{"id":3710,"date":"2010-06-01T01:10:26","date_gmt":"2010-06-01T06:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=3769"},"modified":"2010-05-25T14:48:27","modified_gmt":"2010-05-25T19:48:27","slug":"faeries-elves-and-other-kin-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2010\/06\/01\/faeries-elves-and-other-kin-12\/","title":{"rendered":"Faeries, Elves, and Other Kin"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

Midsummer Eve:\u00a0 Second Faerie Festival of the Year<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

By<\/span><\/p>\n

Kat Cranston<\/span><\/p>\n

Midsummer Eve, also known as Litha, Samradh, Alban Hefin, Aerra Litha, Mother Night, and St. John\u2019s Eve, is the second of the three yearly Faerie Realm festivals.\u00a0 This sabbat is tied to the Summer Solstice, which occurs on 21 June in the Northern Hemisphere this year.\u00a0 The other two faerie festivals occur on May Eve and November Eve (Samhain). <\/span><\/p>\n

Midsummer Eve is a sabbat that has a lot of faerie lore attached to it.\u00a0 This is the time when entrance to the faerie realm is easiest and faerie mounds are practically \u201copen to the public!\u201d\u00a0 Faerie powers are at their strongest, and they are frolicsome and very merry, dancing around bonfires, singing and cavorting with abandon. <\/span><\/p>\n

Seeing Faeries <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Midsummer Eve at dusk, especially if the moon is full, is precisely the best time for viewing faeries\u2014if you have their favor or they wish to procure your services. Oak, ash and thorn make up the faerie tree triad of Britain, and where they grow together one can see faeries.\u00a0 Here is a recipe from the\u00a016th<\/sup> century that, when rubbed on the eyelids, will help one to gain faerie sight:<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Take a pint of sallet oyle and put it into a vial glasse; and first wash it with rose-water and marigold-water; the flowers to be gathered toward the east.\u00a0 Wash it until the oyle becomes white, then put into the glasse, and then put thereto the budds of young hazle, and the thyme must be gathered near the side of a hill where fairies use to be; and take the grasse of a fairie throne; then all these put into the oyle in the glasse and sette it to dissolve three days in the sunne and keep it for thy use.<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Note that there are several varieties of flowers that go by the name of \u201cmarigold.\u201d\u00a0 The marigold referred to in this recipe is the pot marigold, also known as calendula and\u00a0native to the European continent, and not to be confused with the common marigold, or tagetes,\u00a0native to the American continent. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember to prepare and set out an offering so they will not feel you are infringing on their privacy and whatever you do, look only!\u00a0 Faeries can be dangerous and they are capable of playing all kinds of tricks ranging from innocent pranks to inflicting death.\u00a0 Faerie morality is high unpredictable.<\/span><\/p>\n

Protective Measures<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

To gain protection from the faerie tricks and mischief, you should jump the ritual Midsummer Eve bonfire and drive your herds (or better yet, walk with your children) between two bonfires.\u00a0 To increase the fire\u2019s protection, add the herb St. John\u2019s Wort, which is in full bloom this time of year.\u00a0 Place St. John\u2019s Wort over your doorway or weave it into a garland with marigolds and ivy, then put it around the neck of any farm animals you possess.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t feel like you\u2019ve done enough, take your protective measures further by following this description of London written by historian John Stow in 1598:<\/span><\/p>\n

Every man\u2019s door was shaded with green birch, fennel, St. John\u2019s Wort, orpin, white lilies, and the like, ornamented with garlands of beautiful flowers.\u00a0 They\u2026had also lamps of glass with oil burning in them all night; and some of them hung out branches of iron, curiously wrought, containing hundreds of lamps lighted at once, which made a splendid appearance.<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Steer Clear<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

An Irish faerie that changes shape from a very wide man in a high hat and scarf to a beast or bearded sheep, the Amad\u00e1n-na-Briona, also known as The Fool of the Forth, is very dangerous.\u00a0 His mere touch causes an incurable madness or death.\u00a0 He is very active the entire month of June with Midsummer being especially provocative.\u00a0 If you meet him, shout, \u201cThe Lord be between us and harm,\u201d otherwise as the Irish say, \u201cTo meet the Amad\u00e1n is to be in prison forever.\u201d\u00a0 Look for him to knock on your door late at night or pop up from behind a hedge.<\/span><\/p>\n

