The Aos Sí can bless or harm people, more strongly perhaps than other fairies, and a main motivation for keeping on their good side is to receive the blessings and avoid the ill luck. Fairies are reputed to give gifts, but these gifts too can be either a blessing or curse, as they might result in prosperity or luck, or they could be illusions that would turn to leaves or grass at dawn. When angered the Aos Sí can cause madness, illnesses, or death, as well as making a person’s luck go all bad. Elfshot, a sudden pain, cramp, or stitch caused by an invisible fairy arrow shot into the body, is another well-known fairy illness caused by angered Aos Sí. In many cases it was also believed that elfshot was a power given to witches, which they learned from the fairies – indeed many Irish and Scottish witches were thought to have learned both malediction and healing from the Fair Folk with whom they dealt (Hall, 2005). In contrast though those who were considered friends of the Aos Sí might be taught things like healing and magic, or a musician might be given great skill, or a person may be favored in other ways with special knowledge or gifts (O hOgain, 2006). The Aos Sí might appear as a stranger at the door seeking to borrow something or needing milk or a coal from the fire, alone in a field or wood, or might be encountered on the road; those brave enough to seek them out might choose to sleep on a fairy mound, knowing that the result could either be a blessing or madness.
Baobhan Síth
A Scottish fairy whose name means ‘wicked female fairy’ in Gaidhlig, the Baobhan Síth is a dangerous spirit that preys on men. They are blood-drinking spirits, but like other fairies are warded off by iron. A story tells of four men out hunting who camped for the night and were joined by four Baobhan Síth; three were enamored of the fairies and fell prey to them, but the fourth fled and hid among the horses until the fairy trying to seize him fled when the sun rose (Briggs, 1976). By some accounts the Baobhan Síth drain all of their victim’s blood while another story claimed they also took their hearts.
Bean Sí (Banshee) and Bean Nighe
There are two closely related types of fairy women found in tradition that are often confused with each other in modern lore, the Bean Sí (Fairy Woman) and Bean Nighe (Washer Woman).
The Bean Sí is a female spirit who is known for attaching herself to a particular family and appearing whenever someone in that family is about to die. In one account a Bean Sí attached to a family near Lough Gur came when a woman of the family was dying and both of the woman’s sisters heard sad fairy music playing (Evans-Wentz, 1911). In other stories the Bean Sí may appear on the night of a death wailing or keening in mourning. The Bean Sí has been described as a grey figure or a woman wrapped in a grey cloak, and it is said that only those in the family she is attached to can hear her cry (Ballard, 1991). Others say that the Bean Sí wears white and has long golden hair (Logan, 1981). She brushes her hair with a special comb and it is considered very dangerous even today to pick up a stray comb you find laying on the ground, in case it belongs to the Fairy Woman.
The Bean Nighe appears in bodies of water, most often streams or rivers, washing the clothes or equipment of those about to die. She dresses in green and may have red webbed feet, and will attack anyone who interrupts her at her work (Briggs, 1976). She is a fearsome fairy, an omen of death, but can sometimes be dealt with bravely and if handled properly a person can benefit from seeing her. Those who catch her unawares away from the water and can block her return to the stream earn three wishes, and the truly brave who manage to grab her and nurse from her breast will gain her favor as her foster-child (Briggs, 1976).
Both the Bean Sí and Bean Nighe are sometimes said to be the spirits of mortal women who died in childbirth and remain as fairies until the time they would have died naturally (Briggs, 1976). Other theories trace them back to the war Goddess Badb. It is possible that like so many other kinds of fairies the answer to their origin isn’t one or the other, but a combination, with these fairies being made up of some who are mortal dead and others who have always been fairies and may be related to Badb of the Tuatha De Danann.
