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{{Redirect|Sidhe}}
{{Redirect|Sidhe}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2015}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2015}}
{{Culture of Ireland}}
[[File:Riders of th Sidhe (big).jpg|thumb|upright=1.7|''Riders of the Sidhe'' (1911), painting by [[John Duncan (painter)|John Duncan]]]]
[[File:Riders of th Sidhe (big).jpg|thumb|upright=1.7|''Riders of the Sidhe'' (1911), painting by [[John Duncan (painter)|John Duncan]]]]
{{Culture of Ireland}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2013}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}


'''''{{lang|ga|Aos sí}}''''' ({{IPA-ga|iːsˠ ˈʃiː|pron}}; older form: {{lang|ga|'''aes sídhe'''}} {{IPA-ga|eːsˠ ˈʃiːə|}}) is the [[Irish language|Irish]] name for a [[supernatural]] race in [[Celtic mythology]] – '''''{{lang|gd|daoine sìth}}''''' in [[Scottish Gaelic]] – comparable to [[fairy|fairies]] or [[elf|elves]]. They are said to descend from the [[Tuatha Dé Danann]], meaning the "People of [[Danu (Irish goddess)|Danu]]", depending on the [[Abrahamic religion|Abrahamic]] or [[pagan]] tradition.<ref name="croker">{{cite book| last = Croker| first = T. Crofton| editor = Thomas Wright| year = 2001| title = Fairy Legends and the Traditions of the South of Ireland| publisher = Scholars' Facsimiles & Reprints| location = Ann Arbor| isbn = 0-8201-1535-5}}</ref>
'''''{{lang|ga|Aos sí}}''''' ({{IPA-ga|iːsˠ ˈʃiː|pron}}; English approximation: {{IPAc-en|i:|s|_|ˈ|ʃ|i:}} {{respell|eess|_|SHEE}}; older form: {{lang|ga|'''aes sídhe'''}} {{IPA-ga|eːsˠ ˈʃiːə|}}) is the [[Irish language|Irish]] name for a [[supernatural]] race in [[Celtic mythology|Gaelic folklore]], similar to [[elf|elves]]. They are said to descend from the [[Tuatha Dé Danann]] or the gods of [[Irish mythology]].<ref name="croker">{{cite book |last=Croker |first=T. Crofton |editor=Thomas Wright |date=2001 |title=Fairy Legends and the Traditions of the South of Ireland |publisher=Scholars' Facsimiles & Reprints |location=Ann Arbor |isbn=0-8201-1535-5}}</ref>


The name ''aos sí'' means "folk of the ''sí''"; these are the [[burial mound]]s in which they are said to dwell, which are seen as portals to an [[Celtic Otherworld|Otherworld]]. Such abodes are referred to in English as 'shee', 'fairy mounds', 'elf mounds' or 'hollow hills'. The ''aos sí'' interact with humans and the human world. They are variously said to be the ancestors, the spirits of nature, or goddesses and gods.<ref name="Wentz">[[Walter Evans-Wentz|Evans Wentz, W. Y.]] (1966, 1990) [http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/ffcc/ The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries]. Gerrards Cross, Colin Smythe Humanities Press {{ISBN|0-901072-51-6}}</ref>
The ''aos sí'' are said to live underground in [[fairy fort]]s, across the Western sea, or in an invisible world that co-exists with the world of humans. This world is described in the ''[[Lebor Gabála Érenn]]'' as a [[Parallel universe (fiction)|parallel universe]] in which the ''aos sí'' walk among the living.


In [[modern Irish]] the people of the mounds are also called '''''daoine sí'''''; in Scottish Gaelic they are called '''''daoine sìth'''''<ref>{{cite book |last=Dwelly |first=Edward |title=Faclair Gàidhlìg air son nan sgoiltean : le dealbhan, agus a h-uile facal anns na faclairean Gàidhlig eile .. |date=1902 |place=Herne Bay|publisher=E. MacDonald|page=846 |url=https://archive.org/details/faclairgidhl03dweluoft |access-date=29 August 2022}} </ref> (in both cases, it means "people of the fairy mound").<ref>James MacKillop, ''A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998), s.v. ''daoine sídhe''.</ref> They are variously said to be the ancestors, the spirits of nature, or goddesses and gods.<ref name=Wentz>[[Walter Evans-Wentz|Evans Wentz, W. Y.]] (1966, 1990) [http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/ffcc/ The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries]. Gerrards Cross, Colin Smythe Humanities Press {{ISBN|0-901072-51-6}}</ref>
In modern Irish, they are also called '''''daoine sí'''''; in Scottish Gaelic '''''daoine sìth'''''<ref>{{cite book |last=Dwelly |first=Edward |title=Faclair Gàidhlìg air son nan sgoiltean: Le dealbhan, agus a h-uile facal anns na faclairean Gàidhlig eile |date=1902 |place=Herne Bay |publisher=E. MacDonald |page=846 |url=https://archive.org/details/faclairgidhl03dweluoft |access-date=29 August 2022}}</ref> ('folk of the fairy mounds').<ref>James MacKillop, ''A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998), s.v. ''daoine sídhe''.</ref>


