One of the more curious aspects of fairy tradition is the reluctance (sometimes outright refusal) to say the word fairy aloud.
In some circles, it is still considered bad luck, or even dangerous, to name them directly. The concern is that the wrong word might draw their attention… and not in a good way.
While modern media tosses the term about freely, in older traditions many people believed the beings themselves disliked it, and that using it could anger them. Some people today avoid it entirely.
Why Euphemisms Exist
The solution, historically, was to use a name that was positive or flattering, one that reminded these beings of their better qualities. The reasoning was simple: if they overheard, they would be flattered and therefore would be more inclined to act kindly toward you.
These alternative names are not a modern invention. In fact, we can trace their use back several centuries. A 16th-century account of Welsh belief describes how the Tylwyth Teg (“Fair Family”) were spoken only “with honor.” In Lowland Scots tradition, the term Seely wicht (“blessed creature”) has been in use for at least 400 years.
Common Euphemisms in Irish & Welsh Lore
Here's a small selection of recorded terms:
Daoine Maithe: "Good People"
Daoine Sith: "People of Peace"
Daoine Uaisle: "Noble People"
Aos Sidhe / Aos Sí: "People of the Fairy Hills"
Tylwyth Teg: "Fair Family"
Mother's Blessing
The Gentry
The Fair Folk
The Other Crowd
The Good Neighbors
Themselves
Most are descriptive and positive in tone. Importantly, this doesn't mean people believed the beings were always good, only that it was safer to speak as if they were.
The Word “Fairy” and Its History
The term itself has a tangled history.
The earliest form, fae, appears in 12th-century French and Latin texts to describe a supernatural woman or enchantress.
By the 14th century, fairie in Middle English referred both to the enchanted realm and, more generally, to supernatural beings.
Only later does “fairy” begin to mean a single creature.
Earlier still, other terms (like elf and goblin) were common, with elf leaning toward the benign and goblin toward the malevolent. Some scholars suspect “fairy” may even be a shortened form of “Fair Folk.”
A Shifting Prohibition
Curiously, this old taboo once focused on avoiding the term Daoine Sí or any name containing “sí” (from Old Irish sídhe, meaning “fairy mound” or “Otherworld hill”), which means that the word “fairy” was itself a kind of euphemism.
Today, this seems to be changing. In some modern traditions, it is “fairy” that is avoided, while certain sí terms are spoken without hesitation. In other groups, both are avoided altogether, with euphemisms still preferred.
Final Thoughts
Names have power. In the case of the Fair Folk, what you call them may shape how they respond to you, or whether they respond at all.
gambling with angels is easy. they can't lie but they have addictive personalities; it's easy to clean them out then make them divulge secrets about the business of heaven to call your bets. my dad used to say "hey, watch this" and summon angels to play poker with him with a sort of bone flute he inherited from his grandpa, and they'd be holding horseshit and still want to call him. i'm talking "raise on a two pair" level bad at it, but they couldn't stop trying to win. my dad taught me all the secret names of God before i was out of grade school and i would use them to curse my enemies so they came down with leprosy. you can cure leprosy these days but it still sucks, especially for a child. but they had it coming for pissing me off
The real-world Mount Olympus is the highest peak in Greece and is located between the borders of Thessaly and Macedonia. The kingdom of the gods sits high upon the mountain as a majestic, bronze Acropolis (fortified hill top citadel). In Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey we get our earliest references, where the peaks of Olympus are described as “rugged’ or “cloud-dark” and the acropolis described as “bronze-founded” and “under golden clouds.” (Lattimore). The fortress sits below the great sky dome, within in a specific position upon the mountain, in the light, blue upper air of Aether. Below that was the middle air Khaos which enveloped mortals, and finally the lower, dark subterranean mists of Erebos.
Guarding the gates were the goddesses of Seasons, constellations, and time; the Horai. Within the fortress complex was Zeus’ grand palace, along with the lesser palaces of other Olympians, and a divine stable for many of the different gods’ immortal chariot horses. In the golden court, the Olympians held councils to decide mortals’ fates, and feast-hall style banquets; drinking sweet, magical Nectar from golden goblets and eating restorative Ambrosia to maintain immortality by sustaining the fluid within the gods veins; Ichor. Twenty golden tripod Automotons (programmed machines), ingeniously invented by the smith god Hephaestus, autonomously wheeled food and drink amongst the deities.
Did I miss any fascinating info about Olympus? Please let me know below! And if you can share this image with your followers I'll be happy to send you over an automaton with a goblet of ambrosia to keep your ichor running clear!😁🤟❤️
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