The Faery Lineage and Irish Mythology — The Seelie Court

Some versions of Irish mythology have the Daoine Sidhe eventually divide into two groups: the Seelie Court and the Unseelie Court. Though this separation is more commonly seen in Scottish mythology, Ireland also adopted this division. The Seelie Court was considered to be the blessed or holy court. They were often said to be the ‘good’ faeries, but Irish mythology is rarely that clear cut.

Characteristics of the Seelie Court

Sometimes called the ‘Blessed Ones,’ the Seelie were often depicted as a procession of brilliant light riding on the night air. The Seelie Court, as a group, would often use these excursions to find those in need of help. However, their form of help was sometimes closer to mischief.

The Seelie Court were considered the true aristocrats of the Daoine Sidhe. They were judges, dispensing justice to the other faery when it was required, and served as frequent arbitrators of the many faery quarrels. The Seelie Court was very political, complete with cliques, factions, gossiping, and rivalry.

Those of the Seelie Court tended towards harmony and happiness. It was their way to help humans, and to seek help from them in return. They always gave full warning when someone offended them, and when a human did them a kindness, they made every effort to return this favor. The Seelie were more inclined to towards good than evil. If give the choice between the two, there was never any doubt that they would choose good. They worked together in constructive ways for the benefit of all.

None of this means that they were entirely benign. Any of the faery, including the Seelie, would seek vengeance for an insult, if an insult were perceived. Though not malicious, they would defend themselves against any threat, and even go to war if need be. The Seelie were also prone to a great deal of mischief, especially when bored. However, their pranks rarely caused true harm, for the Seelie were really very fond of humans.

The Code of the Seelie Court

Like many human courts, the Seelie Court had its own code of conduct, a code which all of the Seelie had to abide by. This code was:

• Death Before Dishonor: A member of the Seelie Court would protect his or her honor to the death. Honor was the single source of glory for the Seelie, the only way to attain recognition. A true Seelie would rather have died than live with personal dishonor, and would never bring dishonor to another of the Seelie.
• Love Conquers All: For the Seelie, love was the perfect expression of the soul. It transcended all other things. Though romantic love was considered to be the highest and purest form of love, platonic love was also encouraged.
• Beauty is Life: Beauty was one of the first tenants of the Seelie Court. To belong, a faery had to be beautiful, and all beauty was to be protected. The Seelie were known to go to war to protect beauty, whether it was a beautiful person, place, or thing.
• Never Forget a Debt: This tenant worked in two ways. The Seelie were bound by their code of honor to repay any debt owed as soon as was possible. This included both favors and insults. The Seelie would repay a favor in a timely fashion. At the same time, they would exact vengeance almost immediately.

The Seelie Court was said to be a beautiful and benevolent place. It is no wonder that the people of Ireland and Scotland often appealed to the Seelie for help and advice. In time, however, the people turned away from the Daoine Sidhe and its Courts, seeking newer incarnations of the Faery Lineage, such as the Heroic Faery.

The Faery Lineage and Irish Mythology — The Unseelie Court

The Unseelie Court is a deeply routed part of both Irish and Scottish mythology . They are a part of the Daoine Sidhe, and the polar opposite of the Seelie Court. Where the Seelie Court was considered to be holy and blessed, the Unseelie court was better described as unholy. Sometimes, the Unseelie were even referred to as damned.

Characteristics of the Unseelie Court

Often called the ‘Unblessed Ones,’ the Unseelie were depicted as a dark cloud riding upon the wind. Though not necessarily evil, they were far from kind. These unsavory characters tended towards evil and were often malignant. Some legends claim that the Unseelie were fallen Seelie, those who could not live up to the strict standards of chivalry of the shining court.

Unlike the Seelie Court, the Unseelie did not need a reason to assault and harm humans. They would do so purely for entertainment, often just to be malicious. It is impossible to classify the Unseelie as truly evil, however, as they did sometimes offer aid to humans. But when offered a choice between doing good or doing evil, the Unseelie would almost always s choose evil.

The Code of the Unseelie Court

Like many human courts, the Unseelie Court had its own code of conduct, a code which all of the Unseelie had to abide by. The details of this code were:

• Change is Good: The Unseelie firmly believed that security was an illusion. They considered chaos to be the ruling force in the universe, and accepted that they had to adapt and change to survive.
• Glamour is Free: Glamour was the magick of the Daoine Sidhe. Both the Seelie and Unseelie possessed its power. However, the two Courts had differing opinions over its use. The Unseelie believed that to have power and not to use it was near to sin. They used their power for whatever they saw fit.
• Honor is a Lie: The Unseelie placed no stock in the ideals of honor. Instead, they pursued their own self-interests vigorously. The Unseelie felt as if truth could be only be reach through a devotion to self, not a devotion to others.
• Passion Before Duty: Passion was considered to be the truest state of being. The Unseelie acted without thought on pure instinct and passion. They valued fun over all other things.