==Etymology==
==Etymology==
In the [[Irish language]], ''aos sí'' means "people of the fairy mounds", as "[[#The sídhe|''sídhe'']]" means the Otherworldly mounds or hills. In modern Irish, the word is ''sí''; in Scottish Gaelic, ''sìth''; in Old Irish, ''síde'', and the singular is ''síd''.<ref name="DIL">[[Dictionary of the Irish Language]]: ''[http://www.dil.ie/37441 síd, síth]''</ref>
In the [[Irish language]], ''aos sí'', earlier ''aes sídhe'', means "folk of the fairy mounds". In [[Old Irish]], it was ''áes síde''.<ref name="DIL">[[Dictionary of the Irish Language]]: ''[http://www.dil.ie/37441 síd, síth]''</ref> The word ''sí'' or ''sídh'' in Irish means a fairy mound or ancient burial mound, which were seen as portals to an [[Celtic Otherworld|Otherworld]]. It is derived from [[proto-Celtic]] ''*sīdos'' ('abode'), and is related to the English words 'seat' and 'settle'.<ref name="Williams 30">{{cite book |last=Williams |first=Mark |title=Ireland's Immortals: A History of the Gods of Irish Myth |year=2018 |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |isbn=9781400883325 |oclc=1100668003 |pages=30-31}}</ref>


David Fitzgerald conjectured that the word ''sídh'' was synonymous with "immortal" and is compared with words such as ''sídsat'' ("they wait/remain"), ''síthbeo'' ("lasting"), ''sídhbuan'' ("perpetual"), and ''sídhbe'' ("long life"). In most of the tales concerning the ''sí'', a great age or long life is implied.<ref name="sidhe">{{cite book |last1=Fitzgerald |first1=David |title=Popular Tales of Ireland |date=1880 |publisher=Revue Celtique |pages=174–176 |url=https://archive.org/details/revueceltiqu04pari/page/174/mode/2up?view=theater |access-date=6 November 2021}}</ref>
By the time of the [[Celtic Revival]], when the “[[#Creideamh Sí|Fairy Faith]]” became a topic for English and English-language authors, ''sidhe'' in its various forms, with various meanings, became a [[loanword]] into English and took on a variety of, often inaccurate, meanings.


==In medieval literature==
===The sídhe===
In medieval Irish literature, the names ''aes síde'' and ''fír síde'' (folk of the ''síd'') are equivalent to the terms ''[[Tuath Dé]]'' and ''Tuatha Dé Danann''. The only difference is that ''Tuath Dé'' tends to be used in contexts of legendary history and mythology.<ref name="Carey">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Tuath Dé |encyclopedia=Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia |year=2006 |last=Carey |first=John |author-link=John Carey (Celticist) |editor-last=Koch |editor-first=John T. |editor-link=John T. Koch |publisher=[[ABC-Clio]] |isbn=9781851094400 |oclc=62381207 |pages=1693-1697}}</ref>
The ''Sídhe'' are the hills or [[Tumulus#Ireland|tumuli]] that dot the Irish landscape. In modern Irish the word is ''sí''; in Scottish Gaelic, ''sìth''; in Old Irish ''síde'' and the singular is ''síd''.<ref name="DIL">[[Dictionary of the Irish Language]]: ''[http://www.dil.ie/37441 síd, síth]''</ref> In a number of later, English-language texts, the word ''sídhe'' is incorrectly used both for the mounds and the people of the mounds. For example [[W. B. Yeats]], writing in 1908, referred to the ''aos sí'' simply as "the ''sídhe''".<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Collected Works in Verse and Prose of William Butler Yeats|last=Yeats|first=William Butler|author-link=W. B. Yeats|year=1908|page=3|publisher=Shakespeare Head|place=Stratford-on-Avon, UK|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1pcnAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA227 }}</ref> However ''sidh'' in older texts refers specifically to "the palaces, courts, halls or residences" of the otherworldly beings that supposedly inhabit them.<ref>O'Curry, E., Lectures on Manuscript Materials, Dublin 1861, p. 504, quoted by Evans-Wentz 1966, p. 291</ref> The fact that many of these ''sídhe'' have been found to be ancient burial mounds has contributed to the theory that the ''aos sí'' were the pre-Celtic occupants of Ireland.


