Immigrate to Ireland to learn about Irish culture: In the ancient legends and romantic literature of Ireland, there are mentions of some of the earliest inhabitants known as the Tuatha Dé Danann, a tribe of renowned magicians.
Legend has it that this primitive tribe was defeated in war by the Gaels and Celts and stripped of their possessions. In later legends, the Tuatha Dé Danann were also referred to as the fairy folk, whose hidden and mysterious way of life left a profound impression on their conquerors, who firmly believed they were supernatural beings.
Early Irish beliefs held that after the Tuatha Dé Danann were defeated, they fled to underground tombs for refuge, with each fairy ruling over their own territory centered around the location of their burial site, much like chieftains ruled in the world above. Gradually, these ancient tombs were seen as entrances to an underground kingdom filled with endless light and joy, where these fairies lived carefree, detached from life and death.
The origin of fairies in Norse mythology states that they were transformed from the maggots on the corpse of the giant Ymir; in Christianity, there is another origin story. According to Icelandic legend, one day when Eve was washing her children by the river, God came to speak to her.
Out of fear of God, Eve hid the unwashed children. God asked Eve if all her children were there, to which Eve replied yes. Therefore, God said: “Eve has hidden her children from me, so those hidden children shall also be hidden from mankind and shall not live among humans.” Thus, those children became fairies, residing in the countries of the Scandinavian Peninsula, and their descendants became the shadow folk.
On the Isle of Man, people believe that fairies are the souls of unbaptized children. In other places, some believe that fairies are fallen angels, or that when some pagans died, their good deeds were insufficient to allow them to ascend to heaven, but their sins were not enough to find a place in hell, so they settled in between, becoming fairies.
However, most of these accounts emerged after Christianity spread to the West. Nevertheless, various legends about fairies began circulating long before the spread of Christianity, making the earliest tales of fairy origins untraceable.
Early Irish novels by writers indicate that the fairy tribe was not a fanciful creation of mythological figures, but rather a real group possessing supernatural powers. Although records of the fairy tribe are sparse, it is clear that they are mentioned in ancient Celtic myths (such as King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table) and have been passed down to this day, with their legends confirmed.
In the latter type of fairy legends, these fairies are mostly described as extremely small, with males only 4 feet tall, and females even smaller. They typically wear green clothing, and males sometimes don cone-shaped red hats. Fairies generally reside in mounds among green hills and forests.
When their “houses” are stepped on, they may even appear to peek out. They exhibit human-like “gratitude” or “an eye for an eye.” These fairies enjoy displaying luxury, often dressing in gaudy finery.
It is generally believed that fairies use stone arrows and live by their craft, excelling particularly in blacksmithing and weaving. They are skilled with hammers and anvils, but puzzlingly, despite their excellent weaving skills, they must rely on stealing wool and borrowing looms to work. In fact, these fairies often engage in petty theft, possessing some minor flaws in character.
Strong evidence has long been believed to exist in certain special areas of the islands where indigenous peoples (Ireland, Wales, and the Scottish Highlands) reside, where locals generally believe in the evil beings of myth, thinking they harm livestock and cause illnesses in children, thus they invoke mythological figures to ward off disasters, who would store small bullets, thunderstones, etc. However, it is now difficult to find a direct relationship between the two, as the pure-blooded indigenous people have essentially become extinct.
The Sámi people once believed in a type of fairy they called saivo-vare, living deep in the mountains. These fairies lived similarly to them, but had reached a more perfect state and lived happier lives. They were lavish and skilled in magic.
In contrast, the Sámi considered themselves impoverished and lowly, needing the guidance and help of these fairies. Some Sámi have had experiences of contact with these fairies, receiving warm hospitality, drinking, singing, and dancing with them. Some even spent weeks with the fairies, truly encountering legendary figures and receiving their advice and teachings.
When a Sámi reaches adulthood, they eagerly wish to enter those mountains to receive the protection and help of the fairies. They marked the places where fairies might reside with primitive stones and wood, making them sacred sites.
During festivals or times of disaster, they would hold ceremonies, dressed in their finest, offering sacrifices, worshiping, or seeking the protection of the fairies. These markers or “sacred sites” are found everywhere, and some believe that these saivo-vare fairies are not divine but merely ancestors of the Sámi beautified through legend.
Most of the information about fairy legends comes from folklore, which has been passed down almost entirely through oral tradition. Over time, many embellishments have been added by individuals with different narrative habits and memory abilities, making it difficult to summarize the true facts based on these possibly distorted legends.
The fairy realm seems far away, like on the other side of the horizon, yet sometimes it feels as close as beneath our feet. Although fairies may constantly migrate, there are periods when people believe that the fairy realm has a real geographical location.
For example, the Welsh initially believed the fairy realm was to the north of their mountains, then it shifted to the mysterious, mist-filled Pembrokeshire Peninsula, and finally moved to the islands near the Irish Sea. Sailors have witnessed the fairy realm several times and even set foot on it, but it always mysteriously disappears.
The fairy realm seems far away, like on the other side of the horizon, yet sometimes it feels as close as beneath our feet. Nevertheless, fairies in the realm occasionally disguise themselves as customers, appearing in markets in Larne and Milford Haven.
The Irish refer to that phantom-like island as “Hy-Brasil.” The British believe the Isle of Man is the fairy realm, and it is indeed a small island filled with fairy legends and literature. The legendary Avalon may also be a fairy island, described by 17th-century poet John Lyly as the “fairy-crowned king” Arthur, who was taken to Avalon after suffering a fatal wound, guarded by four fairies.
It is said that King Arthur still sleeps in the fairy valley with his Knights of the Round Table, waiting to awaken when his strength is needed again to rule the British Isles.