Fairies
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There are also tales of those who were out walking at night and saw another person who had been or was being taken by the Slua, usually as the Slua was passing near the bystander. A folk method to get the host to release anyone they may have taken is to throw the dust from the road, an iron knife, or your left shoe towards them while saying: ‘This is yours; that is mine!’ (McNeill, 1956). Those known to have been taken and released were gone to for advice relating to the fairies and seen as being quite knowledgeable about them, just as those who had more amicable relationships with the fairies were consulted (O Suilleabhain, 1967).
The Slua may include fairy horses, hounds, and a variety of fairy beings, as well as the human dead. In Scotland some people believe that the Slua Sí, who are also called the Fairy Host of the Air, are spirits of those humans who died with unforgiven sins or filled with sin (McNeill, 1956; Briggs, 1976; Carmichael, 1900). Evans Wentz related stories of the Slua as both the mortal dead and as fallen angels, showing that the belief was not entirely clear-cut (Evans Wentz, 1911). In Irish folktales related by authors including Yeats and Hyde, however, the Fairy Host are distinct from the human dead and act like fairies in other tales, engaging in behavior such as stealing human brides to force them to wed members of their own group. As was discussed in a previous chapter there is no simple division to be found here and it is likely that the Slua represent both fairies who were never human and some who may once have lived as humans, but are now counted among the Fairy Host.
The Fairy Host, like other fairies, are usually invisible to humans, but can be sensed in the appearance of a sudden wind and the sound of voices, armor clinking, or people shouting (O Suilleabhain, 1967). Hyde describes it in the story Guleesh Na Guss Dhu this way: ‘He heard a great noise coming like the sound of many people running together, and talking, and laughing, and making sport, and the sound went by him like a whirl of wind…’ (Hyde, 1890, p 76). Some say the Slua appears as a dust devil that moves over roads and hedges as the Good Neighbors travel (JCHAS, 2010). When the whirlwind appeared people would react by averting their eyes, turning their backs, and praying, or else saying: ‘Good luck to them, the ladies and gentlemen.’ (O hOgain, 1995; JCHAS, 2010, p. 319) This of course reflects the common practice of appeasing the more dangerous fairies both by speaking of them in polite, positive terms and also of wishing them well, giving a blessing in hopes they respond in kind. This is done to avert any harm caused by the close proximity of the Host and to hopefully avoid drawing their attention in a negative way. The Sí Gaoithe (Fairy Wind), which indicated the Slua was present, could bring illness or cause injury as it passed by, contributing to its fearsome reputation (MacKillop, 1998).
The Slua was known for being mercurial and prone to malicious behavior and unlike more sedentary types of Fair Folk they are not easily appeased, but most often must be warded off, usually with iron, driven away, or out-witted. They are strongly associated with the Unseelie Court and one Queen of the Unseelie, Nicnevin, in particular.
Trows
A type of fairy native to the Shetland and Orkney Isles, Trows can be either the size of giants, human sized, or small wizened man, showing that they are perhaps less a specific kind of fairy but – as with most of the others we have discussed here – a general type. Trows are probably related to the Norse Trolls, but have enough differences to be considered a separate kind of being. The Trows of Shetland are said to prefer night-time and to fear sunlight, which traps them on Earth during the day (Briggs, 1976). They are known to hate a locked door and to often visit homes at night, inviting themselves inside to sit by the fire while the homeowners sleep (Towrie, 2017). Like many other kinds of fairies Trows live in mounds, locally called knowes, and were known to steal people although they usually took brides; they love music and making mischief. They were known most often to wear grey although they may also appear in green, red, black, or white (Briggs, 1976; Bruford, 1991). Folklore around Trows is similar to that of other fairies and features stories of their attempts to steal women being thwarted, their use of magic to turn plants into horses, and occasions where a Trow appeared and demanded a share of a person’s food in exchange for a blessing.