Writing in the 7th century, the Irish bishop [[Tírechán]] described the ''sídh'' folk as "earthly gods" ({{langx|la|dei terreni}}).<ref name="Carey"/> The 8th century ''Fiacc's Hymn'' says that the Irish adored the ''sídh'' folk before the coming of [[Saint Patrick]].<ref name="Carey"/>
David Fitzgerald conjectured that the word ''sídh'' was synonymous with "immortal," and is compared with words such as ''sídsat'' "they wait/remain," ''síthbeo'' "lasting," ''sídhbuan'' "perpetual," and ''sídhbe'' "long life." In most of the tales concerning the ''sí'' a great age or long life is implied.<ref name="sidhe">{{cite book |last1=Fitzgerald |first1=David |title=Popular Tales of Ireland |date=1880 |publisher=Revue Celtique |pages=174–176 |url=https://archive.org/details/revueceltiqu04pari/page/174/mode/2up?view=theater |access-date=6 November 2021}}</ref>


==In Irish folklore==
==In Irish folklore==
Due to the oral nature of Irish folklore, the exact origins of the fairies are not well defined. There are enough stories to support two possible origins. The fairies could either be [[fallen angel]]s or the descendants of the [[Tuatha Dé Danann]]; in the latter case, this is equivalent with ''aos ''.<ref>{{cite book| last = Yeates| first = W. B.| year = 1977| title = Fairy and Folk Tales of Ireland| publisher = Collin Smythe Gerrards Cross| location = Buckinghamshire| isbn = 0-900675-59-4}}</ref> In the former case, it is said that the fairies are angels who have fallen from heaven, but whose sins were not great enough to warrant hell.<ref name="croker" />
In many [[Gael]]ic tales, the ''aos sí'' are later, literary versions of the [[Tuatha Dé Danann]] ("People of the [[Danu (Irish goddess)|Goddess Danu]]")—the deities and deified ancestors of [[Irish mythology]]. Some sources describe them as the survivors of the Tuatha Dé Danann who retreated into the [[Otherworld]] when fleeing the mortal Sons of [[Míl Espáine]] who, like many other early invaders of Ireland, came from Iberia. As part of the terms of their surrender to the [[Milesians (Irish)|Milesians]], the [[Tuatha Dé Danann]] agreed to retreat and dwell underground. (In later interpretations, each tribe of the Tuatha Dé Danann was given its own mound.) [[Geoffrey Keating]], an Irish historian of the early 17th century, equates Iberia with the Land of the Dead, providing a possible connection to the ''aos sí.''


In many [[Gael]]ic tales, the ''aos sí'' are later literary versions of the [[Tuatha Dé Danann]] ("People of the [[Danu (Irish goddess)|Goddess Danu]]")—the deities and deified ancestors of [[Irish mythology]]. Some sources describe them as the survivors of the Tuatha Dé Danann who retreated into the [[Otherworld]] when fleeing the mortal Sons of [[Míl Espáine]] who, like many other early invaders of Ireland, came from Iberia. As part of the terms of their surrender to the [[Milesians (Irish)|Milesians]], the [[Tuatha Dé Danann]] agreed to retreat and dwell underground.
In folk belief and practice, the ''aos sí'' are often appeased with offerings, and care is taken to avoid angering or insulting them. Often they are not named directly, but rather spoken of as "The Good Neighbours", "The Fair Folk", or simply "The Folk". The most common names for them, ''aos sí'', ''aes sídhe'', ''daoine sídhe'' (singular ''duine sídhe'') and ''daoine sìth'' mean, literally, "people of the mounds" (referring to the ''sídhe''). The ''aos sí'' are generally described as stunningly beautiful, though they can also be terrible and hideous.


In folk belief and practice, the ''aos sí'' are often appeased with offerings and care is taken to avoid angering or insulting them. Often, they are not named directly, but rather spoken of as "The Good Neighbours", "The Fair Folk", or simply "The Folk". The most common names for them, ''aos sí'', ''aes sídhe'', ''daoine sídhe'' (singular ''duine sídhe'') and ''daoine sìth'' mean, literally, "people of the mounds" (referring to the ''sídhe''). The ''aos sí'' are generally described as stunningly beautiful, though they can also be terrible and hideous.
''Aos sí'' are seen as fierce guardians of their abodes —whether a fairy hill, a [[fairy ring]], a special tree (often a [[Crataegus monogyna|hawthorn]]) or a particular [[loch]] or wood. It is believed that infringing on these spaces will cause the ''aos sí'' to retaliate in an effort to remove the people or objects that invaded their homes. Many of these tales contribute to the [[changeling]] myth in [[Western Europe|west European]] [[folklore]], with the ''aos sí'' kidnapping trespassers or replacing their children with changelings as a punishment for transgressing. The ''aos sí'' are often connected to certain times of year and hours; as the [[Tír na nÓg|Gaelic Otherworld]] is believed to come closer to the mortal world at the times of dusk and dawn, the ''aos sí'' correspondingly become easier to encounter. Some festivals such as [[Samhain]], [[Bealtaine]] and [[Midsummer]] are also associated with the ''aos sí.''


