe
[b]
Merry Meet again coolger03,
You bought from Korea? Cast in resin & pewter cost around SGD 40 -70 rite? Well if they are Authentic...need to enchant them too as their energy is already encased in the Resin... Four leave Clover are really hard to find & Extremely Lucky if you found one...i can't seem to get one...sighz... The above are just Faery Lore...Ancient record...But again Faeries are fairly easy to see especially in areas of Greenery...Need not Four leave Clover at all if you are sensitive & observant...
Blessed Be,
Oceanos[/b]
but my fren got buy the hp accessory from korea.. inbedded with the clover leaf one... hehe
hmm... but then i think even if i see, i also wun know that they are faeries leh...
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Merry Meet again coolger03,Originally posted by coolger03:no! dun like korea... doubt will want to go there at all... bought from oz... was just a real leaf in the card... or i suppose it's real... hehe
but my fren got buy the hp accessory from korea.. inbedded with the clover leaf one... hehe
hmm... but then i think even if i see, i also wun know that they are faeries leh...
i see! Well you will never know coz when they want you to see them...you will see them...Faeries are around us just some of us are not sensitive & observant to notice them...Some see them as sparks of light....balls of energy...Various Shapes & sizes that kinda resemble Humans... Anyway if you believe in Faeries, i am sure if you have affinity with these Earth elementals...you will see them...
Blessed Be,
Oceanos -
Flowers and Plants associated with Faeries Part 1 ~
Bluebell (Constancy and Kindness)
Bluebells are also known as wood hyacinths and as Cuckoo's Boots. Crowtoes and Endymion (after the woodland lover of Diana, the goddess of hunting). The Scottish name for the plant is Deadmen's Bells, for to hear the ring of a bluebell is to hear one's death knell. Fairies are summoned to their midnight revels by the ringing of these tiny flowers, which are reputed to be the most potent of all fairy flora. Legend has it that children who venture into bluebell glades will be held captive, while adults will be pixie-led, until met by another mortal and guided out.
Clover (Thoughtfulness)
Because fairies do not like to be seen by humans, they disappear in the blink of an eye, but some people believe that a four-leafed clover may prevent this and allow a mortal to see fairies in their invisible state. A four-leafed clover is famous for bringing luck and it gives a person the power to break fairy spells and see through their magic.
Cowslip (Grace and Pensiveness)
Cowslips are an invaluable fairy flower, for their blossoms provide shelter from the rain. Above tufts of wrinkled oval leaves, their tall stems sway with parasol-like clusters of fragrant, buttery yellow flowers, each one painted with five tiny red dots ("rubies, faerie favours," according to Shakespeare). In England they are known as the Culver's Keys, for their heads resemble a bunch of keys and these are said to hold the power to unlock the way to fairy treasure.
Forget-Me-Not (Love & Devotion)
Fairy flowers may be divided into those that belong to them and those that give protection from them. Forget-me-nots are one of the latter group and like the cowslip have the power to unlock secret treasures, often supposed to be guarded by fairies or sprites. The delicate forget-me-not has long been the emblem of love and remembrance.
Foxglove (Insincerity)
Foxgloves are universally reputed to be fairy plants and it is unlucky to pick them or bring them into your home, but you will please the fairy folk if you grow the tall foxglove in your garden. The flower derives its name from Little Folks-glove, since it is believed that the florets are worn by fairies, sometimes as bonnets, sometimes as gloves. The flower has many strange folk names, such as Fairy Weed, Dead Men's Bellows, Bloody Man's Fingers and Witch's Thimble. The poison in the plant causes drunkenness and frenzy. But in Irish belief, the juice of ten foxglove leaves will cure a fairy-struck child. The juice is also an ingredient used by witches in the potion that helps them to fly. The little flecks on the flowers are said to be the fairies' fingerprints.