A German faerie that loves to create elflocks in people\u2019s hair and beards, the Pilwiz can become dangerous if you trespass in its mountainous lands and it shoots you with an elfbolt.\u00a0 Worse still, the Pilwiz is a thief, raiding cornfields at night.\u00a0 If you can catch the Pilwiz in the act of thievery at noon on Midsummer Day, the Pilwiz will die for a year.\u00a0 However, if the Pilwiz sees you first, you will die.\u00a0 There are less dangerous means of dealing with a Pilwiz and if one plagues you, I urge you not to take this risk.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Shetland faerie with an aversion to sunlight, Trows, also called Night Stealers or Creepers, live in mounds amongst vast treasure hoards.\u00a0 At Midsummer, the music-loving Trows contort their squat and misshaped bodies in a crouching and hopping dance called henking<\/em>.\u00a0 Trows engage in kidnapping children and leaving changelings in their place, so it\u2019s best not to spend too much time in their company, although they also are fond of giving gifts of money to humans who please them, especially fiddlers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Faerie Paths<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Folklore has well documented the existence of faerie paths; dire were the consequences to those who built a human structure on one.\u00a0 Invisible to the human eye, one way to check a site to ensure it would not impede any faerie traffic was to nail down four hazel branches, one each at the four corners of the proposed structure, and see if the branches were disturbed the next morning.\u00a0 If they were, the verdict was in and construction was wisely abandoned.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you see a procession of lights moving in a direct line from one faerie mound to another on Midsummer Eve, the faeries are on the move along a faerie path.\u00a0 They are on their way to visit their neighbors for a grand Midsummer Eve party, or they are pulling out and moving to a new location.\u00a0 Either way, don\u2019t risk getting in their way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Faerie Brides<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Midsummer Eve is when male fae are wont to steal away pretty, human girls to become their brides.\u00a0 They often appear as tall, dark, noble looking men that charm the desired girl, dancing with her all night long.\u00a0 The next day the girl, imbued with inhuman, ethereal grace and beauty, will begin to waste away, becoming more beautiful each day, until she dies.\u00a0 Her soul then travels to Tir Na Og, where it is always summer, and she becomes the bride of her faerie sweetheart.\u00a0 Such marriages are accompanied by rigorous taboos and conditions, such as the fairy husband must not be looked upon on certain days nor struck a certain number of times nor touched by the bride with iron.\u00a0 If the faerie husband abandons his human wife, she will waste away and die\u2026again.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dressing of Wells<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The faeries that guard and are responsible for the well-being of fountains, wells, springs, streams and brooks are the naiads.\u00a0 These faeries may appear in the guise of a fish, a frog, a mermaid, a winged serpent, or even a fly.<\/span><\/p>\n

To honor and appease these guardians, place garlands of flowers, ribbons and other finery around the well at Midsummer.\u00a0 First, approach the well from the east and walk about it sunwise three times.\u00a0 You may also toss offerings of pins or coins into the well.\u00a0 This will ensure that the water runs fresh and clean for another year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Battle of the Kings<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

At Midsummer, the sun seems to stand still, for this is the longest day and shortest night of the year.\u00a0 From this time onwards, the days gradually grow shorter again.\u00a0 Although they are not typical faeries, yet neither are they Gods, the Kings of Oak and Holly meet at Midsummer to battle for their kingship.\u00a0 The Holly King defeats the Oak King and begins his six-month reign until the two Kings meet again at Yule.\u00a0 These foliate Kings share many aspects of the Horned God and the Green Man of forest, both of which are dedicated to the preservation of nature, as are the fae.\u00a0 For lovers of the fae to include and honor these two mighty forces in their Midsummer celebration is wholly appropriate. <\/span><\/p>\n