''Aos sí'' are seen as fierce guardians of their abodes—whether a fairy hill, a [[fairy ring]], a special tree (often a [[Crataegus monogyna|hawthorn]]) or a particular [[loch]] or wood. It is believed that infringing on these spaces will cause the ''aos sí'' to retaliate in an effort to remove the people or objects that invaded their homes. Many of these tales contribute to the [[changeling]] myth in [[Western Europe|west European]] [[folklore]], with the ''aos sí'' kidnapping trespassers or replacing their children with changelings as a punishment for transgressing. The ''aos sí'' are often connected to certain times of year and hours; as the [[Tír na nÓg|Gaelic Otherworld]] is believed to come closer to the mortal world at the times of dusk and dawn, the ''aos sí'' correspondingly become easier to encounter. Some festivals such as [[Samhain]], [[Bealtaine]] and [[Midsummer]] are also associated with the ''aos sí.''
===Alternate names in Irish folklore===

===The ''sídhe''===
A ''sídh'' (anglicized 'shee') is burial mound ([[Tumulus#Ireland|tumuli]]) associated with the ''aos sí''. In modern Irish, the word is ''sí'' (plural ''síthe''); in Scottish Gaelic it is ''sìth'' (plural ''sìthean''); in Old Irish it is ''síd'' (plural ''síde'').<ref name="DIL" /> These ''sídhe'' are referred to in English as 'fairy mounds', 'elf mounds' or 'hollow hills'.<ref name="Williams 30"/>

In some later English-language texts, the word ''sídhe'' is incorrectly used both for the mounds and the people of the mounds. For example, [[W. B. Yeats]], writing in 1908, referred to the ''aos sí'' simply as "the ''sídhe''".<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Collected Works in Verse and Prose of William Butler Yeats|last=Yeats|first=William Butler|author-link=W. B. Yeats|year=1908|page=3|publisher=Shakespeare Head|place=Stratford-on-Avon, UK|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1pcnAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA227 }}</ref> However, ''sidh'' in older texts refers specifically to "the palaces, courts, halls or residences" of the otherworldly beings that supposedly inhabit them.<ref>O'Curry, E., Lectures on Manuscript Materials, Dublin 1861, p. 504, quoted by Evans-Wentz 1966, p. 291</ref>

===Other names in Irish folklore===
The ''Aos sí'' are known by many names in Ireland, among them:<ref name="sidhe" />
The ''Aos sí'' are known by many names in Ireland, among them:<ref name="sidhe" />
* ''Aingil Anúabhair'': "Proud angels"
* ''Aingil Anúabhair'': "Proud angels"
* ''Daoine Uaisle': "The noble folk"
* ''Daoine Uaisle': "The noble folk"
* ''Daoine maithe'': "Good people"
* ''Daoine maithe'': "Good people"
* ''Deamhna Aerig'': "Air demons"
* ''Deamhan Aerig'': "Air demons"
* ''Dream Anúabhair'': "Excessively proud [people]"
* ''Dream Anúabhair'': "Excessively proud [people]"
* ''Sídhfir'': "fairy men"
* ''Sídhfir'': "fairy men"
* ''Sídheógaídhe'': "Little fairies"
* ''Sídheógaídhe'': "Young Moundlings"
* ''Slúagh Cille'': "Host of the churchyard"
* ''Slúagh Cille'': "Host of the churchyard"
* ''Slúagh na Marbh'': "Host of the dead"
* ''Slúagh na Marbh'': "Host of the dead"
* ''Slúagh Sídhe'': "fairy host"
* ''Slúagh Sídhe'': "Mound host"
* ''Slúagh-Sídhe-Thúatha-Dé-Danann'': "fairy host of the Túatha Dé Danann"
* ''Slúagh-Sídhe-Thúatha-Dé-Danann'': "Mound host of the Túatha Dé Danann"
* ''na Uaisle'': "The noble" or "The gentry"
* ''na Uaisle'': "The noble" or "The gentry"

==Daoine maithe==
'''Daoine maithe''' is [[Irish language|Irish]] for "the good people", which is a popular term used to refer to the [[fairies]] in Irish [[folklore]]. Due to the oral nature of Irish folklore the exact origins of the fairies is not well defined. There are stories enough to support two possible origins. The fairies could either be [[fallen angel]]s or the descendants of the [[Tuatha Dé Danann]]; in the latter case this is equivalent with ''Aos ''.<ref name="yeates">{{cite book| last = Yeates| first = W. B.| year = 1977| title = Fairy and Folk Tales of Ireland| publisher = Collin Smythe Gerrards Cross| location = Buckinghamshire| isbn = 0-900675-59-4}}</ref> In the former case, it is said that the fairies are angels who have fallen from heaven, but whose sins were not great enough to warrant hell.<ref name="croker">{{cite book| last = Croker| first = T. Crofton| editor = Thomas Wright| year = 2001| title = Fairy Legends and the Traditions of the South of Ireland| publisher = Scholars' Facsimiles & Reprints| location = Ann Arbor| isbn = 0-8201-1535-5}}</ref>

They are generally human-like, though there are exceptions such as the ''[[púca]]'' and the [[mermaid]]. The defining features of the Irish fairies are their supernatural abilities and their temperament. If treated with respect and kindness, Irish fairies can be quite benevolent; however, if they are mistreated they will react cruelly.


