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[drachenmagier]

I have absolutely no idea. I guess this is what happens when you shine a LED light at a fey. 

[eb0shi]

[livvywrites]

High fantasy for the genre aesthetic game?

beware, beware my darlin’

of the fairy queen

for though she sings so sweetly

of fields evergreen

if you follow her you’ll find yourself

lost forever more

bound to the fairy green

[ pick a game to play? ]

[publicdescriptionsofthemoon]

on being raised on fairy tales in which you are the monster // a. m. h.

[publicdescriptionsofthemoon]

hey hey if you like this poem, an edited version is part of this collection of poems on the same theme

[bioluminescens]

Glowworms, Waitomo Caves, New Zealand x x

[thebibliosphere]

There’s just something very Peak Karen about posting a picture on Facebook of the fairy door in your garden with a “blue lives matter” sign next to it.

[charlesonmambo]

I just had an idea. Then I did a little googling.

Yes, there are people making fairy doors out of horseshoes.

But I think they are doing it with absolutely no irony.

[redlipstickresurrected]

Quaking Aspens (Populus tremuloides) are known for developing markings that resemble eyes. Aspen eyes are actually dark markings on the main trunk where side branches used to be, Photography

[simonalkenmayer]

They’re watching.

[ex0skeletal-undead]

Wood Spirit by Vladislav Pantic

[ulfeid]

art by Koroa

[queen-susans-revenge]

In traditional Irish folktales, the elves only understand/respect Gaelic: the English language revolts them, so don’t expect to be winning any of those famous riddle contests or song tournaments in English. I’ve idly considered making one of those memes where it’s like [THE IRISH] *brofist* [THE JEWS] and the point of agreement is “our language is magic,” but the joke would take too much explaining to be funny. A lot of Irish Gaelic is structured around speech and the power of language. There isn’t, for example, a word for “yes” or “no.” In order to answer a direct yes/no question, you have to use a form of the verb that was used to ask the question. So basically, if the question is–say–”did you murder your wife” then there is no way to simply say “Yes, Your Honor” or “No, Your Honor.” Your minimum required effort involves using the verb that was invoked in the question: “I murdered,” or “I didn’t murder.” Of course you can just as easily, in just as few syllables and maybe fewer, change the verb. “I was framed,” maybe. Which is to say that the most basic speech acts in Irish involve constructing a narrative, assenting to others’ narratives or challenging them, and most crucially elaborating on the narratives that have already been established. 

(I chose murder just to be a colorful example, but actually I need to go back to my language reference books and check because I bet this interacts interestingly with the tendency in Irish for the narrator never to be the subject of her own story. You’re always the object, in Irish: you can’t drop a plate, for instance, the plate drops itself at you. You’re not thirsty but a powerful thirst is on you. You didn’t murder that woman but she very well might have gotten murdered in your general vicinity.) You see this lots of other places in the language too. For instance there’s also no word for “hello” or “goodbye.” If you want to greet somebody your required minimum is to cough up a formulaic blessing: Dia duit, God be with you. Here’s the thing. The second person can’t just be like “yup, uh huh. dia duit.” No. The stakes have been raised. The second person’s required minimum answer is now Dia’s muire duit, God and Mary be with you. If a third person joins they have to invoke St. Patrick on top of the two already mentioned. I’m not kidding. At four people you do hit a limit where you’re allowed to just say “God be with all here,” but in the very traditional country pubs it’s an insult to cross the threshold without saying at least that to cover everyone inside. Actually worse than an insult; basically a curse. That’s the burden you bear when you start speaking a magic language.

[pikachudrawer-deactivated202512]

I saw this gate while on my hike today.

[explorerrowan]

You fail to close that gate, you’re definitely letting all the fairies loose.

Listen, I don’t make the rules. Just for the love of Pete close it behind you.

[sindri42]

I feel like going around the gate is also inviting some sort of misfortune.

[jagyularr]

I present to you this relevant image from Behind You:

[gracebriarwoodwrites]

Fairy Circles

as a child i used to jump into every fairy circle and close my eyes and wait to be taken.

i give my name freely to anyone who asks  and anyone who doesn’t.

it’s no wonder  i never feel real. i must have been trapped  between realms somewhere along the way.

[vonbaghager]

A faerie introduces himself. Then, holding out a hand, asks, “And your name, please?”

And, like a fool, you give it to him.

[monstersdownthepath]

I got asked for clarification on this (but can’t reblog that particular post cuz on mobile), which I’m more than happy to provide.

In this post, a faerie is asking for ‘your’ name. The way he is wording it, however, and the accompanying beckoning motion, makes it seem as though he is asking for you to physically hand your name over. Which, because of how some faeries operate, he is.

In this instance, saying your name aloud to the fae would be literally giving your name over to him, the exact consequences of which are left up to the imagination–usually, a fae even knowing your name gives it some measure of power over you, but giving something your name would likely let it completely take over your life.

In this instance, the wording you want to use is something like “I will not give you my name, but I will tell you that it’s [name].” Alternately, you can just lie to him.

[ayellowbirds]

Might i suggest the less direct yet still name-preserving “you may call me…”? It dodges the request while still giving an answer of a name, which does not even have to be yours, but any name you feel like telling the fae they can use to refer to you. I would recommend “Ainsel”.

[prokopetz]

Basically, busting into a thread about fairies and going “THAT DOESN’T WORK BECAUSE IF YOU EAT FAIRY FOOD THE FAIRY OWNS YOU” is like busting into a thread about robots and going “THAT DOESN’T WORK BECAUSE IT’S AGAINST THE THREE LAWS OF ROBOTICS” – i.e., you’re treating an idiosyncratic feature of one specific storytelling tradition as though it’s a universal law, and you’re probably misunderstanding it to boot.

