I Am Summer

[cyanide-chicken]

oberon ~ commissions are open! | print | instagram

[danskjavlarna]

“The princess who understood magic,” from Queen Mab’s Fairy Realm, 1901.

[tolkienillustrations]

Daeron by Elena Kukanova

And when beneath their ancient light on Earth below was cloudless night, music in Doriath awoke, and there beneath the branching oak, or seated on the beech-leaves brown, Daeron the dark with ferny crown played on his pipes with elvish art unbearable by mortal heart.

[stephenearp]

Realm boundary wall.

[artofmaquenda]

Don't follow the lights

[lagaleriapopurri]

Kim Youngiu

[seelie-of-the-moorland-deactiva]

Wild hunt by Velamir

[rosacarolina]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

[cordeliacvrstairs]

the land of fairy, where nobody gets old and godly and grave, where nobody gets old and crafty and wise, where nobody gets old and bitter of tongue.

[shumahammatwinss]

[0thello]

Centaur in Love (illustration), 1987

Featured in German art magazine.

[worldofcelts]

The Four Treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann - Excerpt from Leabhar Buidhe Lecain (Yellow Book of Lecan)

Tuath De Danand na set soim. Cait a fuaradar fogloim? Do rangadar suigecht slan A n-druigecht , a n-diabaldan. Iardanel find, faith co feib, Mac Nemid, mac Agnomain , D’ar mac baeth Beothach bertach, Ba loech leothach, lanfhertach. Clanna Beothaich, — beoda a m-blad — Rangadar sluag niath nertmar, Iar snim is iar toirrsi truim, Lin a loingsi co Lochluinn. Ceithri cathracha,— clu cert — Gabsad a rem co ronert. Do curdis comlann co cas Is d’foglaim a fireolas. Failias ocus Goirias glan, Findias, Murias na morgal, O maitea madmann amach, Anmanna na n-ardchathrach. Morfis ocus Erus ard, Uscias is Semiath sirgarg, Re n-garmand, — luag a leasa — Anmann suad a s-sarfeasa . Morfis fili a Failias fen, Esrus a Gorias, germen, Semiath a Murias, dind dias, Uscias fili find Findias. Ceithri h-aisceda leo anall, D’uaislib Tuaithi De Danand: Claideb, cloch, coiri cumal, Sleag ri h-aidid ardcurad. Lia Fail a Failias anall, Gesed fo rigaib Erend. Claideb lama Loga luidh A Goirias, — roga rocruid. A Findias tar fairrgi i fad Tucad sleg nemneach Nuadat. A Murias, main adbol oll, Coiri in Dagda na n-ardglond. Ri Nime, Ri na fer fand, Ro-m-aince, Rig na rigrand, Fear ca fuil fulang na fuath, Ocus cumang na caemtuath.

Tuata.

Finit.

Translation:

“The Tuatha Dé Danann of the precious jewels, Where did they find learning? They came upon perfect wisdom In druidism, in devilry.

Fair Iarbhoneal, prophet of excellence, Son of Neimheadh, son of Aghnamhan, Had as a foolish offspring the active Beothach, Who was a hero of cleaving, full of wonders.

Clann Bheothach, – long-lived their fame – The host of valiant heroes came, After sorrow and after great sadness, All their ships to Lochlainn.

Four cities, – just their renown – They held with great strength. On this account they passionately made competition For learning their true wisdom.

Fálias and bright Goirias, Fionnias, Muirias of great prowess, From which battles were won outside, The names of the chief cities.

Mórfheasa and noble Easras, Uiscias and Séimhias ever-fierce, To name them, – a discourse of need – The names of the sages of noble wisdom.

Mórfheasa the poet of Fálias itself, Easras in Goirias, of keen desires, Séimhias in Muirias, fortress of pinnacles, Uiscias the fair poet of Fionnias.

Four presents brought with them, By the nobles of the Tuatha Dé Danann: A sword, a stone, a cauldron of worth, A spear for the death of noble champions.

Lia Fáil brought from Fálias, Which shouted under the kings of Ireland. Sword in the hand of the nimble Lúgh From Goirias, – a choice of vast riches.