==Types==
==Types==
The [[banshee]] or ''bean sídhe'' (from {{lang-sga|ban síde}}), which means "woman of the ''sídhe''",<ref name=DIL2>[[Dictionary of the Irish Language]]: ''[http://www.dil.ie/37441 síd, síth]'' and ''[http://www.dil.ie/5644 ben]''</ref> has come to indicate any supernatural woman of Ireland who announces a coming death by wailing and [[keening]]. Her counterpart in [[Scottish mythology]] is the ''bean sìth'' (sometimes spelled ''bean-sìdh''). Other varieties of ''aos sí'' and ''daoine sìth'' include the Scottish ''[[bean nighe]]'': the washerwoman who is seen washing the bloody clothing or [[armour]] of the person who is doomed to die; the ''[[leanan sídhe]]'': the "fairy lover"; the ''[[cat sìth]]'': a fairy cat; and the ''[[Cù Sìth]]'': fairy dog.
The [[banshee]] or ''bean sídhe'' (from {{langx|sga|ban síde}}), which means "woman of the ''sídhe''",<ref>[[Dictionary of the Irish Language]]: ''[http://www.dil.ie/37441 síd, síth]'' and ''[http://www.dil.ie/5644 ben]''</ref> has come to indicate any supernatural woman of Ireland who announces a coming death by wailing and [[keening]]. Her counterpart in [[Scottish mythology]] is the ''bean sìth'' (sometimes spelled ''bean-sìdh''). Other varieties of ''aos sí'' and ''daoine sìth'' include the Scottish ''[[bean-nighe]]'' (the washerwoman who is seen washing the bloody clothing or [[armour]] of the person who is doomed to die), the ''[[leanan sídhe]]'' (the "fairy lover"), the ''[[cat-sìth]]'' (a fairy cat), and the ''[[cù-sìth]]'' (a fairy dog).


The ''[[Sluagh|sluagh sídhe]]'' "the fairy host" — is sometimes depicted in Irish and Scottish lore as a crowd of airborne spirits, perhaps the cursed, evil or restless dead. The ''siabhra'' (anglicised as "sheevra"), may be a type of these lesser spirits, prone to evil and mischief.<ref name="síabair">MacKillop, James (2004) ''[http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-sabair.html Dictionary of Celtic Mythology]''</ref><ref name=siabra>Joyce, P.W. [https://archive.org/details/asocialhistorya00joycgoog/page/n301 <!-- pg=271 --> ''A Social History of Ancient Ireland''], Vol. 1, p. 271</ref> However, an [[Ulster]] folk song also uses "sheevra" simply to mean "spirit" or "fairy".<ref name=Gartan>[http://my.montana.net/aliceflynn/gartan.html "The Gartan Mother's Lullaby"] published 1904 in ''The Songs of Uladh'', lyrics by Seosamh MacCathmhaoil (Joseph Campbell)</ref>
The ''[[Sluagh|sluagh sídhe]]''—"the fairy host"—is sometimes depicted in Irish and Scottish lore as a crowd of airborne spirits, perhaps the cursed, evil or restless dead. The ''siabhra'' (anglicised as "sheevra"), may be a type of these lesser spirits, prone to evil and mischief.<ref>MacKillop, James (2004) ''[http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-sabair.html Dictionary of Celtic Mythology]''</ref><ref>Joyce, P.W. [https://archive.org/details/asocialhistorya00joycgoog/page/n301 <!-- pg=271 --> ''A Social History of Ancient Ireland''], Vol. 1, p. 271</ref> However, an [[Ulster]] folk song also uses "sheevra" simply to mean "spirit" or "fairy".<ref>[http://my.montana.net/aliceflynn/gartan.html "The Gartan Mother's Lullaby"] published 1904 in ''The Songs of Uladh'', lyrics by Seosamh MacCathmhaoil (Joseph Campbell)</ref>


===List===
===List===
Line 59: Line 61:
* [[Abarta]]
* [[Abarta]]
* [[Abhartach]]
* [[Abhartach]]
* [[Alp-luachra]]
* [[Joint-eater|Alp-luachra]]
* [[Bean nighe]]/[[Caoineag]]
* ''[[Bean-nighe]]''/[[Caoineag]]
* [[Banshee]]
* [[Banshee]]
* [[Cat sidhe]]
* ''[[Cat-sìth]]''
* [[Cù Sidhe]]
* ''[[Cù-sìth]]''
* [[Changeling]]
* [[Changeling]]
* [[Clíodhna]]
* [[Clíodhna]]
Line 70: Line 72:
* [[Dullahan]]
* [[Dullahan]]
* [[Ellén Trechend]]
* [[Ellén Trechend]]
* [[Fachen]]
* [[Fachan]]
* [[Far darrig]]
* [[Far darrig]]
* [[Fear gorta]]
* [[Fear gorta]]
* [[Am Fear Liath Mòr]]
* ''[[Am Fear Liath Mòr]]''
* [[Fetch (folklore)|Fetch]]
* [[Fetch (folklore)|Fetch]]
* [[Fuath]]
* [[Fuath]]
Line 79: Line 81:
* [[Ghillie Dhu|Ghillie Dhu / Gille Dubh]]
* [[Ghillie Dhu|Ghillie Dhu / Gille Dubh]]
* [[Glaistig]]/[[Glashtyn]]
* [[Glaistig]]/[[Glashtyn]]
* [[Leanan sídhe|Leanan Sídhe / Leannan Sìth]]
* [[Leanan sídhe]]
* [[Leprechaun]]
* [[Leprechaun]]
* [[Merrow]]
* [[Merrow]]
* [[Oilliphéist]]
* [[Oilliphéist]]
* [[Púca]]
* [[Púca]]
* [[Selkie]]
* [[Sluagh]]
* [[Sluagh]]
{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}


