‘The Coming of Bride’ (1917)


John Duncan (1866–1945 English)

The goddess Brigid, is a triple diety of ancient Ireland, with mutltiple aspects, often presented as three sisters. As such, she is simultaneously or at different times, the goddess of healing and protection, the goddess of poetry and wisdom, and the goddess of fire, smithing and war. She is also associated with domesticated animals, the beginning of Spring and planting season,, and the Pagan festival day of Imbolc, the celestial midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.

Her names means ‘the exalted one’ and has various spellings – Brigit, Brigantia, Bride, Brid, Briginda, Brigdu, and has several modern words associated with these spellings, notably ‘Bride’, ‘Brigand’ and ‘Brigantia’…

‘Riddaren’ (Rider)
by John Bauer (1882 – 1918 Swedish)

The Púca is a fairy from older Celtic and Irish origins, with mention also throughout the British Isles. There are a lot of descriptions of encounters with púcai (plural), which can appear in many various shapes, generally animal forms with black or dark fur, but sometimes white also. They are renown shapeshifters, even assuming human figures from time to time. They also are considered both beneficial and menacing, good and bad, bringing both good fortune and ill tidings, depending on the encounter, or in other words, typical fairy mixed values.

Their primary claim to fame is that of appearing as a large, black horse and offering weary travelers a ride along the way, particularly at late evening or night. However, once the rider is seated, the Púca takes off in a wild ride….

”Morgiana Danced With Grace’
Arabian Nights’ (1928)’
by Virginia Frances Sterrett (1900-1931 American)

Virginia Frances Sterrett (1900 – 1931 American) is one of my favorite illustrators from the early 1900’s. Her stylistic illustrations capture imaginative scenes that seem to tell stories all by themselves.

She was born in 1900, Chicago, Illinois. Growing up, she was an introverted chid who preferred drawing to social interaction, so early on started developing her signature style. Preferring her own company, she also developed an expansive imagination which shows through her artwork…
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‘Moon Maiden’
Sir Frank Dicksee, P.R.A. (1853-1928 English)

This question arises from time to time, and is understandable as there is a lot of overlap between the two. However, in a short answer and in fairy speak, fairies are fairies, and ghosts are ghosts. They overlap but are not the same, but in some regards, each can be both – the ghost of a fairy, or a fairy ghost.

First let’s consider the differences between the two. To start and most obvious, fairies are alive, and ghosts are dead. While some descriptions of fairies say that fairies are the spirits of the dead, this is a very narrow definition of fairies, if at all. Fairies are many things, and can appear wispy or translucent, even invisible, and there are indeed spirit fairies,..

The Irish Fairy Book (1909)
by Alfred Perceval Graves

The Irish Fairy is a large area of study, from the Tuatha Dé Danaan and Aois Sí, to Irish mythology and fairy tales, to the puca and leprechauns. The intent of this article is not to describe the extent of the Irish Fairy, but rather to define the difference between the Irish Fairy and the fairy of Elizabethan and Germanic history.

To begin with, the primary difference is that of origin. The Irish Fairy has a very distinct beginning in Irish history, that being the landing of the Tuatha Dé Danaan on the West of Ireland around 1800 bce, that is – 4000 – 4500 years ago. As mythology describes,…

‘Butterflies’ (c 1905)’
Margaret Evans Price (1888 – 1973 American)

Earth, air, water, fire – and aether. The thought of Aether has been a long time meditation for me – what it is, is it is, as it is. Classical interpretation of it, is as the fifth element, the quintessence of the celestial sphere, or as a diety, a primordial god of Roman mythology. Or the personification of light, or energy, or the air the gods breathe, or the omnipresent light that fills the upper sky. In more modern times, scientific theory has held that aether is a hypothetical substance, through which sound travels, or light waves propagate. More modern thought holds that aether is a fundamental quantum or zero point field that permeates the universe, providing a medium for forces like gravity and electromagnetism…

‘Goblin Market’
by Warwick Goble (1862 – 1943 British)

Warwick Goble (1862 – 1943 British), a well recognized artist from the early 1900’s, published his artwork in near two dozen books and in another dozen various magazine publications in his time, primarily between 1897 – 1928, being a primary contributor to the period known as ‘The Golden Age of Illustration’. His work included painting and illustrations for all types of fairy tales, such as the well known classics ‘The Water Babies’ in 1909 and ‘The Book of Fairy Poetry’ in 1920. He also created science fiction artwork, with his most significant work being for H.G. Wells’ book ‘The War of the Worlds’ in 1898, which showcased his style and imagination early in his career and brought him both recognition and demand for his work….

‘The Moon on Musashi Plain’ (c 1892)
Art by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839 – 1892 Japanese printmaker)

I thought I would take a slight detour from Celtic studies and look at the ‘Kitsune’, the fairy fox of Japan.

The earliest reference to the term ‘kitsune’ in Japan dates back to 794, however there are much older references to magical foxes of all types in ancient Chinese and before then, Buddhist texts and stories. For instance, ‘Fox Becoming Fairy’ is a well known tale from Chinese mythology. Another is ‘The Legend of Fox Fairy Lady’ from ancient Taoism. The essence of these stories is about the journey of a fox becoming a fairy, spirit or immortal or gaining supernatural powers. In China kitsune are referred to as  ‘Huli Jing’ in China, and ‘Kumiho’ in Korea…

‘A Leprechaun’
Artist **

Leprechuans are a relatively new addition to the fairy family, with the earliest known reference to a leprechaun appearing in a medieval tale ‘Echtra Fergus mac Léti ‘ (Adventure of Fergus son of Léti’), somewhere around the eighth century. After that there is only occasional reference to leprechaun’s in Irish folklore until the eighteenth century, where the figure gained popular attention. Interestingly, the Irish writer William Butler Yeats was a primary influence in promoting the recognition of this character through his overall documentation of fairies in general.

Yeat’s described the leprechaun as a type of solitary fairy, industrious, and mischievous, and as shoemakers who..

The Frog and the Fairy
by Helen Jacobs (1888 – 1970 English)

Not all fairies are nice. Some are scary. And there are levels of ‘scariness’, from those that may give one a fright but are otherwise harmless, to those that are drenched in menace and made from the stuff of nightmares. And worst of all, there are fairies that are beautiful in their allure, and simply deadly in their actions. The Kelpie comes to mind, for example, a Scottish water spirit that inhabits rivers and lochs. It can shapeshift to a horse or beautiful woman or hairy beast, all with the intent to lure the unsuspecting into a watery grave, but not before terrorizing the poor soul. Or maybe even worse, are the fairies that can be both good and evil, to use black and white terms (which faeries are never either) so one never knows where things stand, the slow, soul eating terror of never knowing, like will one love or kill you?