Bogles
In most cases Bogles are viewed as malicious and dangerous creatures. However, in some areas they have a more benevolent nature. Seen as a particularly evil kind of Goblin generally, in some areas of Lowland Scotland Bogles were thought to only attack murderers, oath breakers, and those who stole from widows (Briggs, 1976). The name Bogle is related to words for both scarecrow and demon (Williams, 1991). In these cases the name relates directly back to the idea that this fairy has a dangerous and frightening nature
Brownies
Brownies can be found in several various forms under different names including Bwcas, Bodachs, or Fendorees, and, in specific cases malicious Boggarts. The name Brownie has no non-English equivalent and may derive from the longer name ‘little brown man’ (MacKillop, 1998). The Brownie, like so many others discussed here, is as much a type of fairy as a specific fairy being, so that one could say that a Fendoree is a kind of Brownie, and that Boggarts may or may not be considered Brownies depending on the area and the specific folklore. They are one of the few faeries who are specific to human habitations, preferring to live in human homes or sometimes in mills or farms, although they are also often associated with bodies of water, especially ponds (Briggs, 1976). The Brownie will adopt a specific home, coming out unseen in the quiet night hours to clean and organize the home for its human owners.
As the name implies, Brownies are an overall nut brown color, usually appearing as a small, wrinkled brown man dressed in rags (Briggs, 1976). According to Scottish legend Highland Brownies have no fingers or toes, whereas Lowland Brownies have no noses. Since most stories of Brownies involve the noseless ones it would seem that the Lowland are the more commonly seen. In the few cases were females have been seen or appeared in tales they are virtually indistinguishable from the males, but they do seem to be very protective. For example, there is one story of a Brownie who falls in love with a mortal girl and kidnaps her, and in the course of her escape he is grievously injured. His mother wants to hunt the girl down and avenge her son and only the girl’s cleverness saves her. In another similar story a girl grinding in a mill at night encountered a Brownie who frightened her and she spilled boiling water on him, killing him and earning the wrath of his wife (Briggs, 1976).
Most tales about Brownies revolve around their place in the human home and what needs to done to keep them happy, as well as what should be avoided. An industrious Brownie expects a bowl of cream and a good cake or loaf of bread to be left out once a week, in appreciation for his hard work (Briggs, 1976). It is important never to thank him aloud or to leave the milk or food out for him as a gift. Rather it must be left out, as Henderson in Folklore of the Northern Counties says: ‘The housewife will prepare these and lay them out carefully where he may find them by chance.’ (Briggs, 1976, p46). A variety of reasons are offered for this, from the Brownie being bound to serve until he is rewarded with intentional payment to the belief that a Brownie is offended by any implication that he is serving humankind (Briggs, 1976). So should one find a Brownie in one’s household it is important to keep it happy by giving it milk and cakes, but be careful not to make an actual offering of them.
The worst thing a person whose house boasts a Brownie can do is leave out a set of new clothes for it. Many a story features a well-meaning homeowner who, on seeing the Brownie’s ragged clothes, thought to thank him by making a new, fine shirt and pair of pants, which invariable has one of two results. If they’re lucky the Brownie snatches up the clothes, dances merrily singing: ‘New clothes, new clothes, now I work no more,’ and disappears never to be seen again. If they’re not lucky the Brownie turns Boggart and goes on a rampage, destroying everything in sight before storming out.
Brownies not only do housework, but also help out in mills and farms, helping to bring in the crops and to tend the farm animals. The same rules apply whether the Brownie is in a home or a farm: they expect some food and milk weekly and receiving clothing
will either drive them off or offend them so that they become malicious. Additionally farm Brownies are known to become destructive if they are verbally insulted, especially if the quality of their work is questioned (Briggs, 1976).
Although Brownies have an overall good reputation in modern lore as helpful beings who are desirable to have around, in older folklore they were viewed somewhat more ambivalently. While he might be beloved in his chosen home, the Brownie was often feared by those he had no attachment to and his habit of destroying crops and property when angered was reason enough for people to be cautious around him (Briggs, 1976).
Corrigans
A type of fairy found in Brittany that is less of a specific kind of being so much as a general category of beings is the Corrigan. They might be loosely compared to the generic English idea of elves as small, mischievous creatures. Corrigans are social fairies who live in groups and enjoy dancing; where they dance mushroom rings are said to appear (Evans-Wentz, 1911). They wear white exclusively and are the size of young children, but look like an adult in miniature. Corrigans can be very cruel to humans in their power and they are usually less inclined to aid people, but are not always hostile towards them and will sometimes help around homes or farms (Evans-Wentz, 1911). They are nocturnal fairies and only emerge at dusk and during the night-time. In most ways they are exactly like all other Celtic fairies: they are known to steal human children, to punish those who spy on them or repeat their secrets, and to reward those who please them.