==''Creideamh Sí''==
==''Creideamh Sí''==
[[File:Common hawthorn.jpg|thumb|right|[[Common hawthorn|Hawthorn]] tree, considered in local Irish lore, and [[Irish mythology|Celtic folklore]] in general, to be sacred to the ''Aos '']]
[[File:Crataegus monogyna - Common hawthorn.jpg|thumb|right|[[Crataegus monogyna|Hawthorn]] tree, considered in local Irish lore (and [[Irish mythology|Celtic folklore]] in general) to be sacred to the ''aos '']]
''{{lang|ga|Creideamh Sí}}'' is [[Irish language|Irish]] for the "Fairy Faith", a collection of beliefs and practices observed by those who wish to keep good relationships with the ''{{lang|ga|aos sí}}'' and avoid angering them.<ref name=Wentz/> The custom of offering milk and traditional foods—such as baked goods, apples or berries—to the ''{{lang|ga|aos sí}}'' has survived through the Christian era into the present day in parts of Ireland, Scotland and the diaspora.<ref name=Wentz/> Those who maintain some degree of belief in the ''{{lang|ga|aos sí}}'' also are careful to leave their sacred places alone and protect them from damage through road or housing construction.<ref name=Wentz/><ref name=Lenihan>{{cite book| last = Lenihan| first = Eddie|author2=Carolyn Eve Green| title = ''Meeting the Other Crowd; The Fairy Stories of Hidden Ireland''| publisher = Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin| year = 2004| location = New York| isbn = 978-1585423071| no-pp = true| page = chapter comments}}</ref>
''Creideamh Sí'' is [[Irish language|Irish]] for the "Fairy Faith", a term for the collection of beliefs and practices observed by those who wish to keep good relationships with the ''aos sí'' and avoid angering them.<ref name="Wentz" /> General belief in the Celtic otherworld, the existence of ''aos sí'' and the ability of the ''aos sí'' to influence the local area and its people are all beliefs characteristic of the ''Creideamh ''. It is characterised as an aspect of Irish popular religion and exists syncretically with folk Christianity. <ref> {{cite journal |last1= Ó Giolláin|first1=Diarmuid|date= 1991 |title= The fairy belief and official religion in Ireland|url=https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=hsPXQIYAAAAJ&citation_for_view=hsPXQIYAAAAJ:d1gkVwhDpl0C |journal=The Good People: New Fairylore Essays|pages= 199–214|access-date= 2024-04-09}}</ref>

Effort is made by those who believe to appease local ''aos sí'' through food and drink. The custom of offering milk and traditional foods—such as baked goods, apples or berries—to the ''aos sí'' has survived through the Christian era into the present day in parts of Ireland, Scotland and the diaspora.<ref name="Wentz" /> Those who maintain some degree of belief in the ''aos sí'' also are careful to leave their sacred places alone and protect them from damage through road or housing construction.<ref name="Wentz" /><ref>{{cite book| last = Lenihan| first = Eddie|author2=Carolyn Eve Green| title = ''Meeting the Other Crowd; The Fairy Stories of Hidden Ireland''| publisher = Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin| year = 2004| location = New York| isbn = 978-1585423071| no-pp = true| page = chapter comments}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
*[[Enchanted Moura]]
*[[Edmund Lenihan]]
*[[Edmund Lenihan]]
*[[Enchanted Moura]]
*[[Fairy riding]]
*[[Fairy riding]]
*[[Fir Bolg]]
*[[Fir Bolg]]
*[[Jinn]] (Arab mythical being)
*[[Jinn]] (Arab mythical being)
*[[Kami]]
*[[Otherworld]]
*[[Otherworld]]
*[[Strontian]]
*[[Strontian]]
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[[Category:Aos Sí| ]]
[[Category:Aos Sí| ]]
[[Category:Fairies]]
[[Category:Fairies]]
[[Category:Fantasy creatures]]
[[Category:Irish folklore]]
[[Category:Irish folklore]]
[[Category:Irish legendary creatures]]
[[Category:Irish legendary creatures]]