From Fionnias far over the sea Was brought the deadly spear of Nuadha. From Muirias, a huge mighty treasure, Cauldron of the Daghdha of noble deeds.

King of Heaven, King of feeble men, May he protect me, King of royal regions, The man in whom is the endurance of spectres, And the strength of the gentle race.”

Tuatha.

[Tuatha Dé Danann]

End.”

From the publication, “The four jewels of the Tuatha Dé Danann”, edited and translated by Vernam Hull,  Zeitschrift für Celtische Philologie, Vol. 18 (1930). Some of the translated text revised and updated by ASF, using modern Irish nomenclature where appropriate.

Article source: An Sionnach Fionn

[worldofcelts]

“Despite their defeat, the Tuatha De still retained the power of their magic arts and they deprived the Gaels of their corn and milk until they forced them to come to terms. It was then decided that the country should be divided into two parts, the lower half going to the Tuatha De and the upper half to the Gaels. Thus the Tuatha De retired underground and the Daghdha assigned to each of their chiefs a sidh or “fairy mound,” and throughout the countryside such mounds are still regarded as the special dwelling places of the fairy people. Already in the late seventh century a clerical biographer of St. Patrick refers to the “sidh or gods who dwell in the earth”, thus evidently taking taking for granted the tradition that placed the native gods under the earth’s surface.”

— Celtic Mythology by Proinsias Mac Cana (via eibhlincatha)

[tikkety-tok]

[lailoken]

The Gwragedd Annwn

“The Gwragedd Annwn (literally, wives of the other world, lower world, or hell) are the elfin dames who dwell under the water. I find no resemblance in the Welsh fairy to our familiar mermaid, beyond the watery abode, and the sometimes winning ways. Gwragedd Annwn are not fishy of aspect, nor do they dwell in the sea. Their haunt is the lakes and rivers, but especially the wild and lonely lakes upon the mountain heights. These romantic sheets are surrounded with numberless superstitions, which will be further treated of. In the realm of faerie they serve as avenues of communication between this world and the lower one of annwn, the shadowy domain presided over by Gwyn ap Nudd, king of the fairies. This sub-aqueous realm is peopled by those children of mystery termed Plant Annwn [Children of the Otherworld,] and the belief is current among the inhabitants of the Welsh mountains that the Gwragedd Annwn still occasionally visit this upper world of ours.

The only reference to Welsh mermaids I have either read or heard is contained in Drayton's account of the Battle of Agincourt. There it is mentioned, among the armorial ensigns of the counties of Wales: ‘As Cardigan, the next to them that went, Came with a mermaid sitting on a rock.’

Crumlyn Lake, near the quaint village of Briton Ferry, is one of the many in Wales which are a resort of the elfin dames. It is also believed that a large town lies swallowed up there, and that the Gwragedd Annwn have turned the submerged walls to use as the superstructure of their fairy palaces. Some claim to have seen the towers of beautiful castles lifting their battlements beneath the surface of the dark waters, and fairy bells are at times heard ringing from these towers. The way the elfin dames first came to dwell there was this: A long, ay, a very long time ago, St. Patrick came over from Ireland on a visit to St. David of Wales, just to say 'Sut yr y'ch chwi?' (How d’ye do?); and as they were strolling by this lake conversing on religious topics in a friendly manner, some Welsh people who had ascertained that it was St. Patrick, and being angry at him for leaving Cambria for Erin, began to abuse him in the Welsh language, his native tongue. Of course such an insult could not go unpunished, and St. Patrick caused his villifiers to be transformed into fishes; but some of them being females, were converted into fairies instead. It is also related that the sun, on account of this insolence to so holy a man, never shed its life-giving rays upon the dark waters of this picturesque lake, except during one week of the year. This legend and these magical details are equally well accredited to various other lakes, among them Llyn Barfog, near Aberdovey, the town whose 'bells' are celebrated in immortal song.”

—

British Goblins

by Wirt Sikes, 1880

[purple-faerie]

[purple-faerie]