Elves
Another term that is found now throughout English-language folklore, but that causes a great deal of confusion, is ‘Elf’. This confusion is likely rooted in the fact that Elf, like Goblin and fairy itself, was originally a generic term used for a type of being, rather than a specific being in itself. Looking at the etymology of the word we see that it traces back to Old English and Anglo-Saxon (as alf) and eventually to proto-Germanic ‘albiz’ and eventually back to Proto-Indo-European ‘albho’ where it possibly meant white (Harper, 2017). In its Old English and Germanic forms it was translated as ‘Sprite, fairy, Goblin, Incubus’ demonstrating the range of associations applied to it (Douglas, 2017). Looking at older stories and folklore we find that Elf, Goblin, and fairy may be used interchangeably although Elf and Goblin could have darker connotations, with Goblins being seen as more dangerous than Elves. Also, like the word fairy, the word Elf had a reputation for angering them when used in addressing them (Briggs, 1976).
The word Elf was borrowed into British and eventually Celtic folklore from Germanic and Anglo-Saxon influence, but found a strong place in them once there. The term never entirely lost its generic connotations in English although it came to be applied to several specific beings and the folklore around them remains heavily influenced by their Germanic roots. We see it today applied in modern folklore to beings like Santa’s Elves who are envisioned as small, childlike, but industrious, magical, and generally benign.
The English view of Elves as tiny laborers is vastly at odds with the traditional Norse view of the Alfar as tall, beautiful, and powerful beings. If you are familiar with Tolkein’s Elves then you have some idea of the older view of the Alfar. This view was shared in Scotland, which had a lot of Norse influence, where the word Elf was used for both the beings and their home, Elfhame, and Elves were seen as much like the Norse Alfar in physical description (Briggs, 1976).
In Anglo-Saxon material Elves are described as invisible or hard to see creatures who could cause wounds or illness and were even able to possess people, linking them in Christian thought with demons (Hall, 2007). They are also clearly ranked as spirits below the Gods, who are referenced as the ‘Aesir’ in these sources, but Elves still had power over humans. These Elves were believed to live mostly in wild places and their penchant for attacking people and causing illness earned them the label of evil. As with all fairies, however, this view was only one extreme within a spectrum and the body of lore overall was more nuanced, with some Elves in stories acting benevolently.
The Fairy Fool
The Fairy Fool is known by two different names in Irish each of which has a different character. The Amadán na Bruidhne (Fool of the Otherworldy Hall) is a greatly feared fairy, who is most active in June and whose touch brings madness, paralysis, or death to those whose paths he crosses (MacKillop, 1998). It is said by some his touch is the fairy stroke, while others say his power is unique to him. In contrast the Amadán Mór (Great Fool) is a more ambiguous figure who appears sometimes as a King of the fairies or leading the Fairy Host (MacKillop, 1998). Despite his name the Fool is neither foolish nor amusing and should be treated with great caution.
The Fairy Rade
The Fairy Rade is found in ballads, stories, and anecdotes, as the formal riding out in procession of the fairy folk. This is usually described with great pomp and circumstance as a parade of sorts led by the Fairy Queen and featuring minstrels and knights. The word ‘rade’ in Scots can mean both to ride on horseback or to go out on a raid (DSL, 2016). When referencing the fairies it is found in both contexts, although the more common usage is of the ride. It presents a sharp contrast to the wild and dangerous riding out of the Slua Sí; the Fairy Rade being more for show perhaps than the purposeful hunting of the Slua. The horses of the Fairy Rade were of various colors, but in the ballads it was said that riding the white horses was a sign of rank. The horses were beautifully caparisoned and described as having bells or even wind chimes woven into their manes (Briggs, 1976).
The Fairy Rade was noted to ride out on days sacred to the fairies, such as the pagan fire festivals. Bealtaine in particular was associated with the Fairy Rade’s presence by two Scottish sources, one from 1810 the other from 1825, noting the disturbance caused by the sound of horses’ hooves and music as the fairies processed to their celebration (DSL, 2016). A 19th century anecdotal account of the Fairy Rade seen near Bealtaine described it first as the noise of bridles and hooves, then appearing as a glowing troop of green-clad riders on white horses (Briggs, 1976). In both the ballad of Alison Gross and the ballad of Tam Lin we see the Fairy Rade riding out on Samhain as well.