Bibliography and Works Cited\/Recommended Reading:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Kowalchik, C. and Hylton, W.H. Editors, Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs<\/em> , Rodale Books, 1998, p. 60<\/span><\/li>\n
  • McCoy, Edain, A Witch\u2019s Guide to Faery Folk<\/em>, Llewellyn Publications, 2006<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Ellis, Jeanette, Forbidden Rites: Your Complete Introduction to Traditional Witchcraft<\/em>, O Books, 2009, p. 151<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Lenihan, Eddie, Meeting the Other Crowd<\/em>, Penguin Putman Inc., 2003<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Franklin, Anna, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Fairies, <\/em> Paper Tiger, 2002<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Franklin, Anna, Working With Fairies: Magick, Spells, Potions & Recipes to Attract & See Them<\/em>, New Page Books, 2005<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Briggs, Katharine, An Encyclopedia of Fairies<\/em>, Pantheon Books, 1976<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Midsummer Eve:\u00a0 Second Faerie Festival of the Year By Kat Cranston Midsummer Eve, also known as Litha, Samradh, Alban Hefin, Aerra Litha, Mother Night, and St. John\u2019s Eve, is the second of the three yearly Faerie Realm festivals.\u00a0 This sabbat is tied to the Summer Solstice, which occurs on 21 June in the Northern Hemisphere this year.\u00a0 The other two faerie festivals occur on May Eve and November Eve (Samhain). Midsummer Eve is a sabbat that has a lot of faerie lore attached to it.\u00a0 This is the time when entrance to the faerie realm is easiest and faerie mounds are practically \u201copen to the public!\u201d\u00a0 Faerie powers are at their strongest, and they are frolicsome and very merry, dancing around bonfires, singing and cavorting with abandon. Seeing Faeries Midsummer Eve at dusk, especially if the moon is full, is precisely the best time for viewing faeries\u2014if you have their favor or they wish to procure your services. Oak, ash and thorn make up the faerie tree triad of Britain, and where they grow together one can see faeries.\u00a0 Here is a recipe from the\u00a016th century that, when rubbed on the eyelids, will help one to gain faerie sight: Take a pint of sallet oyle and put it into a vial glasse; and first wash it with rose-water and marigold-water; the flowers to be gathered toward the east.\u00a0 Wash it until the oyle becomes white, then put into the glasse, and then put thereto the budds of young hazle, and the thyme must be gathered near the side of a hill where fairies use to be; and take the grasse of a fairie throne; then all these put into the oyle in the glasse and sette it to dissolve three days in the sunne and keep it for thy use. Note that there are several varieties of flowers that go by the name of \u201cmarigold.\u201d\u00a0 The marigold referred to in this recipe is the pot marigold, also known as calendula and\u00a0native to the European continent, and not to be confused with the common marigold, or tagetes,\u00a0native to the American continent. Remember to prepare and set out an offering so they will not feel you are infringing on their privacy and whatever you do, look only!\u00a0 Faeries can be dangerous and they are capable of playing all kinds of tricks ranging from innocent pranks to inflicting death.\u00a0 Faerie morality is high unpredictable. Protective Measures To gain protection from the faerie tricks and mischief, you should jump the ritual Midsummer Eve bonfire and drive your herds (or better yet, walk with your children) between two bonfires.\u00a0 To increase the fire\u2019s protection, add the herb St. John\u2019s Wort, which is in full bloom this time of year.\u00a0 Place St. John\u2019s Wort over your doorway or weave it into a garland with marigolds and ivy, then put it around the neck of any farm animals you possess.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t feel like you\u2019ve done enough, take your protective measures further by following this description of London written by historian John Stow in 1598: Every man\u2019s door was shaded with green birch, fennel, St. John\u2019s Wort, orpin, white lilies, and the like, ornamented with garlands of beautiful flowers.\u00a0 They\u2026had also lamps of glass with oil burning in them all night; and some of them hung out branches of iron, curiously wrought, containing hundreds of lamps lighted at once, which made a splendid appearance. Steer Clear An Irish faerie that changes shape from a very wide man in a high hat and scarf to a beast or bearded sheep, the Amad\u00e1n-na-Briona, also known as The Fool of the Forth, is very dangerous.\u00a0 His mere touch causes an incurable madness or death.\u00a0 He is very active the entire month of June with Midsummer being especially provocative.\u00a0 If you meet him, shout, \u201cThe Lord be between us and harm,\u201d otherwise as the Irish say, \u201cTo meet the Amad\u00e1n is to be in prison forever.