As a person who wrote a MA thesis on Irish fairy lore let me tell you a thing or 34 about authentic “fairies” in #irishfolklore . A thread 1/20

First and foremost, they do divide into two large groups but not in the way you might think. First is the group of creatures whose description was heavily influenced by Christianity. These are Fallen Angels (Aingil an Uabhair, Angels of Pride) in their origin 2/20

This is common in some European regions with similar creatures (Scotland, Denmark). The second source is the veneration of the dead. In legends we see either direct mention of “fairies” being souls of the dead or those creatures mention being known by someone still alive. 3/20

Then goes the name. As you can see up to this point I put “fairies” in the quotation marks. It’s because Irish “fairies” rarely have a name in a common sense. The word “fairy” comes with English language books and we might say language colonisation 4/20

So what is the proper appellation for this creatures? Do you think that the words like “bear” or “squirrel” are the names for the respective animals? Nope, wrong. These are descriptive words for venerated / feared / sacred animals in order not to name them and enrage 5/20

Bear is a *bero ‘brown one’ and squirrel is a *skiouros ‘shadow-tailed’. Feared creatures should not have a name, only description (he-who-must… you got the idea). The same is with Irish “fairies”. Incredibly rare we see proper names such as 6/20

Maireog Mhór, Banríon slóite na Binne Buí agus Pollan an Raithnigh ‘Maireog the Great, Queen of the host of BB and PaR’. In all other cases the names of the creatures are descriptive. There are three most common names among others: bunadh na gcnoc ‘the hill-folk’, 7/20

Na daoine beaga ‘the small people’, and na daoine maithe ‘the good people’. All others can be variations of these two. There is, however, a problem of an slua ‘the host’ who can be originally a separate entity considering their aggressive nature and army-like description 8/20

When people try to divide these creatures into categories according to their behaviour, they fail miserably. It’s because they live their separate complex lives and could be both malevolent or benevolent at the same time (even within one narrative). 9/20

They could save lives, feed the poor, cure diseases, save poitín makers from the police, but at the same time steal the cattle, grains, children, women, lead people astray. In many cases behaviour is explained through a violation of a taboo (not to cut a lone standing tree 10/20

Not to walk alone in the night, not to leave a child alone), but in many more they act on their own out of their desire (to eat, to enrich their white blood (angels) with the red one to sign their names and enter the Heaven) 11/20

As for their habitat. As one of the most common names/descriptions suggest (na gcnoc ‘of the hills’) they indeed reside underground in the hills/mounds but not only. It seems, their whole world is underground with hills being just entry points 12/20

As we have texts of people building cattle barns and the creatures coming to them to complain that the sewage seeps through their ceiling. Other entry points could be located in the cliffs for creatures met in the sea. 13/20

It seems, these creatures have a parallel economy. While we unsure if they produce anything, people eat and drink abundantly inside the hills. Theft might be their primary source of livelihood since they are known to steal cattle and grains. 14/20

Moreover, spilled milk is supposed to be their request for this beverage and poitín makers and fishermen were supposed to give first drops of alcohol to the creatures 15/20

Another popular misconception of Irish “fairies” also came from bookish culture. In the majority of texts people didn’t understand they were dealing with the otherworldly creatures until something strange happened or someone told them so 16/20

While one of the most common adjectives accompanying descriptions is beag ‘small’, and we indeed have texts about creatures the size of a fist delaying a priest or a children-sized creatures playing hurling, this is not the commonest view of them 17/20

Unless it was mentioned specifically, these creatures presented themselves as adult sized normal people (theory about the veneration of the dead explains this perfectly) 18/20

One of the most productive times to meet them is after dawn, evening and night + Cross-quarter days (Oíche Shamhna, 31 Oct; Lá Lúnasa, 1 Aug; Lá Bealtaine, 1 May, not Lá Fhéile Bríde, it seems, though for obvious reasons). Where? Everywhere! 19/20

This concludes this tiny thread leaving much of the genesis and functions out. The End. 20/20