Fairy Animals
There are many animals in Fairy, both the fairies who can shape-shift from human-like forms into those of animals as well as beings who are bound in animal form. Generally fairy animals are less intelligent than fairies who can shape-shift into animal form, being closer to a true animal, but they are still Otherworldly and often act in ways we find uncanny. There are a variety of fairy animals in particular that are worth discussing in some depth, although as with the previous sections on types of fairies, some generalities have to be made for brevities sake.
Cu Si
One of the more interesting ones is the fairy hound, or Cu Sí. The Cu Sí are known by many names including Cu Sith (Scottish), Cwn Annwn (Welsh), and when riding with the Wild Hunt may be called the Gabriel Ratchets, Dandy Dogs, or Hell Hounds. They are also sometimes conflated with the ghostly hounds known as the Black Dog, Black Shuck, Hell Hounds, Padfoot, Bogey, Moddey Doo or the Grim. Katherine Briggs divides these supernatural dogs into three categories: supernatural beings, human ghosts in dog form, and ghosts of dogs (Briggs, 1978). For our purposes we will discusses all appearances of Otherworldly dogs, but it is important to understand up front that the subject is complex and that what appears to be a dog may or may not actually be a dog. Which is really just par for the course with anything of Fairy actually. Each unique type of Cu Sí may have its own very specific set of folklore, beliefs, and stories and this section should be understood as a general overview of fairy hounds as a group, rather than a discussion of any specific subgroup or type.
Cu Sí may appear as a huge shaggy black or dark green dog, or as a swift white hound with red eyes and ears, sometimes missing a limb. They are known by their enormous size, often described as being as large as a calf with huge round eyes (Parkinson, 2013). These spectral dogs may be male or female and may appear alone, in pairs, or in packs (Campbell, 2008). A Cu Sí may also appear as a black dog with a white ring around its neck, usually seen on a fairy hill (Evans Wentz, 1911). It is almost impossible to mistake a fairy hound for a mortal dog because of its size and unusual appearance.
The Cu Sí are often associated with the Slua Si, Fairy Rade, and the Wild Hunt. When riding out with the Wild Hunt in particular they usually frighten people, as the Hunt itself is an omen of war, death, and madness, although it can also bring blessings. The Cu Sí as ‘spectral black dogs’ are seen as omens of death, although it isn’t clear whether the dog causes the death or, like the Irish Banshee, the dog shows up to warn of an impending death (Parkinson, 2013). Not all black Cu Sí are bad omens though; in at least some cases the appearance of the black dog was protective. In one story from Swancliffe a man has a black dog appear twice and accompany him through a dark wood only to find out later that the dog had saved him from being robbed and killed by highwaymen (Parkinson, 2013). They may also appear as guardians of treasure, something they are known for in Scotland as the Cu Sith (Parkinson, 2013). In Ireland Cu Sí are often associated with specific fairy locations where they may be seen over the course of multiple generations and are known to sit and watch people, but they are only considered dangerous if they are disturbed, otherwise they will remain peaceful (Lenihan & Green, 2004). In at least one Irish example a small white fairy dog appeared as an omen of the coming of the Aos Sí to a home, to warn the inhabitants to prepare (Evans Wentz, 1911).
Fairy dogs may appear with the Aos Sí during Fairy Rades, or they may appear wandering on their own, guarding fairy hills, or going ahead of the Gentry to warn of their presence as described above. Black dogs seem to be territorial, favoring churchyards, roadways, and crossroads, especially where gallows have been (Parkinson, 2013). In stories they are often associated with a particular area that is considered haunted (Campbell, 2008). This ties them to the wider idea of fairies and the dead and potentially to being
ghosts themselves, as well as being omens of death. Occasionally Cu Sí have been seen standing motionless on fairy hills or even among mortal dogs (Evans Wentz, 1911).