Latest revision as of 18:05, 3 January 2025

Riders of the Sidhe (1911), painting by John Duncan

Aos sí (pronounced [iːsˠ ˈʃiː]; English approximation: /s ˈʃ/ eess SHEE; older form: aes sídhe [eːsˠ ˈʃiːə]) is the Irish name for a supernatural race in Gaelic folklore, similar to elves. They are said to descend from the Tuatha Dé Danann or the gods of Irish mythology.[1]

The name aos sí means "folk of the "; these are the burial mounds in which they are said to dwell, which are seen as portals to an Otherworld. Such abodes are referred to in English as 'shee', 'fairy mounds', 'elf mounds' or 'hollow hills'. The aos sí interact with humans and the human world. They are variously said to be the ancestors, the spirits of nature, or goddesses and gods.[2]

In modern Irish, they are also called daoine sí; in Scottish Gaelic daoine sìth[3] ('folk of the fairy mounds').[4]

Etymology

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In the Irish language, aos sí, earlier aes sídhe, means "folk of the fairy mounds". In Old Irish, it was áes síde.[5] The word or sídh in Irish means a fairy mound or ancient burial mound, which were seen as portals to an Otherworld. It is derived from proto-Celtic *sīdos ('abode'), and is related to the English words 'seat' and 'settle'.[6]

David Fitzgerald conjectured that the word sídh was synonymous with "immortal" and is compared with words such as sídsat ("they wait/remain"), síthbeo ("lasting"), sídhbuan ("perpetual"), and sídhbe ("long life"). In most of the tales concerning the , a great age or long life is implied.[7]

In medieval literature

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In medieval Irish literature, the names aes síde and fír síde (folk of the síd) are equivalent to the terms Tuath Dé and Tuatha Dé Danann. The only difference is that Tuath Dé tends to be used in contexts of legendary history and mythology.[8]

Writing in the 7th century, the Irish bishop Tírechán described the sídh folk as "earthly gods" (Latin: dei terreni).[8] The 8th century Fiacc's Hymn says that the Irish adored the sídh folk before the coming of Saint Patrick.[8]

In Irish folklore

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Due to the oral nature of Irish folklore, the exact origins of the fairies are not well defined. There are enough stories to support two possible origins. The fairies could either be fallen angels or the descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann; in the latter case, this is equivalent with aos sí.[9] In the former case, it is said that the fairies are angels who have fallen from heaven, but whose sins were not great enough to warrant hell.[1]

In many Gaelic tales, the aos sí are later literary versions of the Tuatha Dé Danann ("People of the Goddess Danu")—the deities and deified ancestors of Irish mythology. Some sources describe them as the survivors of the Tuatha Dé Danann who retreated into the Otherworld when fleeing the mortal Sons of Míl Espáine who, like many other early invaders of Ireland, came from Iberia. As part of the terms of their surrender to the Milesians, the Tuatha Dé Danann agreed to retreat and dwell underground.

In folk belief and practice, the aos sí are often appeased with offerings and care is taken to avoid angering or insulting them. Often, they are not named directly, but rather spoken of as "The Good Neighbours", "The Fair Folk", or simply "The Folk". The most common names for them, aos sí, aes sídhe, daoine sídhe (singular duine sídhe) and daoine sìth mean, literally, "people of the mounds" (referring to the sídhe). The aos sí are generally described as stunningly beautiful, though they can also be terrible and hideous.

Aos sí are seen as fierce guardians of their abodes—whether a fairy hill, a fairy ring, a special tree (often a hawthorn) or a particular loch or wood. It is believed that infringing on these spaces will cause the aos sí to retaliate in an effort to remove the people or objects that invaded their homes. Many of these tales contribute to the changeling myth in west European folklore, with the aos sí kidnapping trespassers or replacing their children with changelings as a punishment for transgressing. The aos sí are often connected to certain times of year and hours; as the Gaelic Otherworld is believed to come closer to the mortal world at the times of dusk and dawn, the aos sí correspondingly become easier to encounter. Some festivals such as Samhain, Bealtaine and Midsummer are also associated with the aos sí.

The sídhe

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A sídh (anglicized 'shee') is burial mound (tumuli) associated with the aos sí. In modern Irish, the word is (plural síthe); in Scottish Gaelic it is sìth (plural sìthean); in Old Irish it is síd (plural síde).[5] These sídhe are referred to in English as 'fairy mounds', 'elf mounds' or 'hollow hills'.[6]

In some later English-language texts, the word sídhe is incorrectly used both for the mounds and the people of the mounds. For example, W. B. Yeats, writing in 1908, referred to the aos sí simply as "the sídhe".[10] However, sidh in older texts refers specifically to "the palaces, courts, halls or residences" of the otherworldly beings that supposedly inhabit them.[11]

Other names in Irish folklore

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The Aos sí are known by many names in Ireland, among them:[7]

