Fairies

by Morgan Daimler

  Many people are familiar with the term ‘cold iron’ and associate it today with pure or simply worked forged iron – what is technically called ‘pig iron’ or ‘crude iron’. Historically the term cold iron was a poetic term for any iron weapon and is synonymous today with the term ‘cold steel’. When you see a reference to cold iron it is talking about an iron weapon, usually a sword or knife. This may explain in part why most of the recommendation for iron objects refer to bladed or sharp items, which have not only the quality of the item as a protective force, but also the inherent threat of the items nature.

  As to iron and steel; they are effectively the same substance and have been treated that way in folklore and for apotropaic purposes historically. Steel is between 90 percent and 98 per cent iron depending on the alloy, so a steel object is obviously mostly an iron object.

  Those who are seeking to encourage the presence of the Gentry should remember their dislike of iron and limit its presence. On the other hand those seeking protection from Otherworldly influence would do well to keep iron or steel objects around. Remember though that I said earlier it is a protection against most of the Good Neighbors. In folklore there are some fey it is known to have no effect on, including Etins, Redcaps, and spirits associated with mines or forges. Other protections are required for those, such as salt or silver.

  In my experience iron ore and stones with high iron content work the same as iron, but to a weaker degree, i.e. hematite, which is about 70-ish per cent iron and magnetite (72 per cent iron). Both work to deflect negative magic and to deter ghosts, negative spirits, and the fey who are sensitive to iron, but not as intensely as worked iron, even so-called ‘pig iron’.

  Iron ore is most often hematite or magnetite along with a few others with a slightly lower iron content so it makes sense that they work in a similar fashion to iron. A variety of crystals also have iron as a component, which is what give them their color, such as peridot, but usually not in an amount that would act as an effective deterrent. Although I think it’s unlikely any fey would wear them or desire to be around them and if you offer crystals to the Other Crowd I might suggest looking for ones without iron content, but that’s not exactly here nor there.

  There are several ways to use iron to protect your home from fairies, if it’s needed. In Celtic tradition you could hang a horseshoe, points up, over your doorway, which would also act to bless the home and draw luck to you. For protection against fairies you can also place an iron knife or scissors in a strategic place. Another method found in Germanic and Norse traditions is to hammer an iron nail into a post near the doorway or alternatively part of the door frame. Additionally, it is said to be as effective to draw a circle using an iron nail or knife around what you want to protect (Gundarsson, 2007).

  A more modern, but still useful method, is the use of iron water. Fill a small spray bottle with water and add iron filings, iron dust, or a piece of iron, and allow to sit for a few days. The water can be sprayed into a room or around the home as needed.

  As always keep in mind that the use of iron will not affect all fairies, as some, including house fairies, are not bothered by it. For those that are sensitive to it, though, it is a superlative protection. For this reason those who seek to work with fairies must be very cautious about using this metal, as it will drive away most fairies as well as interfering with some types of magic and other spirits. One should never, for example, cut a plant to be harvested for magical purposes with an iron knife as this will drive away the plant’s spirit.

  Besides iron there are a variety of other options for protection against the Good People including salt, fire, four leaf clovers, bells, several different kinds of herbs, hag stones, and turning clothes inside out. These are all things that are established as effective in folklore and have been tried and tested, as it were. Keep in mind though that what is being discussed here is ultimately only a sample of the protections against fairies and there are many others out there. The herbs I mention for example are only a small number of the ones that are known to protect against fairy influence, so you should research this on your own if the subject really interests you.

  Although not as widely recommended as iron, salt also has protective qualities. In some cases salt works better than iron at driving out dangerous fairies. Salt was sprinkled on cows who had just calved to protect them from fairy influence, salt was used with fire and water to bless pastures, and salt was used to protect butter from the influence of fairies and witches (McNeill, 1962). Salt is said to symbolize eternity and carrying it is a strong protection (Briggs, 1976). The idea of using salt by sprinkling it around yourself, often in a circle, is one that has entered pop culture thanks to movies such as Hocus Pocus and television shows like Supernatural, but the core idea behind this is rooted in older folklore; salt is used in purification and so it is believed that impure – or as the Scottish might say unsainly – beings cannot be around it. One method to force fairies to release people from a fairy hill is to dig into the mound and throw salt and ashes into the open earth, as fire and salt are powerful forces against fairy magic (Logan, 1981).

  Although often seen today as being cliché, the four leaf clover has a long use in folk tradition. The main power of the four leaf clover against the Good People is its ability to dispel their glamour and allow a human to see truly (Briggs, 1976). This is because glamour and enchantment are some of the main powers that are used to mislead people; by making them think a handful of leaves are a fistful of gold coins, perhaps, or that a dreary cave is a palace, the Fair Folk can control people to their own benefit and the person’s misfortune. The four leaf clover gives some power back to the human by taking away this advantage. If you have such a talisman it should be carried on you or kept in something that you keep on you in order to be effective. Often in folk charms such an herb would be sown into a person’s clothing.

