• It is said that some fairies eat rowan berries. Indeed, rowan berries were also said to have been the food of the Tuatha De Danann by some accounts (McNeill, 1956).
• Several types of fairies appear to either be fond of barley or to grow it as their own crop, and to eat it. Milk is also widely reported to be consumed by fairies, not only cow’s milk, but also goat’s milk and the milk of deer (Briggs, 1976). This widespread love of grain and milk is particularly interesting in folk belief as it echoes much older myth from the De Gabail in t-Sida where the Tuatha De Danann retreat into the sí (fairy hills) and cause all the crops to fail and cows to go dry until an agreement is reached whereby they will be given a portion of each harvest, specifically ‘ith’ (grain) and ‘blicht’ (milk).
To summarize, milk was often mentioned, as were grains, which would seem to be prepared in ways similar to humans; most sources including Briggs and Campbell refer to the fairies’ use of grains ground into meal, for example. Baking is mentioned, as is cooking more generally, and when fairy feasts are mentioned, barring the more macabre ones, they seem to be filled with the same dishes humans would eat. Besides an emphasis, perhaps, on dairy and baked goods, generally fairies seem to eat much the same foods humans do, although certain types of fairies are more specific in their diets and some of course eat things we would not. While they are often noted to take the essence from foods they are also equally often said to eat the food itself, so both seem equally possible.
Colors and Clothing
There are several colors that have come to be associated with the Good Neighbors over time. Generally they are related to us through descriptions of clothing and of animals, although by far the most detail can be gleaned by looking at clothing descriptions. The clothing itself, when described in stories, is usually similar to that of the people living in the area, although sometimes a bit out of date in style (Briggs, 1976; Yeats, 1893; Kirk, 1891). The colors may be interpreted as symbolic or simply as representing widespread preferences by the Fair Folk.
Green
Green is probably the most well known of fairy colors. Several euphemisms for the fairies in different areas are based on the color green including Greenies and Greencoaties (Briggs, 1976). In some places, like parts of Scotland, it is so strongly associated with the fairies that it is considered unlucky for women in particular to wear green (Briggs, 1976). In the ballad of Alice Brand the couple in the story anger the Fairy King by wearing green, which he calls ‘the fairies’ fatal green’ (Acland, 1997). The Cu Síth of Scotland are said to have green fur. In many traditional descriptions fairies are described as wearing green; often they are said to wear green clothes and red hats, especially the Trooping fairies (Lysaght, 1991; Gwyndaf, 1991; Briggs, 1976). In other sources they are simply said to wear red and green (Bruford, 1991; Ballard, 1991; Evans-Wentz, 1911). In many cases green is said to be the primary color worn along with a touch of red, for example a fairy lady might wear a green dress with red slippers or a fairy man might wear a green outfit with a red feather in his hat (Briggs, 1976). In other descriptions given of fairies in folklore and anecdotes they are seen wearing green only (Evans-Wentz, 1911). In many descriptions of the Queen of Fairy, such as we see for example in Thomas the Rhymer, she is described as dressed richly and in green. Briggs relates green to the color of death in Celtic folklore (Briggs, 1976, p109). In contrast, however, Evans-Wentz suggests green is associated with renewal, rebirth, and immortality (Evans-Wents, 1911). The truth may be somewhere between the two, with the color having layered symbolism of death, life, and immortality.
Red
Red has long been associated with the Otherworld and with Otherworldly beings in Irish mythology and in fairylore. In Irish mythology when a figure appears who is described as ‘red’ or wearing all red they are almost invariably Otherworldly in nature, something we see in Togail Bruidne Dá Derga as well as the Táin Bó Regamna. Red in Irish mythology is a color associated with blood and more generally with death by violence; in the Tain Bo Cuiligne we can see an example of this in the prophecy given by Fedelm to Medb where the words forderg (very red) and ruad (red) are used figuratively to indicate blood and bloodstains. Red hats are associated with fairies, not only the eponymously named Red Caps who dye their caps in blood, but many others as well. In folklore fairies are sometimes described as wearing green clothing and red hats (Lysaght, 1991). They may also appear dressed entirely in red, although this could be considered a bad omen, relating to an anecdotal tale of a red clad fairy who would appear at births to foretell the baby’s death (Ballard, 1991). As well, a woman who saw the fairies in Newfoundland and was hit by elfshot from them, saw them dressed all in red (Rieti, 1991). Although this may indicate that red clad fairies are generally more dangerous, as with most things fairy related, it is not a firm indication. Leprechauns, Cluricauns, and the Fir Darig were traditionally known to wear red clothes, and they could be either harmful or lucky depending on circumstances and how the person interacted with them (Briggs, 1976).