  • Aingil Anúabhair: "Proud angels"
  • Daoine Uaisle': "The noble folk"
  • Daoine maithe: "Good people"
  • Deamhan Aerig: "Air demons"
  • Dream Anúabhair: "Excessively proud [people]"
  • Sídhfir: "fairy men"
  • Sídheógaídhe: "Young Moundlings"
  • Slúagh Cille: "Host of the churchyard"
  • Slúagh na Marbh: "Host of the dead"
  • Slúagh Sídhe: "Mound host"
  • Slúagh-Sídhe-Thúatha-Dé-Danann: "Mound host of the Túatha Dé Danann"
  • na Uaisle: "The noble" or "The gentry"

Types

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The banshee or bean sídhe (from Old Irish: ban síde), which means "woman of the sídhe",[12] has come to indicate any supernatural woman of Ireland who announces a coming death by wailing and keening. Her counterpart in Scottish mythology is the bean sìth (sometimes spelled bean-sìdh). Other varieties of aos sí and daoine sìth include the Scottish bean-nighe (the washerwoman who is seen washing the bloody clothing or armour of the person who is doomed to die), the leanan sídhe (the "fairy lover"), the cat-sìth (a fairy cat), and the cù-sìth (a fairy dog).

The sluagh sídhe—"the fairy host"—is sometimes depicted in Irish and Scottish lore as a crowd of airborne spirits, perhaps the cursed, evil or restless dead. The siabhra (anglicised as "sheevra"), may be a type of these lesser spirits, prone to evil and mischief.[13][14] However, an Ulster folk song also uses "sheevra" simply to mean "spirit" or "fairy".[15]

List

[edit]

Creideamh Sí

[edit]
Hawthorn tree, considered in local Irish lore (and Celtic folklore in general) to be sacred to the aos sí

Creideamh Sí is Irish for the "Fairy Faith", a term for the collection of beliefs and practices observed by those who wish to keep good relationships with the aos sí and avoid angering them.[2] General belief in the Celtic otherworld, the existence of aos sí and the ability of the aos sí to influence the local area and its people are all beliefs characteristic of the Creideamh Sí. It is characterised as an aspect of Irish popular religion and exists syncretically with folk Christianity. [16]

Effort is made by those who believe to appease local aos sí through food and drink. The custom of offering milk and traditional foods—such as baked goods, apples or berries—to the aos sí has survived through the Christian era into the present day in parts of Ireland, Scotland and the diaspora.[2] Those who maintain some degree of belief in the aos sí also are careful to leave their sacred places alone and protect them from damage through road or housing construction.[2][17]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Croker, T. Crofton (2001). Thomas Wright (ed.). Fairy Legends and the Traditions of the South of Ireland. Ann Arbor: Scholars' Facsimiles & Reprints. ISBN 0-8201-1535-5.
  2. ^ a b c d Evans Wentz, W. Y. (1966, 1990) The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries. Gerrards Cross, Colin Smythe Humanities Press ISBN 0-901072-51-6
  3. ^ Dwelly, Edward (1902). Faclair Gàidhlìg air son nan sgoiltean: Le dealbhan, agus a h-uile facal anns na faclairean Gàidhlig eile. Herne Bay: E. MacDonald. p. 846. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  4. ^ James MacKillop, A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998), s.v. daoine sídhe.
  5. ^ a b Dictionary of the Irish Language: síd, síth
  6. ^ a b Williams, Mark (2018). Ireland's Immortals: A History of the Gods of Irish Myth. Princeton University Press. pp. 30–31. ISBN 9781400883325. OCLC 1100668003.
  7. ^ a b Fitzgerald, David (1880). Popular Tales of Ireland. Revue Celtique. pp. 174–176. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Carey, John (2006). "Tuath Dé". In Koch, John T. (ed.). Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-Clio. pp. 1693–1697. ISBN 9781851094400. OCLC 62381207.
  9. ^ Yeates, W. B. (1977). Fairy and Folk Tales of Ireland. Buckinghamshire: Collin Smythe Gerrards Cross. ISBN 0-900675-59-4.
  10. ^ Yeats, William Butler (1908). The Collected Works in Verse and Prose of William Butler Yeats. Stratford-on-Avon, UK: Shakespeare Head. p. 3.
  11. ^ O'Curry, E., Lectures on Manuscript Materials, Dublin 1861, p. 504, quoted by Evans-Wentz 1966, p. 291
  12. ^ Dictionary of the Irish Language: síd, síth and ben
  13. ^ MacKillop, James (2004) Dictionary of Celtic Mythology
  14. ^ Joyce, P.W. A Social History of Ancient Ireland, Vol. 1, p. 271
  15. ^ "The Gartan Mother's Lullaby" published 1904 in The Songs of Uladh, lyrics by Seosamh MacCathmhaoil (Joseph Campbell)
  16. ^ Ó Giolláin, Diarmuid (1991). "The fairy belief and official religion in Ireland". The Good People: New Fairylore Essays: 199–214. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  17. ^ Lenihan, Eddie; Carolyn Eve Green (2004). Meeting the Other Crowd; The Fairy Stories of Hidden Ireland. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin. chapter comments. ISBN 978-1585423071.

Primary sources

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Secondary sources

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Tertiary Sources

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