  Bells and the sound of bells ringing are also said to frighten away any malicious spirits. Most references to this specify church bells; however, folklore makes it clear that any kind of bell, including those worn by Morris Men, and those attached to livestock, will have the same effect (Briggs, 1976). I was always told, although I could not say where I learned this, that the ringing of bells will have no effect on most spirits, but only certain types that are most inclined towards causing us harm. For those spirits the sound of bells is piercing and very painful. This may well be true as it should be kept in mind that the Fairy Rade and the Fairy Queen when she rides out is often described as accompanied by the sound of bells ringing, and descriptions say that the horses would have bells woven into their manes, making it clear that the more Seelie types of fairies neither fear bells nor flee from their sounds.

  Certain herbs are protection against fairies as well, and these include St. John’s wort, broom, yarrow, and rowan berries, although it is also said that some of the Aos Sí live on rowan berries (Briggs, 1976; McNeill, 1962). Tying a red ribbon on cattle or horses was thought to keep fairies away, as was tying a rowan twig on to a cow’s tail, or lightly striking the animals with rowan or hazel switches (O hOgain, 1995; O hOgain, 2006). The color red itself seems to have a warding effect against some fairies, which can be seen in its use not only with certain herbs and berries, but also in the combination of rowan twigs and red thread, or rowan, amber, and red thread, to protect against fairies and negative magic. Ash may be substituted for rowan if necessary (Briggs, 1976). Although mugwort may be best known among witches today as an herb for psychic empowerment, in the old Leechcraft texts it was burned and otherwise used to drive off spirits, especially Elves, and can still be used as a protection against Elven enchantment and to break their magic on a person. Protections against harm from the Other Crowd included primrose and gorse scattered on the doorstep, and rowan branches hung over the doorway (Evans, 1957). Yarrow was hung in the home to ward off illness, and a loop of ash might be used to protect a person against Themselves; it was also said looking through the loop would allow someone to see
them even through glamour (Evans, 1957; Danaher, 1972). St John’s wort is said to protect against fairy enchantments, and grant luck, prosperity, and blessing. In Irish tradition St John’s wort is one of the seven herbs that cannot be affected by anything supernatural (Wilde, 1991). Verbena is another herb recommended for protection, as are daisies and it is said a child wearing daisies cannot be taken by the fey (Briggs, 1976). All of these can be used in various ways that include carrying on your person, sowing into clothes, burning, hanging up in the home, or scattering near doorways. I have broom hanging in my children’s rooms for example, as a protection, and I have rowan bound with red thread over the entrance to my house.

  Hagstones are stones that naturally have a hole in them, usually from the action of water wearing through. To be clear, by the way, they do not work if the hole is artificially created; the stone must be found with the hole in it as a natural artifact. Hagstones are usually found in water, either salt or fresh water, and are protection against not only fairies, but also various types of negative magic and influences. Traditionally they might be hung up in a stable to keep fairies from either putting Elf-knots in the manes of horses or taking the animals out at night and riding them into exhaustion. They can also be used hung over the bed to ward off nightmares and similar fairy interference with sleeping humans.

  Turning clothes is a method of protection recommended particularly for breaking enchantments that cause confusion, such as being Pixy-led. This can be as simple as turning socks inside out although the usual preference is to turn your coat inside out. Briggs suggests that this works because it represents a change of identity that effectively dispels the existing magic.

  There are also an assortment of other protections to consider. Amber works as a protection against the fey, and is often used to protect babies and children. Sulfur is a protection against fairies, particularly those of the Norse tradition (Gundarsson, 2007). Bread, which can be used as an offering, is also a protection against fairies being as Briggs says ‘a symbol of life’ (Briggs, 1976). The Rev. Robert Kirk mentioned the use of bread as a protection against fairies as well, when he discussed ways to keep them from taking women in childbed. Many sources in folklore mention the use of Christian holy symbols, particularly the cross, as a way to drive off fairies or protect against them, although the poem Alice Brand makes it clear that this method is not effective against all fairies, especially those who were once human. Given that in that poem the Fairy King sends a fairy who is exempt from the influence of holy symbols to attack the protagonists knowing that they may resort to prayer or a cross, I would not personally trust my safety to this method unless there was no other option.

  When outdoors if you find yourself in danger from anything fey, one method to protect yourself is to cross running water. It is best if the water you cross is south-running, as anything moving southwards, like anything moving sunwise, has positive and blessing qualities. This method of protection is also said to work against ghosts and malignant spirits (Wilde, 1887). Although leaping running water is a good method if caught outdoors, don’t forget that some beings like the Kelpie make their homes in water and will not be stopped by it (Briggs, 1976). Iron should be carried any time you think you may be going somewhere with potential danger, ideally a black handled iron knife6, or else ashes from the hearth fire, and if one is being misled or tormented by the Good People one could turn their jacket inside out to confuse them, as previously mentioned, or in more dire circumstances you could splash urine on your hands and face7 (Danaher, 1972). Of course the most commonly used protection may simply be staying away from places known to be Theirs and avoiding any chance encounters.

