Faerie Lore and Spells
Faeries are mythical beings in stories and legend and I know that there will be a few out there who, like me love the thought of Faeries, mermaids and unicorns. Some may even believe they're real, I hope they are. Here is some information I have researched about the little wonders, the Faeries.
The word Faerie comes from the Latin fata or fate. The Faerie legend comes from many p0laces including the celtic Wales, Ireland, Brittany and Cornwall.
There are several explantations for the reasons Faeries are there, some say they are natures spirits and guardians, others say they are fallen angels like Lucifer and guardians of the souls of the dead. They are invisible except to people with second sight or to those they choose to reaveal themselves to. They can shape shift into anything and live in plants or in the earth in the Land of no time. It is also said they pester people with messy houses but I think this is along the lines of
"Eat all your vegetables of the Boogy man will get you!"
They also reward mortals who help them and can be in the form of a crow when they're up to mischief.
The North European people believe Faeries to be scared of metal especially iron because they were Neathandols who ran from sword wealding invadors into the hills where they worshipped the Goddess in secrecy. (The North Europeans are intitled to this belief so I will leave them alone.) I do find it unromantic and very dull. I prefer the mystical sparkling world of the faeries we know and love. Perhaps you've read "A Midsummers Nights Dream" by William Shakespear, I thought it was very good. That has faeries in, but also an underlying hint of Wicca. Notice that Titania, Queen of the faeries is like the Goddess that was worshipped in secret as the Good faerie, the faerie godmother or Queen of the faeries! The Horned God became the Fairy King Oberon will the trickster God like Pan or Loki became Puck, one of my faveourite characters!
Another way of looking at faeries is the way of M.Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, perhaps you've read it, surely you've seen the cartoon! Well there's Tinkerbell for a start we all liked her! A bit. In the book however it says when the first baby laughed for the very first time it's laugh broke up into a thousand pieces and they became the faeries. The less weak of us will be inclined to retch at that but anyway it's a cute thing to say and another suggestion to put on the back burner of Faerie myth. Children have claimed to see faeries and in 1917 cousins Frances Griffiths aged 11 and Elsie Wright aged 16 took photos of faeries in a glen in Cottingley which experts like Kodak and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle said had to be genuine, for young girls to fake these photos was impossible. 80 years later they addmitted 4 of the photos were faked but Frances says one was real, Elsie says all were fake but the faeries were in the glen. Is it the childs active imagination that sees these faeries or is is dragonflies, butterflies that she believes are faeries. We do not know, things can seem so real to a child and not be but adults can close their mind to the possibiltiy of things beyond reasoning. I must admit that despite being a witch and witnessing magick I am very sceptical.
Another well known Faerie woven seamlessly into our world is the immortal tooth faerie, sorry to shatter anyone's dreams but it's your parents. I know because 1: I read it in the Beano and 2: I lost a tooth and didn't tell them and it was still under my pillow in the morning. This faerie comes from the belief that witches would take the childs hair clipping or teeth and use it to harm them, with the amount of child deaths in those days it's not suprising they needed someone to blame and who better than the good old witches!! They used to keep the childs first tooth and first lock of hair all their life so that when they died they could have a complete body with them in the coffin. It's used these days as a way to compensate the child for the pain of losing their teeth. Who can be sad for long when your parents say.
"Oh, you've lost a tooth, you'll be getting a visit from the tooth faerie tonight then and you'll get a present!"
Another faerie story is a prank they used to pull often (apparantly) and that was to swap babies for their own babies called changlings. The changling would be ugly and misshapen and not grow and cry all the time. In the days when this was believed the poor diets would acount for stunted growth, the poor conditions account for the crying and...well some babys are just born ugly!! The method of stopping this changling was to make it laugh or whip it. A man was taken to court because he and his family and his servants had reapeatedly beaten their baby and left it outside to live on it's own. His defence was "It's a changling" so of course the jury did what jurys do when given that response....they dropped the case!!