The Cu Sí are often ill-omens, but not every appearance of one presages a death or negative event. Seeing a fairy hound, especially if it is baying or howling, or even hearing one, is usually an omen of death Cu Sí can also appear for other reasons. They may be protecting a person or more often a location, in which case simply leaving the place they are guarding will usually avert any harm. They can also appear inexplicably, without ever directly harming or affecting anyone, and disappear just as mysteriously.
Cat Sí
Another animal we see in folklore is the Cat Sí (fairy cat). Cat Sí are believed to be large, Otherworldly black cats with a single white spot on the chest. The descriptions somewhat resembles the Kellas cats, large wild cats of Scotland, which has led some to theorize that sightings of them may have been the origin of the Cat Sí stories (Matthews, 2005).
Cat Sí are often believed to be shape-changed witches, and are considered to be dangerous. The folk belief was that a witch could assume the form of a Cat Sí eight times, but upon a ninth transformation would become the cat forever (Old Farmer’s Almanac, 2012). There are also stories of Cat Sí as true fairies who can take human form and marry into human families. The MacGillivray family claims to have a Cat Sí among its ancestors, and it is said that the clan motto, ‘Touch not this cat’, comes from this ancestry (MacGillivray, 2000). It may be then that as with so many other types of fairies it is not one or the other that is correct, but that both are possible, with the Cat Sí as a cat-shaped fairy of human-like intelligence or as a previously human witch in the form of a cat.
Fairy cats are usually viewed as malicious spirits and they have a strong association with the dead, but unlike other fairies this isn’t because they are believed to be the dead themselves, but rather that they are thought to steal newly dead souls. In Scotland the bodies of the newly dead are carefully watched and special protections are used to ensure that a Cat Sí doesn’t sneak in and steal the soul before it has separated from the body (MacGillivray, 2000). Most of these protections depend on doing things to distract the Cat Sí and keep it away from the body, such as sprinkling catnip about the other rooms, or playing games that would draw the Cat Sí’s attention (MacGillivray, 2000).
There are particular days associated with the Cat Sí. In some folklore August 17th is the night that a witch might make the ninth transformation into permanent cat form (Old Farmer’s Almanac, 2012). Another cites the folk belief that on Samhain a saucer of milk should be left out as an offering to the Cat Sí to gain their blessing, while failing to do so could earn a curse on the household (MacGillivray, 2000).
Fairy Deer
In some stories it is said the deer of the forest are the cattle of the fairies, especially the red deer (McNeill, 1956; Campbell, 1900). Otherworldly deer often appear to lead people into Fairy or to places that fairies wish them to be. For example, it is said that a fairy deer and hare appeared to Thomas the Rhymer to take him back to Fairy when his time on Earth was done (Campbell, 1900). Fairies may assume the form of deer and through magic mortals can be turned into deer (MacKillop, 1998). White deer in particular are associated with the Otherworld.
Fairy Horses
There are two distinct types of fairy horses, that is there are fairies who can assume the form of horses, like the Púca, and there are horses that are native to Fairy. As with other types of fairy animals, the ones who can shape-shift are of a higher intelligence while those who are limited to the horse form are more animalistic. Fairy horses appear as almost ubiquitous with the more noble fairies who are often seen riding them; these horses may be tiny or regular sized and can move swiftly on land, fly through the air, and in some cases run over water or otherwise move through it easily. The fairy horses of the Aos Sí were renowned for their beauty and speed, and Lady Wilde described them as: ‘Made of fire and flame and not of dull heavy earth.’
Fairy Cattle
Fairy cows, especially in Wales where they are called Gwartheg Y Llyn (cattle of the lake), tend to be associated with water particularly as the name implies lakes. In Ireland and Scotland these animals were called Crod Mara (Sea Cattle) and may be brown, red, or black, all usually hornless (Briggs, 1976). The Welsh fairy cows are usually white, a common color for fairy animals.