The Unseelie Court was said to be a dark and frightening place. The people of Ireland and Scotland fled in fear before them. However, as time passed, the power of the Unseelie diminished, the Faery Lineage continued to evolve, and the Daoine Sidhe and their Courts became the Heroic Faery.

The Faery Lineage and Irish Mythology — The Jacobean Fairy

The end of the Elizabethan era saw many changes in European society, resulting in corresponding changes in the Faery Lineage. The Elizabethan Fairy shrank further in size, and became more dangerous. This darker fairy, making its first appearance in the 17th century, became known as the Jacobean Fairy.

The Nature of the Jacobean Fairy

The Puritans classified all fairies as devils, claiming that they were creatures of the purest evil. However, most people in the 17th century regarded them as more maliciously mischievous than truly evil. The general populace felt that they were to avoided, not because they were evil, but because they might cause difficulties for the humans who encountered them.

The Jacobean Fairy was so minute as to be almost invisible. Some of them were said to be no bigger than microbes. Their small size was one of the reasons they were said to be malicious. They were thought to be jealous of humans and their naturally large stature.

This envy sometimes turned into something more sinister. Though unlikely to attack humans directly, they had no qualms about causing indirect harm or even death. Tales of will-o-wisps and fairies leading travelers to their deaths in the swamps and bogs of Ireland abound during the 16th and 17th centuries. Similar stories can be found throughout Europe.

The Powers of the Jacobean Fairy

The Jacobean Fairy were said to have many powers. They could affect the seasons, controlling when the seasons changed. The fairies could turn a good harvest into dust. They could withhold the spring rains, causing drought. And in some cases, they were credited with prolonging the winter, causing starvation when the food ran out.

The Jacobean Fairy had power over unborn children. They could influence children still in the womb, encouraging them towards the ideals of the fairy. Sometimes, they would even steal human children, replacing them with changelings.

As the 18th century arrived, the nature of the fairy changed once again. The Jacobean Fairy lost its tendency towards evil, and reconnected with the powers of nature. As this happened, the Faery Lineage split into the Flower Fairy and the Folk Tale Fairy.

The Faery Lineage and Irish Mythology — The Elizabethan Fairy

The birth of the Elizabethan era saw the death of the romantic warriors of the Daoine Sidhe. Even the gentle kindness of the Diminutive Fairy had begun to disappear. The fair became mischievous, pesky, and even bothersome, at least among the general populace. Appearing in the 16th century, this new fairy eventually came to be known as the Elizabethan Fairy.

The Nature of the Elizabethan Fairy

The physical appearance of the standard modern fairy has its roots in Elizabethan times. Elizabethan Fairies were tiny little things, often no bigger than a thumbnail, though sometimes as large as a clutched first. They occasionally had gossamer wings, and were usually described as being female. Often lovelier than any human woman, these fairies tended to wear little in the way of clothing.

The Elizabethan Fairy were not seen as evil. However, they were considered pests and most regular citizens went to great lengths to avoid contact with these beings of myth and legend. It was said that these fairies would torment humans for simple entertainment, though they did not typically seek to harm. Harm would instead happen by accident.

The Elizabethan Fairy in Literature

The fairy ladies of eras past were no longer in style by the 16th century. Nymphs, brownies, hobgoblins, and the classic fairy with gossamer wings become popular in tales and stories. Common literature of the time was suddenly flooded with references to these mythological creatures.

The writers of the age supplied the very first look into the social structure of the tiny fairy. Individual writers chose different traits to emphasize, but on the whole, they managed to give a literary version of the fairy and its social life. The Elizabethan Faeries were seen as living in a monarchy, almost a parody of the monarchies present throughout the British Isles and various other areas of Western Europe.

By this point in time, Ireland was not at all isolated from the rest of Europe. English influences had become a part of Irish life. This was true of literature as well. The social structure of the fairies of the 16th century was immortalized by William Shakespeare in his A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This had a major impact on how the populace of Europe as a whole viewed the fairy, including the Irish, who had traditionally worshipped the Tuatha De Danann.

Shakespeare crafted a story where the interactions of various fairies and their leaders, King Oberon and Queen Titania, shows them to be somewhat organized, passionate, and rather bothersome to the humans they encounter. This version of what fairies could and might be persisted for many years, and is still a part of modern folk tales. When these types of tales were immortalized in literature, the very fabric of belief, myth, and legend in Ireland was altered forever.

Following the Elizabethan era, a time of repression hit most of Europe. The fairy evolved with the changing morals and values of the people. England grew more puritan, as did much of Western Europe, and the fairy came to be regarded as a more evil being. The Jacobean Fairy was born as the Faery Lineage continued to develop.