Hawthorn (Hope)
Like all thorn trees, the hawthorn is a sacred meeting place for fairies. It also has a reputation for being both sacred and unlucky. Among its many folk names are Whitehorn and May Blossom and its red fruit has been called Pixie Pears, Cuckoo's Beads and Fairy Thorn. Some country people in Europe still associate hawthorn flowers with the smell of the Black Death. It may be for this reason, or because of other more ancient memories, that May Blossom is still considered unlucky to bring into the home. However, the hawthorn's powerful constituents have been used by herbalists for centuries as a cardiac tonic. The Druids also used these properties to strengthen the body in old age and their smiths used the wood to make the hottest fire-wood known. Many Native Americans used the fruit of the hawthorn to make a winter cake. They also used its long, sharp spines as probes, awls and fish hooks.
Hazel (Reconciliation & Peace)
From the earliest times trees have been believed to be the homes of spirits, but some trees are more sacred than others. One of the most magical is the hazel, held by the Druids to be the tree of wisdom and knowledge, poetry and fire, beauty and fecundity. A forked hazel twig is used for water divining, and some believe that it can also find gold. The hazel can offer protection from danger--a cap of hazel leaves and twigs ensures good luck and safety at sea, while a sprig of hazel will protect against lightning. According to ancient lore, the nuts from the hazel were dropped into the water to feed the sacred salmon of the Celts and these fish were then considered to be full of mystical knowledge. In England, the hazelnut has long been associated with fertility--a bag of nuts bestowed upon a bride will ensure a fruitful marriage! -
Flowers and Plants associated with Faeries Part 2 ~
Heather (Good Fortune)
Heather thrives on wide open windy moors, and so it has also become the symbol of solitude. Fairies who enjoy living undisturbed are said to feast on its stalks. Legend has it that a gift of white heather brings luck to both the giver and the receiver, whereas red heather is said to have been colored by heathens killed in battle by Christians. In ancient times the Danes brewed a powerful beer made from heather. And for centuries the heather flowers have also been a special beverage to the bee, which in return creates delightful heather honey!
Jasmine (Affection & Elegance)
The jasmine is a symbol of beauty in China and a sacred plant of India and Persia--Hindus call it the Moonlight of the Grove. The white jasmine is also sometimes known as the Star of Divine Hope and is associated with the purity of the Virgin Mary in Christianity. While the white jasmine is believed to symbolize deep affection, the yellow represents grace and elegance. According to folklore, to dream of jasmine means that a romance is blossoming.
Pansy (Joy and Remembrance)
Legend has it that Cupid brought color to the pansy with one of his arrows, and this flower is widely associated with love and the healing of an aching heart. The best-loved wild flowers accrue the most folk names and the pansy is certainly one of these! In addition to their most popular pseudonym of Heartsease, pansies have also been called Love-in-Idleness. Three Faces in a Hood, Tickle my Fancy, and Jack Behind the Garden Gate, as well as being the notorious, mischievous Leap up and Kiss Me. Bold-faced and multicolored, they flower blithely from spring to snowfall and are used by the fairies as a love potion.
Peach Blossom (Immortality)
The peach tree, also called the Tree of the Fairy Fruit, is presumed to have originated in China. Peaches are the symbol of immortality in China because the peach tree of the gods, which grew in the mythical gardens of Hsi Wang Mu, the Royal Lady of the West, was said to bloom only once in 3000 years, yielding the ripened fruits of eternal life.
Primrose (Youthfullness & Promise)
Primroses make the invisible visible and to eat them is said to be a sure way to see the fairies. According to folklore you should count the number you first see each springtime, and if there are thirteen or more, you will be lucky all year. If a nosegay holds less than thirteen, it must be protected by violets, or it is risky to take into church, or even into a house. If you lay a little posy upon your doorstep, fairies will cross your threshold as you sleep, to bless your home. In Ireland, primroses are scattered before the house door to ward off the fairies, who are not supposed to be able to pass them, while in Germany, the primrose is said to open hidden treasure boxes. Some believe that the way to fairyland can be opened by touching a fairy rock with proper number of primroses in a posy--but the wrong number opens the door to doom!
Rowan (Prudence)
If a rowan tree should take root in your garden, then your home and all who live there will be blessed, for the garden is under the special protection of the fairies, guarded against witchcraft and bad luck. For this reason the tree was traditionally planted around houses and in lonely places to deter evil spirits. The Celts believed that no witches or evil spirits could cross a door over which a branch of rowan had been nailed. In some legends, the rowan has also been called the whispering tree because it has secrets to tell to those who will listen. The fruit and the bark of the rowan have medicinal powers--there are many old remedies made from this tree. In Scotland, fires made from rowan wood were used to protect the cattle against evil fairy spirits, and it was believed that a "bewitched" horse could always be controlled by a rowan whip.
