Don’t you wish you could step into another world just by crossing a threshold? Fairies don’t have to wish.
Fairies are deceptive little creatures. In Irish folklore, they are tricksters and part of the Sidhe. The Sidhe are a spirit race once considered angels cast out by Divine command because of their pride. There are land Fairies that live in the clefts of hills and sea Fairies that live in crystal palaces under the waves.
These Sidhe love to dance and make music in their beautiful palaces, but they also love to tempt mankind with the false glitter of pleasure. They often sleep under the hawthorn trees, so be sure to avoid them when you visit. According to Lady Jane Francesca Agnes Wilde, Oscar Wilde’s mother, Fairies can assume all forms and will not know death until the last days. They are passionate, revengeful and not easy to live with. The Irish believed Fairies stole away their children, so they thought it best to let Fairies be.
The Sidhe live in Otherworld, a mirror world to Ireland, and travel by gates between the two worlds. Otherworld was created by the Tuatha De’ Denann, or the ancient deities of Ireland. Some historians believe they were the Celts. The old gods were chased from Middleworld when the Sons of Mill came in their boats from Iberia or Hispania.
Gates appear all over Ireland. They can be caves, old burial mounds, or small little doors along a path used for a “walk around.” Often, they are the openings of souterrains, or tunnels dug out as hiding places from the Vikings. The Vikings first raided Ireland in 795. To protect their flocks and families, Irish farmers dug tunnels so narrow that only one person could enter at a time. This gave them the advantage, easily picking off the raiders as they entered. Many have collapsed by now, but their openings hold mystery that calls out to the adventurous.
Lady Jane Francesca Agnes Wilde’s book, “Ancient Legends of Ireland”, was published in 1887. Being a proud Irishwoman, she believed it was her duty to preserve Irish folklore and myth.