Generally speaking fairy cows were good natured and positive omens (Briggs, 1976). It was considered fortunate if a farmer had his cows bred by a fairy bull, and several stories feature this theme with either good luck coming to those who appreciated it or ill luck to those who sought to seize the bull or tamper with the cow. Such fairy bulls acted on their own whims, but where described as good natured, sleek, and strong, features, which bred true in their offspring (Briggs, 1976). These fairy cattle may be wild or may belong to the fairies as domestic stock. In some cases though a fairy cow would appear among a mortal herd and lead the entirety of them into a fairy fort or fairy hill (Campbell, 1900).
Swans
Swans are not always what they appear to be and there were old prohibitions against killing a swan, in case it was actually a person or fairy shape-changed. We see a variety of stories where supernatural beings take the form of swans, including Aengus and his dream maiden Caer in the Aeslinge Oenguso, and Midir and Etain in the Tochmarc Etaine. White is an Otherworldly color that may create a natural association between Fairy and these birds, and they are also animals who by nature are able to travel in all three worlds of land, water, and sky, making them very liminal.
End Notes
1. We may perhaps say that the Fairy Rade is the Seelie version of the Slua Sí, if such a division can be made at all. Certainly the Rade is more orderly and civilized and less overtly malicious, although no less inherently dangerous.
2. Boggarts may also be angered Brownies and there is a somewhat fine semantic line at times between a Hobgoblin and a Brownie.
3. This section originally appeared as an article in Air n-Aithesc titled ‘Two Views of the Leanann Sidhe’.
4. To be absolute clear here, because English can be annoying, ‘fairy lover’ meaning a lover who is a member of Fairy, not a human who loves fairies.
5. I’m not going to address the Selkies as Leannán Sí because that is an entire involved topic of its own, for example, with its own rules and obligations and gets more into abductions and fairy wives/spouses. I will, however, discuss the Selkies in a separate section.
6. Don’t ask me why he still wanted to marry her at that point, I have no idea.
7. Green is a color associated with death in Celtic lore and it is possible these children were from the land of the dead, i.e. ghosts. However, Pixies themselves were sometimes said to be the spirits of unbaptized children who had died or of the pagan dead, so it is possible these children were Pixies who became lost in our world.
Chapter 6
Fairies in Tradition
Being associated with a ceann féile (chief festival), May Eve and May Day were supposed to be times of greater than usual activity among supernatural beings, Every lios (‘fairy fort’) in Ireland was said to be opened that night, and their inhabitants moved abroad in great numbers, often changing residence at that time.
Seán Ó Súilleabháin, Nósanna agua Piseoga na nGael
Understanding Fairy and fairies is about more than just knowing what and where Fairy is and how to get there, and who and what the fairies are and what to expect from them. It’s also about understanding their place within our world, both how they weave themselves into our reality and how intersectional humans and fairies can be, for good and ill. To that end in this chapter we will look at some ways that fairies and the human world intertwine, and in the next chapter we will discuss direct interactions between the fairies and humans.
Times, Days, and Festivals
When humans go to Fairy time becomes a mercurial and fluid thing that seems out of our control. A
day there is too often a year here, or in some cases years there may be only moments here. This may give an impression that our two worlds exist untethered from each other temporally, and yet this impression is deceptive. As little control or even understanding as we may have about the way time works between our two worlds it seems that the beings of Fairy have a great knowledge of the subject that allows them to move easily between our worlds without issue. The fairies are famous for riding out in the Fairy Rade on specific holidays, for preferring or avoiding certain days of our week, and for even preferring certain times of year or times of day. Often specific set amounts of time play a role in how long a human is bound in Fairy or when they may be rescued from it; Thomas the Rhymer was taken for exactly seven years, and Tam Lin could be freed on Samhain night. Lady Wilde relates that the fairies might take a woman for seven years and then return them, and Katherine Briggs says that a changeling could win their freedom after 14 years of captivity. This makes it clear that they are very well aware of the flow of time in our world and are able to choose to interact with our world regularly and at will without missing gaps of years. As Briggs puts it: ‘It is possible that the fairies can ignore time, but they are bound to the seasons.’ (Briggs, 1967, p 125)