Silver Birch (Patience)
The silver birch is an emblem of everlasting summer that prevails in the spirit world. It is also the symbol of the festival of the first fruits known as Lammas-tide, when the goodness of Mother Earth is celebrated. May Day, Whitsuntide and Midsummer are also important days, for wearing a sprig of birch in your buttonhole will work as a love charm. And in winter, their stark beauty of the birch symbolizes the serenity of nature dormant and sleeping. Folklore says that garlands of silver birch by the front door keep demons away, but the spirit of the tree can inflict madness and death. The Native Americans used the bark of the silver birch to make the legendary birch-bark canoes, hence the name Canoe Birch. They also used strips of white birch to make their wigwams, as well as baskets, mattresses and even writing paper.
Toadstool (Magic & Temptation)
Countless folk tales and songs link fairies with toadstools whose sudden appearance and rapid growth have always intrigued people--seemingly caused by some inexplicable, supernatural force. Their unearthly shapes and colors (sometimes quite luminous) and their often hallucinogenic properties are thought to be a sure sign that they are the creation of fairies! The Fairy Ring Mushroom is the one which grows in a circular formation, marking the boundary of the fairies favorite dancing places. The enchanting timbre of the fairies' music and revelry can lure mortal passers-by inexorably into the ring for what may seem like minutes but is actually years, sometimes even forever!
White Lotus (Purity)
The white lotus flower was sacred in ancient Egypt, India, China and Tibet and is still regarded as a symbol of purity in those countries. In medieval Germany, peasants believed that lotus flowers were nymphs in disguise and ladies would carry the flower in their hand to counteract the effects of love potions. -
wonder if there is anyway to make friends with one...so that when u feel down n lonely can have someone to talk to....even if they r not human.....
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since some faeries live in e grassy areas....do we have to be extra careful when walking thru grassy patches???
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Well not all Fae folks are friendly...but most are...You can try but if you do have affinity with them...you might just find a new friend or two...heheheOriginally posted by harryryan:wonder if there is anyway to make friends with one...so that when u feel down n lonely can have someone to talk to....even if they r not human.....
Blessed Be,
Oceanos -
Originally posted by harryryan:since some faeries live in e grassy areas....do we have to be extra careful when walking thru grassy patches???
Well Faeries are really Bright & Mischievious Spirits...What do you think? Well if you ever anger a faery...things might go wrong...you may get lost somewhere or lose a few of your personal things...thay are real prankster at times...this is if its a minor case of displeasure...hahaha
Yah be careful do not kill the Grass...kakaka
Blessed be,
Oceanos -
Originally posted by OCEANOS:
anyway we can try n make contact???
[b]Well not all Fae folks are friendly...but most are...You can try but if you do have affinity with them...you might just find a new friend or two...hehehe
Blessed Be,
Oceanos[/b] -
Merry Meet again,Originally posted by harryryan:anyway we can try n make contact???
Well you can invite them by making an offerings to them...again they might not come....Attend my "Meet your Faery Guide Workshop" chances of getting a Guide is higher thats for Sure...Don't think they will answer your Call at all....hahaha
Blessed Be,
Oceanos -
There is much myth and legend from all over the world about what really are Fairies (or the Fae, Fey, Faeries etc...). There are many stories about fair folk, from the myth of the Norse Goddess Freyja, to the Stregheria tradition, to Middle Ages belief about the wee folk stealing the children. No matter what their origin, we now think of fairies as cute or beautiful winged creature that can bestow great fortune upon their beholder. There are several types of fairies in traditional law. For example, brownies, buccas, and pixies live in England; goblins in France; kobolds and nixes in Germany; and elves and trolls in the Scandinavian countries Hawaiian folklore includes stories about dwarfs called Menehune, who work at night. Japanese folk stories tell of a water demon known as the kappa. All Fairies are known for they magickal powers and will use them for good or for ill, especially if a human has caused them harm or misfortune, a fairy will not hesitate to perform ill magick their direction.