White
In one Shetland account the fairies appeared as two opposing forces, one wearing white the other black (Bruford, 1991). A variety of fairies were known to wear white in particular and these included the Silkies (a type of English Brownie), the White Ladies, and the Tylwyth Teg (Briggs, 1976). Yeats related a tale of two boys who saw a white-clad figure circling a bush (Yeats, 1892). Isobel Gowdie described the Queen of Elfhame as wearing white as well. Many fairy animals are described as being white with red ears, and this includes cows, deer, and dogs. In Old Irish white was a color that among other things was associated with corpses of the battle dead, which were described as bloodless. It was also said in some folklore that fairies had white blood, which was sometimes found on the ground after they had fought.
Grey
The Trows of Orkney are noted to wear grey (Bruford, 1991). So strong is this association that one of the euphemisms used for the Trows is ‘the Grey Neighbors’ (Briggs, 1976). In addition a variety of stories, including one recounted by Yeats in Celtic Twilight, describe a fairy appearing clad in a grey cloak (Yeats, 1892; Briggs, 1976). One famous fairy horse in Irish mythology was the Liath Macha or ‘Macha’s Grey’ who appeared out of a sí and returned there after being mortally wounded. Grey is another color whose ultimate symbolism may relate back to death.
Black
Black is generally speaking an ill-omened color. To see a fairy wearing black was an omen of death, although not necessarily for the person seeing it (Ballard, 1991). A variety of fairy dogs and hounds are described as black in color, and these are usually, although not always, death omens. Black Dogs are large and shaggy with flaming eyes, and in stories might be helpful or could be dangerous (Briggs, 1976). The Cat Sidhe are said to be black with a white spot on the chest.
Blue
Manx fairies are described wearing blue, usually with red (Briggs, 1976). There was also a sighting of a fairy market at Blackdown where the fairies seen were noted to be wearing both the usual red and green as well as blue (Briggs, 1976). There is a type of Hobgoblin in Somerset, called ‘Blue Burches’ who was known to wear blue pants from which he got his name and similarly a fairy called ‘Blue Bonnet’ who was known to wear a blue hat and worked in mines (Briggs, 1976).
Multicolors
There are also several sources that mention fairies wearing many colors, in the sense of a crowd of the Other Folk all arrayed in different colors, as well as wearing plaids or tartans. One Welsh account of two brothers describes them seeing an assortment of smaller fairies dancing wearing many different colors (Gwyndaf, 1991). Scottish accounts going back to the 17th century describe some Highland fairies wearing plaids and this seems to be true into the modern period as well (Kirk, 1891; Briggs, 1976). We should not, therefore, assume that because certain colors are prevalent that they are necessarily restricted to these.
It’s also worth considering that while these colors are likely still powerful and significant to the Good People, were one to see them
today they would most likely be dressed in fairly modern attire. Although they are occasionally seen in archaic dress they are more usually seen in clothes that are either slightly out of date or contemporary and, as the Rev. Kirk, Yeats, and Briggs all noted, usually in the styles of the same region they are appearing in.
Fairy Morality
The ethics of Fairy are often sharply at odds from human ones and this is a key thing to grasp when trying to learn about fairies and understand their actions. We cannot measure their actions by our own expectations, or we will consistently be baffled and often appalled by what they do. We will also put ourselves in danger if we act based on our own morals or human etiquette without realizing that fairy expectations are so foreign from ours.