Different Types Of Faerie Folk
There are two main types of faeries. One sort is the nation of faeries with a King and Queen who live in Faerieland where there is no concept of time and no-one grows old or dies (must be crowded!) The other sort is single faeries that attach themselves to a household they like and move in.
Brownies
From Scotland, they're a friendly species of faerie folk that help around the house when the people sleep.
Elves
Said to have no souls. The elf myth came from Germany and are mischivious but can be helpful to those they think deserve it.
Land Wights or Landvaetir
These are gaurdians of the Earth. They are known in Northern Europe and Iceland where cartain fields and hills were sacred. So sacred no living thing or plant could be destroyed upon the sacred ground and you weren't allowed to look at the hallowed area with and unwashed face! The faeries there also did a bit of night traveller protecting too!
Goblins and Gnomes
Both are bad tempered creatures who were originally French household spirits. They like to live in dark places, but can be helpful around houses, especially thoses attached to a work place. Gnomes are fond of mines and like working underground digging for treasure.
Leprechauns
They come from Ireland, are 60cm (2 feet) high, work as shoe makers and are very wealthy. (Who found this out I wonder and did they use a ruler?) They can be mean with their money and have crocks of gold that they will not give up (see the film "The Leprechaun") They often bury their gold at the end of a rainbow and dissapear at the slightest disturbance. (They have been also known to endorse cereal 'Lucky Charms'-joke!)
Dwarfs
Famous in Snow White because there's 7 of them! They are good blacksmiths and skilled at baking, tailoring and making prophecies. They can appear and disappear at will and love parties. They do give good advice but can nick your jewellry! If a dwarf likes you he amy give you a present which turns to gold. They usually live in caves and are the gaurdians of precious minerals and metals.
The Will o' the Wisp or Friar's Lanthorn
This is not a faerie at all according to scientists, this flame like phosphorescence floating over marshy ground is due to the spontaneous combustion of decaying vegetable matter. Folklore however says that Will o' the wisps guard lost treasures, they elude all who attempt to follow them and many who have tried have died. (Probably because it's a marsh!!)
Trolls
They can be dwarfs or giants and live in caves by the sea or in mountains. Fishermen are terrified of them. The Norweigan composer Grieg immortalized them with the "Hall of the Mountain King" in his Peer Gynt Suite.
Beliefs about Faeries
If food is left on the table all night the little people will take it and bring good fortune to the house. To bring about a good year leave food on the table at New Years when everyone's gone to bed.
Protecting your home with Faeries
If you have a garden plant small trees in each corner, or potted plants in their pots in each corner, or large round stones in each corner, the latter can be used indoors if no garden is available. Oak, ash and hawthorn are good plants. You can plave them in a circle or two either side of your front and back entrances and one in each corner of your garden. The choice is yours. At duskm whenever you leave home, or whenever you feel vunerable visualize the calm, wise brown faces of the faeries peering at you from the plants or stones.each morning offer a small flower to them. Plant a clear quartz crystal in each pot or white stones to give energy to your guardians.
Using a Gnome to help you
Buy or make a garden gnome and put him in your garden. Write your financial or practicle problem on a piece of orange paper and wrap it around a coin (the value doesn't matter) and bury it at his feet as the sun sets. Leave a dish of water and a dish of seeds there also. On the fifth day you will receive the answer to your problems from an unexpected source. Faerie Rings
I've actually seen some, what they are is a circle in grass that stands out from the rest of the grass because of fungi underneath it. It is said that is you dance round one 9 times on a full moon you'll be able to see faeries but if you do it on May Eve or All Hallows Eve they'll be offended and punish you. Notes
A Hawthorn is a faerie plant and two oaks next to each other is said to be a gate way to a faerie world. Blowing dandylion seeds help faeries on their way (but also annoy gardeners and farmers!)
As for now this is all the faerie information I have but check back and there may be more!!