The most popular belief about faires was that they were pre-Celtic peoples living the British Isle, France and Germany. They were dark-skinned folk, smaller and more lithe than their successors. As civilisation arose, they mingled in with the 'civil' people, eventually become more and more like the Celts. Another famous belief is that the Fae are old Pagan Gods, reduced in stature as the new one became more popular. An example of this is the Queen of Elphame, who might have once been worshipped as the great Goddess.
It is sometimes thought of that Fairies are beings waiting to be incarnated as humans, and that humans are waiting to become faires, which suggests that we all become fairies when we die. It is my own personal belief that some fairies are nature spirits, the 'life blood' if you will, of the plant kingdom. Others may be souls, and other, complete and seperate entities that we may learn from and who can learn from us. But I do believe that the fairies come out on the four Greater Sabbats - Samhain, Imbolc, Beltaine and Lammas. These may it be the original 'children of the Goddess', the creature created by the great Mother Goddess as handmaidens to Her temples.
Fairies have long been associated with the Witches in Italy. In Sicily, it is often hard to tell the difference between fairies and witches. During the Spanish Inquisition in Sicily, a fairy sect known as Donna di Fuora was documented, which was said to have both fairies and humans as members. The sect as divided into groups called companies, and each company had either seven or nine members, with only one man allowed in each company. Each company was headed by a woman, called The Queen of the Fairies. The fairy queen had titles such as La Matrona, La Maestra, or Donna Zabella, and recorded names of the companies included Company of the Poor, Company of Palermo, the Company of Table and Distaff, the Company of the Mother and the Company of Ragusa. The purpose of Donna di Fuora was to serve in the community as healers, and as mediators between the humans and fairies. The Donna di Fuora were also claimed to attend ceremonies beneath the walnut tree in Benevento (the walnut tree is a sacred tree in the the Italian tradition).
~*~Goddess Freyja~*~
The Myth of Freyja tells us of the Goddess Freyja, who was adept in magickal arts and brought the art of spellcraft to the Norse Gods when she arrived at Asgard. She travelled between the worlds on a chariot pulled by two cats. These cats would help her go to the otherworlds...spirit, human, God. She was said to be very friendly with the Elves (another form of fae), and her twin brother and lover, Frey, was said to be the King of the Elves. This could quite possibly mean that Freyja herself was the Queen of the Elves, but there is no suggestion to say that she was. -
~ Puck~
Not all fairies are good and sweet. Just like humans there are some really nasty, ugly ones out there. For example, Puck, the naughty, mischief fairy of A Midsummer Night's Dream has been taken from ancient stories of the naughty little fairy that would trick humans for fun. Puck had been taken from the legends of Pooka of Ireland, Pwca of Wales, and Robin Goodfellow of England. Indeed, in old Medieval legend, it is believed that fairies were dangerous, and that if a human child was abducted by one, it would be replaced by a 'changeling'; an ugly fairy baby. If the Mother who's child was adopted threatens to burn the changeling, it may leave and give back the woman's own child. "A number of beliefs and stories about fairies have been popular for hundreds of years. For example, many children believe that the sandman comes each night and puts "sleepy dust" in their eyes to help them sleep. The tooth fairy replaces a lost tooth that has been placed under a pillow or in a glass of water with some money, while the youngster is asleep. The bogeyman, an evil fairy, kidnaps boys and girls who leave home without permission. The bogey beast, also called the bug-a-boo, carries off children who have been naughty."
~*~ChAnGeLinG~*~ -
~*~Fairy Lore~*~
The Banshee
One of the most popular of the Irish myths to escape our fair shores, along with the Leprechaun, has been the banshee. The word is a corruption of the Irish Bean Sidhe, which simply means "fairy woman". As told in legend, the banshee takes a few different forms. She can appear as a beautiful young woman dressed in rags or a hag. Her hair may be white or green, and her eyes are sometimes blazing red. Often, she is seen to keen (lament) at a stream while washing or fulling clothes, and this gives us some alternative names for her; the Scots Gaels call her the Bean Nighe, or washer woman, and this version of the name is also popular in the east of Ulster. She can also be referred to as the "little washer by the ford" or just the "fairy washer".