The Good Neighbors are private beings and this is seen in a variety of ways, but one sure method of angering them is to violate that privacy or to speak too openly about experiences you have with them. There are some who say that the Rev. Robert Kirk, who wrote about the Good People of Scotland in the 17th century, was ultimately taken by them for his writing. In the widespread stories found in most Celtic countries where a midwife is borrowed by a man of the fairies to help his wife in childbirth, when she is able to see and identify him later – because she accidently touches one of her eyes with a special ointment which grants sight of the unseen – he either puts out the eye she sees him with or blinds her entirely. In some cases a person who was taken into Fairy for a relatively short amount of time, usually a year, who speaks too much is punished by being barred from ever returning there (Briggs, 1976). It was generally understood that even if you heard fairy music or the noise of Themselves passing by you should not look around to try to see them or you’d be punished for it (Ballard, 1991). Katherine Briggs outlines three basic tenets of fairy privacy, that is that they dislike being watched, don’t want people trespassing on their land, and don’t want people they show favor to bragging about or even in most cases talking about the good things they receive from the fairies (Briggs, 1976).
Those who steal from the Other Crowd do so at great peril, although the reverse does not hold true as the Fey Folk are well known for taking from mortals, especially milk, food, and people. Herein lies another valuable lesson in dealing with Themselves: do not think that imitating their own behavior will gain you anything, but understand that there are different rules for fairies and mortals. Those who have the ability to see the fey often catch them in the act of taking milk from cows or stealing in human markets, and if they know they are being seen they tend to retaliate against the viewer (Briggs, 1976). Fairy theft is not limited to the Unseelie Court either, or the fairies that more clearly mean us harm, but is a pastime of all the fey including the ones who are usually considered magnanimous towards us. One theory holds that fairies can only take something if the rightful owner has spoken ill of it, been stingy, or if the item is ill-gotten (Campbell, 1900). This may be true in some cases, but certainly not in others; in fact the reverse is true of some stories of changelings in which it is believed that complimenting a baby’s good nature or beauty opens them to abduction by drawing the fairies’ attention to the child.
In another example of fairy morality being different between fairies and mortals, while fairies have no compunctions about stealing from mortals they are extremely quick to punish those among their own number who steal from other fairies. As Katherine Briggs describes it, even the good fairies adhere to a motto of: ‘All that’s yours is mine, all that’s mine is my own,’ when it comes to mortals, but apply a much stricter sense of fair play among themselves (Briggs, 1976, p. 154). For example, there is at least one story of a young Trow boy who was banished from Fairy for stealing from other Trows, a banishment that appeared to be permanent.
Oddly although fairies willingly steal from humans they also sometimes borrow from people with proper manners, asking permission first and promising repayment, although the repayment is not always in kind and can be for a greater value than what was borrowed (Briggs, 1976). It is also possible to borrow safely from the Fey Folk, if a person is polite in the asking and scrupulous in the repayment. In one anecdotal story, a farmer who had suffered several reversals of fortune went out one day to a place where it was known that a man who had been taken by the fairies frequently appeared and asked him for a loan from the fairies of what to plant; the loan was given with the agreement that the exact same amount would be given back on the same day a year later (MacNeill, 1962). Such debts are safe enough to undertake as long as they are repaid on time.
The Good Neighbors are always strictly honest with their words and they expect the same from the humans they deal with. No fairy will say anything that is not strictly true nor will they break a promise (Briggs, 1967). Lying to any member of Fairy is rarely a good idea, as is breaking your word with them. Even the worst of what we would call the Unseelie will not lie, although they can easily twist the truth around so far that their words are taken to mean something else entirely. Semantics is an art form among the fairies. In this way talking to the Fey Folk requires a very different mindset than talking to a human being, because while we may assume a human is lying and look for the dishonesty in their words we will be caught in the trap that the fairies weave with the truth of their words.