[dukeofriven]

However, if you burst into a thread about robots aggrieved that the laws of the Fæ are going unobserved - or, conversely, if you feel the Æs Sídhe are dabbling in forces not three laws safe - I am deeply interested and wish to hear more on the subject.

[unpromptly]

no. 191

“You say I can not be trusted? I follow rules; you have simply not bothered to learn them.” The fae’s lip curled in disgust as they added, “And you humans may do anything. Breaking oaths and blatant betrayals, and yet you hardly ever pay for it.”

“What are you–jealous?”

“Furious,” came the cold correction.

[laurasimonsdaughter]

The idea of fae leaving their own children behind as changelings always makes me sad and recently I stumbled upon the first story where the fae mother seems to agree with me!

It’s from Lady Wilde’s Ancient Legends of Ireland (1888) and it tells of two fae stealing into a house with a hairy little fairy child in their arms. Even though the parents wake up, they are not in time to save their child from being taken. The changeling is left in its place and the poor parents weep and wail until suddenly a young woman rushes in and asks them why they are crying.

They show her the changeling and to their surprise the strange woman laughs with joy. She tells them that this is her own dear child, stolen from her because her fellow fae under the hill would rather have the beautiful human child. “But after all, I would rather have my own, ugly as he is, than any mortal child in the world.” She promises the human parents that if they let her have her baby back she will help win back their own.

The three parents strike a deal and both children end up safe and sound where they belong and the kind fae leaves the parents with this advice:

“But mind, take good care of him after, and tie a nail from a horseshoe round his neck, and then he will be safe.”

[moon-lightfaerie]

Interacting With the Fae!

Going along my path of working with the Fair Folk, I have tweaked some of my own guidelines when interacting with them. I had a post about Faery Etiquette that I decided to remove because looking back on it, many of the tips should’ve have been elaborated on so this is my new and improved tips for interacting with faeries.Theses guidelines have come from folklore, books and my own experiences!

Expressing Gratitude 

One of the hardest things for beginner fae workers to understand is the rule of not saying “Thank You” to the Fae. There are many theorised reasons why you shouldn’t say this particular phrase because it might be taken as you are being dismissive or you admitting debt to them. Now, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be grateful towards them, instead of quickly saying “thank you”, take your time to express gratitude towards them. One method is to pay back what they have blessed you with! This means setting out an offering of small trinkets, food or drink with the intention of showing gratitude. If you find yourself unable to set aside an offering or you would rather be short and sweet, try rephrasing “Thank you” in other words like “I appreciate this gesture….” or “I’m very grateful for…”

Names

It is best to not tell the Fair Folk your full name and this goes for any spirit. Names hold power and you wouldn’t go around giving just anyone the ability to hold power over you. If you go by a name different than your birth name, I still wouldn’t give them your current name. When they ask for an introduction you can give them a nickname or false name but phrase it so you aren’t technically lying about your name, for example “You may call me *insert new name*”

Honesty and Politeness

Faeries are very different beings from us humans so you should treat them with the utmost respect as to not upset and get yourself into a tricky situation. The Fair Folk are very honest beings and respect the truth so they expect us to be just as honest as they are, so do not lie! There is the belief that fairies cannot lie but it is unsure if that is myth or not. Although the Fae are very honest, they are very skilled at twisting their words and speaking in rhymes so make sure that you do not take everything they say as the straightforward truth. I would not recommend that you try at twisting your words when talking to them because that may get you into some trouble also so it is best that you either speak the truth or keep quiet. Apologies are very important but just like the rule with “Thank you” you shouldn’t say “Sorry”!!This can also be confusing but just show your apology in different way because the phrase can be seen as lazy or dismissive so try setting out an offering to appease them.

Visiting their Realm 

If you find yourself visiting the Faerie Realm, always err on the side of caution!!!! This goes for any spirit or astral work! You are stepping into a land that is unknown to you and has many of it’s own rules and customs. Take the countries of our own realm for example, North American countries are very different when it comes to countries in Europe or Asia and it is expected when you visit a different country you try to learn and follow those customs to be polite. Be polite and respectful of the beings that live there but also be cautious of their intentions. Fae workers must realize that not all fae have good intentions but then again not all fae are malicious so be wary when interacting! When visiting have your spirit guides or a trusted fairy guide you through the realm so you don’t get into trouble. 

Food & Gifts

Many old folk tales describing interactions with the fair folk often warn against the consumption of food in the spirit realm. For example in the story of Hades and Persephone the pomegranate Persephone eats ties her to the Underworld or in Japanese legend the goddess, Izanami was trapped in the Underworld because she had consumed the food there. Folk tales from the British Isles say that the food of the Faerie realm tastes heavenly but is often  enchanted so that whoever would eat it would be placed in a trance. But who knows if these tales are true so as I said before, always be cautious with faeries. Morgan Daimler states in her book Fairycraft, that “When in the Irish Otherworld it is a bad idea to eat or drink anything, and if its offered to you find a way to very politely decline; on the other hand if in one of the Norse Fairy Worlds- ljiossalfheim or svartalfheim, for example-it is acceptable to take food and drink and is worse to refuse than accept it. Should you be in a Fairy world that is not Norse or Celtic try to learn the expected customs first..” (Daimler, 2016)

Fairy Gifts are a very tricky subject I find but here is how I go about it! Trust your intuition when accepting gifts! Declining gifts from the Fae can be considered disrespectful to them so if you receiving a gift from a trusted faery then accept but if you are unsure about the side effects of accepting then either kindly decline or accept it and cleanse the gift. Just be wary that the faery may expect something in return for the gift so be prepared to give them an offering.

-Moonlight 🌙

Sources:

Daimler, Morgan. Fairycraft: Following the Path of Fairy Witchcraft. Moon Books, 2016.