  A variety of protections focus specifically on laboring and nursing mothers as well as newborns. To keep a new mother and infant safe they would be given milk from a cow who had eaten the herb mothan (McNeill, 1956). Rev. The Kirk suggested putting bread, a Bible, or cold iron with a woman in labor to protect her from being taken.

  If you believe a group of passing fairies, particularly the Slua, has taken a human with them and want to get them to release the person you should throw the dust from the road, an iron knife, or your left shoe and say: ‘This is yours; that is mine!’ (McNeill, 1956). Throwing iron seems to be an effective method for getting the fey to release a person if the person is in sight, and I might suggest in cases of fairy possession or suspected influence that it would be worth trying iron on or near the person as well.

  In some extreme cases a person might show indications of being on the receiving end of negative fairy magic, which will have very specific symptoms. At any point that a situation, especially one involving a person being affected or harmed by fairy magic, is beyond your ability to handle you should not hesitate to look for someone more knowledgeable or experienced. For example, traditionally if a person was suffering from the ill-willing attention of one of the fairy people, a fairy doctor must be found. That is a person with special knowledge of the fairies, who can diagnose the exact issue, be it elfshot or fairy blast, and come up with the appropriate charm, chant, or herb to cure the person (Wilde, 1887). There will always be some times and situations that call for an expert, and it’s wise to know your own limitations and abilities so you are confident of what you can and cannot handle.

  Getting Started

  I think the first step to dealing with fairies is to read as much folklore about them as possible. Not the watered-down fairytales, but the real folklore, the gathered stories collected from people who actually believed and still believe in these beings. Suspend your own disbelief if you haven’t quite gotten to a point yet yourself to see them as real and take what you read at face value – don’t try to rationalize it away or explain what might have caused it. Just take it in for what it is. Believe that the person telling the experience believed it.

  Next reach out to your house fairy8. Set aside a small area for them, ideally in the kitchen or wherever people most often gather. Maybe leave some milk there on occasion. Try to be as welcoming as you can be, knowing this spirit is there and has always been there. A house fairy, by the way, is not the same as a Brownie, or at least not necessarily, but rather is a generic term for the sort of domestic fairy that is found in any home. House fairies are seen in many different cultures, in many different forms, and usually like to live in or around the hearth, which in modern parlance is the kitchen. They can and do influence the overall mood of a home and can affect the luck and health of people living in a place. I should also mention that you may have one or many as some are solitary and some are social (aka trooping), but since there is so much variety its really impossible for me to speak in anything except generalities about them here. My house has one solitary house fairy as well as a collection of social ones; the two groups – if you will – exist apart from each other but all within the house, so such a situation is also a possibility. The point here isn’t so much to worry about exactly what kind of house fairy you have, but to try to make friends with it.

  When you feel that you have a solid connection with your house fairy, based on your own intuition and personal measure, then start slowly expanding out. How you do this is up to you, based on your own comfort zone. If you like the idea of safe fairies maybe look at connecting to garden or smaller plant fairies. If you are aware of locations around you with fairy activity perhaps spend some time there and feel out the energy. Try visiting Fairy in dreams or with spiritual journeywork.

  Know how to protect yourself, and know what to do to make friends (hint – give them gifts and be nice). Follow the seven guidelines I mentioned at the beginning of this chapter. And know that you will make mistakes, and those mistakes will sometimes have lasting consequences. You will get in over your head sometimes, you will meet things that scare you and things that try to hurt you – and you will get hurt sometimes. But if you persevere you’ll also learn a lot and slowly build connections and allies. It’s got a steep learning curve, but it also has its rewards.

  Fortune favors t
he bold. Just remember to be canny as well as courageous.

  End Notes

  1. Twee – excessively cute, sweet, delicate; often used of an affectation of daintiness or quaintness. Think the new Disney Tinker Bell (not the original from the 1904 play – she was properly vicious).

  2. There are – no surprises here – some exceptions to this, but please use common sense. If you are asking for healing then yes you may be required to offer or pay with something like hair or blood. That’s fine. I wouldn’t suggest giving something like blood up front, but if it’s being requested, don’t hesitate to ask why and really consider the answer. Ultimately you are an adult and can make your own decisions about what you feel is safe to do or give.

  3. This is discussed by both Katherine Briggs and in anecdotal evidence, although the reasoning is obscure. I do not personally remember where I first heard of this prohibition, but I have known it for a very long time.

  4. In fairness while they called it a fairy they were actually talking about making a thoughtform or golem. But still the principle of creating your own fairy servant is pretty offensive so here we are.