Fairies also have a very different view of indulgence than many human cultures do, and this view applies to a variety of areas. It would be fair to say that fairies embrace a much more hedonistic attitude than most human societies and religions, which can also confuse people who find it difficult to reconcile the fairies’ embracing sexual and personal freedoms with policies of strict honesty and adherence to oaths. To understand this aspect of Fairy we must understand that fairies are ultimately beings who embrace orderliness and generosity above all things, but they are also, as Yeats puts it, beings of ‘unmixed emotions’. They love completely and hate completely, without any reservation. They expect their own laws to be followed even if a person is ignorant of them, yet they disregard human law as inconsequential and are as likely to favor a person who is seen as respectable in human society as one who has a reputation for law-breaking. For example there is one story of a man who made whiskey for a living and was favored by the fairies; they taught him an herbal cure for eczema and acted to save him when he set out on an ill-fated meeting with the Devil one night (Briggs, 1967). They are also known to favor illicit lovers and to have no compunction against engaging in such affairs with mortals themselves. As with all dealings with fairies, however, one must be cautious to keep any oaths made to them and to keep their secrets, or risk losing their favor. Their reputation for sexual lasciviousness was so well known that hundreds of years ago a human woman who was sexually loose in defiance of social norms was called a fairy, an idea that later shifted to homosexuals (Briggs, 1976).
There are also some general characteristics that fairies prefer in both people and, it seems, themselves. These include generosity, politeness, cleanliness, and cheerfulness (Briggs, 1976). Although fairies can be jealous of what they have and of their places they are also known to be generous to those they favor. Good manners are often the key to fairy amity and rudeness a quick route to punishment. A good illustration of this is seen in the story of Lusmore, where the protagonist is polite and helpful to the fairies he encounters and is healed of a deformity, while another seeking to repeat his feat acts rudely and brashly and is deformed even more in punishment (Yeats, 1888). Cleanliness is another factor that fairies often look for and appreciate, and with a few select exceptions embody themselves. Fairies also prefer people who have happy hearts and merry dispositions, generally speaking, although some do feed on our negative emotions.
The Good People are quick to both reward those who please them and punish those who offend them. There are stories of rewards given by the Good People such as gold that turns into leaves or gingerbread at dawn, but in many other tales the rewards they give are tangible and remain. These can include actual wealth as well as health and good luck, and in som
e cases knowledge or even a magical object or charm. Punishments, however, are usually harsh and can include years of illness, painful physical maladies, madness, ill luck, and death.
Fairies and the Dead
The relationship and connection between the fairies and the dead is a complex one, and likely always has been. The human dead aren’t fairies, except when they are. Fairies aren’t the human dead, except when they might be. The places of the dead belong to the dead, except when those places are fairy mounds, like the Neolithic tumuli. Even the Slua Sí, whose name means ‘Fairy Host’ is sometimes said to consist of the spirits of human dead, as in some cases does the Wild Hunt, making it hard to draw any clear lines between the groups. In a very general sense we can say that human ghosts are not the same as fairies, but fairies can include people who were once human. The key difference may be, as we shall see, is how exactly the human came to join the fey.
There is an old Celtic belief, recorded by the Greeks and Romans, which hints at the idea of rebirth or reincarnation, that a person born in our world was dying in the Other World and a person who died in this world was born in the Other World. This idea, perhaps, explains the reason that fairies who wed mortal men were known to cry at births and laugh at funerals. It may also explain in some way why the Irish name for the Other World, an Saol Eile, literally means ‘the Other Life’. It is not just another world in the sense of being a place, but it is also another life, another type of existence.
There is some suggestion that the initial depiction around the 16th century of fairies as small beings was actually related to the connection between fairies and the dead and the belief that human souls were small in appearance when separated from the physical body (Briggs, 1976). In turn this idea may reflects a related idea, that the soul was separate from the body and could leave it at times, either temporarily or permanently. We see this in the folktales were a person is taken by the fairies, but their dead body is left behind and in anecdotes where a person goes into a trancelike state while their spirit is off with the fairies. The idea that the soul can be separated from the body and once separate has a reality and substance that can even be injured is an old one seen in multiple sources (Walsh, 2002). It may be difficult for us to grasp the idea of a soul as a tangible, physical thing when our modern culture tends to prefer the idea of souls as insubstantial and ephemeral, but it’s clear that the older belief gave the soul substance.
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