If, on close inspection, the clothes turn out to belong to you, then my sincere condolences, and may you rest in peace. The banshee is a harbinger; a messenger that death is coming. Depending on where you are in the country, there are different rules governing exactly how. In some parts, the Banshee's wail is heard by members of the family of the soon-to-be deceased, but not by the unfortunate one themselves. In other parts of the land the doomed person is the one who hears the cry, and there are even some Banshee's who are thought to kill the first person they lay eyes on while on the prowl. They're usually the red-eyed screaming skeletal hag variety, so unless you're looking for trouble try and avoid ladies matching that description. But the appearance of a Banshee, or the sound of her voice, always means just one thing...doom! (Dan dan DAAANNNNNN!!!!!!)
Usually, Banshees attach themselves to certain families, and are regarded as the guardians of the souls of that family. Often, they're thought to be the restless spirits of family women who died in childbirth, and have stayed on to try to look after the clan as best they can. Some of these families include the O' Briens, the MacCarthy More's, the Rossmores, and the O' Driscolls.
One of the most famous banshees is resident near Stradbally, in Co. Laois, also famous for its flower festival. Laois, as a matter of fact, has more than its fair share of ghouls and goblins and long-leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night, but the Stradbally Banshee is the most active. She was last heard by the villagers (all of them) 70 years ago, and the noise was reportedly like a hare being killed by a hound. It's interesting to note that nobody looked to see if, by any chance, a hare had fallen foul of a hound, but there you go. That's Irish logic for you. "That sounds like a hare being killed by a hound!" "It must be the Banshee so!" "Oh good Lord! Indoors quick! Rex, put that thing down and come to heel boy, there's a good dog." (are you suggesting a link between banshees and coursing? - ed.)
Near to Stradbally stands the Rock of Dunamase, surmounted by a ruined castle that was known to the ancient Greeks and included by Ptolemy in his famous world map of 140 A.D. As befits its age and spooky nature, there's a Banshee here too, as well as one of the more terrifying but lesser known Irish ghouls, a hell-hound (watch out for hellhound.com, coming soon - ed.). The hound is a huge mastiff called Bandog, jet black in and with flaming breath. (Makes sense. Have you ever smelled a dogs breath?! Listerine, please...) He is there to guard the treasure buried at the heart of the hill and so far he's been successful. Nobody's ever found it.
A cave at Clopook is home to a spirit type known as a "boneless"; a cloudy malevolent being who slithers around sucking the life out of men's bones. The caves at Luggacurren are host to musical spirits, whose tunes can be heard from time to time. So's the holidayhound office, actually, but we try not to boast about it
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The Banshee
The Banshee was a fairy-woman who traditionally was a portend of death for certain families of Celtic descent. She appeared as a either a small shriveled old woman or else as a beautiful maiden with long flaxen hair which she constantly combed while keening loudly in an otherworldly voice. She is always seen alone and in a melancholy mood when found near the doomed person's home. Some people believed that the banshee was a ghost of a person who had suffered violence from some member of the family. She repeats her keen from a particular place while announcing the approach of death to his descendants.
Others believe that she is a friendly spirit offering forewarning and guidance to the family. However it is not certain whether she is a friend or an enemy to the chosen family to whom her warning is conveyed. Her cry often comes from a spring, river or lake with which her name is connected.
The word Banshee comes from the Gaelic - Bean Sidhe - Fairy Woman/ Woman of the Mounds. -
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Omg Ah Ma is a Banshee....Originally posted by Ah Ma: 
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Changelings
The Gaelic peasantry believed that certain otherworldly creatures kidnapped some of their new-born babies particularly those of good appearance and exchanged them with an old, emaciated, decrepit and ugly fairy creature who was known as a changeling.
The abducted children were not assumed dead but living in a timeless fairy place exiled from the mortal realm. Sometimes a lactating woman was also abducted to suckle these kidnapped mortals and sometimes to suckle fairy babies.
Sometimes the changeling would procure a musical instrument such as a fiddle and play it wildly; forcing everyone in the house to dance against their will until exhaustion set in.
The changeling was an unwelcome addition to any household and an attempt was always made at ejecting him, one method was to throw him across a fire, he would then vanish up the chimney cursing all those he'd left behind.