Fairies in the garden

Where do Faery tales come from? Why are stories of fairies told the world over if they have no origin in memory? Have you ever wondered about the true origins of Fairy tales?
How did the mystifying and sometimes terrifying beings of folklore transform into the benign Tinkerbell of today?

In childhood, many of us share a love and fascination for figures from folklore. Mermaids, unicorns, dragons and of course, fairies. The wee folk; caper merrily on nursery walls, adorning everything from cupcakes to garden ornaments and everything in between. In the stories of our youth, they are cheerful helpers, impish tricksters or wise and beautiful sages. Fairies have captivated our imaginations for untold centuries, but before their demotion, to gossamer winged shoemakers and tooth collectors, the fey were something more.

Fairy mythology can be found in many cultures scattered across the globe. Yet their earliest incarnations bore little resemblance to Tinkerbell. 

For example, the Aos Si or the Tuatha de Dannan flourished; their tales and influence on Celtic culture endure even today. Also known as “The fair folk”, “The Good neighbours” “, The Sidhe” and simply “The fey”. These beings were said to be taller than humans, with ethereal beauty and often depicted as having blonde or red hair and blue or green eyes. 

Mythology describes these beings as having been possessed of fantastic abilities, flying ships and mysterious knowledge. The ancient people of Scotland are Ireland worshipped these as nature deities, pre Christian Gods who ruled over the pre-Celtic peoples or as god-like portals to God. According to the myths, they brought four fantastic treasures from their hidden cities beyond the north pole; Gorias, Murias, Falias and Finias. Bringing with them the four great treasures of the Sidhe. The cauldron, from which came an endless supply of sustenance. The spear, which no man could stand against, nor could it’s barer ever be defeated. The Sword of light, from which there could be no escape once it was drawn. Finally, The Stone of destiny is known as the Lia Fail, which would cry out at the touch of the rightful king. The former of these is said to still exist today, The stone of destiny, also called the Stone of Scone (pronounced Scoon) and the Coronation stone, forms a part in the Coronation process of the British monarchy. These relics are also thought to have been the inspiration for the modern Tarot deck. Depending on your interpretation of the Christian adoption of specific pagan iconographies and ideas of the earlier cultures that it strove to replace, these items could also be considered enfolded into the Christian mythologies surrounding Jesus Christ. The spear, having pierced Christ’s side, was later considered to have magical powers. The cauldron, which was sometimes depicted as a cup or chalice that later became the Holy grail. 

The Tuatha De Dannan, the incarnation of these being specific to Irish mythology, were said to have come to Ireland “out of the north” amidst a dark cloud or in great flying ships depending upon which poet you reference. Depending on how you interpret the sparse writings about them, the greatest among them or their spiritual leader was the Dagda, portrayed as a great father and representing similar aspects to the God of monotheism. The first King of The Tuatha De Dannan was Nuada, who defeated the Fir Bolg when first the Tuatha landed in Ireland but lost an arm in the process. 

The Tuatha were said to have possessed fantastic knowledge of medicine, technologies unknown to the native Irish of the day and even of magic. They are described primarily in fables and poetry written hundreds or even thousands of years after they were said to have existed. These accounts of the Tuatha were written mainly by those under the auspices of the Catholic church; that is to say, these reflections are almost always tainted by the editorial hand of the papacy of the day. In these writings, the Tuatha and the Anunnaki (who I will get back to in a later blog) are banded together and described as having been “Fallen angels”. They were said to be those cast out from Heaven by God for not siding with him during the battle with Lucifer. Although these supposed angels did not side with God, nor did they join forces with Lucifer and were therefore not sent to hell, but to Earth instead to live out a sort of half cursed existence outside of the presence of God. It is wise then to consider that most of what we know about the Tuatha was recorded by those Christian writers, and therefore it is likely the stories have been interpreted to reflect some political agenda of the day. 

We have little now except the stone age monuments of Ireland and Scotland to harken to the times of the Aos Si/Tuatha De Dannan. Their origins and teachings largely scattered to the winds of time and church propaganda. Yet in the language and customs of the Celtic nations, they were presumed to inhabit their echoes can still be found. Their story ends, supposedly, when tiring of warring with mankind, they eventually agree that they will retreat below the hills and rule the underworld/otherworld. Following this tradition, many hills, chambers, cairns, stone circles, and “fairy mounds” are named in dedication to their memory across Ireland and Scotland. Modern opinion on the nature of the Tuatha varies wildly. To some, they are the pre-Celtic gods worshipped before Christianity. To others, they were actual historical figures who possessed technologies and knowledge well beyond the norm for that point in history. In other quarters they are considered another incarnation of the Anunnaki, the gods of ancient Sumer. Whoever they were, or indeed whatever they were, it is likely we shall never know, but the next time you are handed a tooth by a grinning, toothless child, or you step in a ring of fairy mushrooms whilst out walking your dog, remember that the fairies are not only in the garden. Their symbolism and mythologies surround us still today.