\u201d\u00a0 Look for him to knock on your door late at night or pop up from behind a hedge. A German faerie that loves to create elflocks in people\u2019s hair and beards, the Pilwiz can become dangerous if you trespass in its mountainous lands and it shoots you with an elfbolt.\u00a0 Worse still, the Pilwiz is a thief, raiding cornfields at night.\u00a0 If you can catch the Pilwiz in the act of thievery at noon on Midsummer Day, the Pilwiz will die for a year.\u00a0 However, if the Pilwiz sees you first, you will die.\u00a0 There are less dangerous means of dealing with a Pilwiz and if one plagues you, I urge you not to take this risk. A Shetland faerie with an aversion to sunlight, Trows, also called Night Stealers or Creepers, live in mounds amongst vast treasure hoards.\u00a0 At Midsummer, the music-loving Trows contort their squat and misshaped bodies in a crouching and hopping dance called henking.\u00a0 Trows engage in kidnapping children and leaving changelings in their place, so it\u2019s best not to spend too much time in their company, although they also are fond of giving gifts of money to humans who please them, especially fiddlers. Faerie Paths Folklore has well documented the existence of faerie paths; dire were the consequences to those who built a human structure on one.\u00a0 Invisible to the human eye, one way to check a site to ensure it would not impede any faerie traffic was to nail down four hazel branches, one each at the four corners of the proposed structure, and see if the branches were disturbed the next morning.\u00a0 If they were, the verdict was in and construction was wisely abandoned. If you see a procession of lights moving in a direct line from one faerie mound to another on Midsummer Eve, the faeries are on the move along a faerie path.\u00a0 They are on their way to visit their neighbors for a grand Midsummer Eve party, or they are pulling out and moving to a new location.\u00a0 Either way, don\u2019t risk getting in their way. Faerie Brides Midsummer Eve is when male fae are wont to steal away pretty, human girls to become their brides.\u00a0 They often appear as tall, dark, noble looking men that charm the desired girl, dancing with her all night long.\u00a0 The next day the girl, imbued with inhuman, ethereal grace and beauty, will begin to waste away, becoming more beautiful each day, until she dies.\u00a0 Her soul then travels to Tir Na Og, where it is always summer, and she becomes the bride of her faerie sweetheart.\u00a0 Such marriages are accompanied by rigorous taboos and conditions, such as the fairy husband must not be looked upon on certain days nor struck a certain number of times nor touched by the bride with iron.\u00a0 If the faerie husband abandons his human wife, she will waste away and die\u2026again. Dressing of Wells The faeries that guard and are responsible for the well-being of fountains, wells, springs, streams and brooks are the naiads.\u00a0 These faeries may appear in the guise of a fish, a frog, a mermaid, a winged serpent, or even a fly. To honor and appease these guardians, place garlands of flowers, ribbons and other finery around the well at Midsummer.\u00a0 First, approach the well from the east and walk about it sunwise three times.\u00a0 You may also toss offerings of pins or coins into the well.\u00a0 This will ensure that the water runs fresh and clean for another year. Battle of the Kings At Midsummer, the sun seems to stand still, for this is the longest day and shortest night of the year.\u00a0 From this time onwards, the days gradually grow shorter again.\u00a0 Although they are not typical faeries, yet neither are they Gods, the Kings of Oak and Holly meet at Midsummer to battle for their kingship.\u00a0 The Holly King defeats the Oak King and begins his six-month reign until the two Kings meet again at Yule.\u00a0 These foliate Kings share many aspects of the Horned God and the Green Man of forest, both of which are dedicated to the preservation of nature, as are the fae.\u00a0 For lovers of the fae to include and honor these two mighty forces in their Midsummer celebration is wholly appropriate. Bibliography and Works Cited\/Recommended Reading: Kowalchik, C. and Hylton, W.H. Editors, Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs , Rodale Books, 1998, p. 60 McCoy, Edain, A Witch\u2019s Guide to Faery Folk, Llewellyn Publications, 2006 Ellis, Jeanette, Forbidden Rites: Your Complete Introduction to Traditional Witchcraft, O Books, 2009, p. 151 Lenihan, Eddie, Meeting the Other Crowd, Penguin Putman Inc., 2003 Franklin, Anna, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Fairies, Paper Tiger, 2002 Franklin, Anna, Working With Fairies: Magick, Spells, Potions & Recipes to Attract & See Them, New Page Books, 2005 Briggs, Katharine, An Encyclopedia of Fairies, Pantheon Books, 1976<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":71,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/71"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3710\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}