The Fuath
A general collective term for some fairies in Scotland, the Fuath were fairies that were considered dangerous and potentially ill-inclined towards humans (Briggs, 1976). In Gaidhlig the word Fuath means fairy or specter as well as hatred. According to Campbell in The Gaelic Otherworld the Fuath are a type of malevolent specter or apparition that seem to ride the line between ghosts and fairies. Unlike the English term fairies, however, Fuath is slightly more specific in its usage, indicating a certain type of fairy rather than all fairies in general. Generally the beings who made up or were considered part of the Fuath were seen as water fairies, both fresh water and salt water, although Campbell contests this and argues that it is a mistake made by one folklorist who over-specified the Fuath based on a single story of a water fairy (Briggs, 1976; Campbell; 1900).
Glaistig
A complex Scottish fairy, the Glaistig can be both extremely dangerous, particularly to men, and also protective, especially of children and the elderly. John Campbell in The Gaelic Otherworld suggest the name Glaistig comes from the word ‘glas’, which he translates as grey although it actually indicates green, shading anywhere from blue-green to true green to grey-green. Campbell describes her as wearing a green dress with a face that is ‘wan and grey’ (Campbell, 1900, p 23). A solitary water fairy who may also be called Uaine Maighdean (Green Maiden) she appears as a beautiful young woman, sometimes with the lower half of a goat, which she conceals under her green dress, and seduces mortal men. Once under her power the Glaistig kills them and drinks their blood (MacKillop, 1998). She can also take the form of a goat, showing some shape-shifting abilities, and while she is known to kill she also helped those she favored by watching after the cows, expecting only a bit of milk once a week in thanks (Briggs, 1976). The Glaistig often seems to be tied to a specific location and like the Brownie is known to take
on the tasks of a servant, specifically by watching after the herds (Campbell, 1900). As with so many of the fairies being discussed in this section, the Glaistig may be one particular being or may perhaps be a grouping of similar beings, female fairies who live near water and can appear as goats or with a partially goat-like form. The Glaistig was said to have once been a human woman who had been transformed into a fairy after being taken by the Good Neighbors (Briggs, 1976; Campbell, 1900).
Goblins
One of the more well-known types of fey, by name at least, are Goblins, but many people are vague on what exactly Goblins are. So let’s take a look at Goblins, what they are, and some folklore surrounding them.
The word Goblin itself dates back to about the 14th century and is believed to possibly come from the Latin Gobelinus, and to be related to the German Kobold; the meaning is given as an ugly fairy or devil (Goblin, 2016). Originally, the word Goblin was not applied to a specific type of fairy being, but rather was used as a generic term, in line with the older uses of fairy and Elf, to indicate a more general type of being. In Scots, for example, we can see more than a half dozen kinds of fairies that are described as Goblins, from Gunnies to Whaups (SLD, 2016). The name Goblin was used in earlier periods as a synonym for other negative types of fairies, such as Thurs and Shuck, both of which had connotations of maliciousness and evil (Williams, 1991). The prefix ‘hob’ was added in front of the word Goblin, giving us Hobgoblin, to indicate a Goblin-type spirit that was less negative and more benevolent; Hobgoblins were inclined to mischief, but also known to be helpful to people where Goblins were not (Briggs, 1976). MacKillop posits that the word as well as the being was borrowed into Celtic belief from outsiders, likely from Germanic folk belief probably of the Kobold (MacKillop, 1998). The Irish Púca is sometimes described as a Goblin, and Goblins are often seen as equivalent to Bogies. An array of subgroups of fairies are considered Goblins or Hobgoblins including the aforementioned Púca (and more general Puck), Bogies, the Fuath – themselves a general term inclusive of specific types – Boggarts2 and Bogles, who are usually considered the more evil sort of Goblins, the Welsh Coblynau, and Irish Clauricaun and Dullahan (Briggs, 1976; MacKillop, 1998). Even the usually benevolent Brownie is sometimes considered a Goblin, or perhaps more properly a Hobgoblin (SLD, 2016; Briggs, 1976).
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