FAERIE
What I "See" - may 2000
by: redd_k
One should not be confused with the use of the word nor with
its spelling in English. Whether faerie, faery, fairy or any other
version, it means the subject in general as well as the name of the
"place" where faeries dwell, or the faerie itself. Thus
"fairyland," "a fairy," or "about fairies" can be rendered simply
as "faerie." Just what it is or who they are, are matters of
conjecture, for at best humans can only guess about faerie.
Nevertheless, something is "there," and invites investigation.
Writings about Faerie abound in folklore of all cultures.
That more about Faerie in the English language seems to have Irish
or Scottish origin does not necessarily mean that Faerie has a
"nationality." It may be attributed to the fact that the English
language is used to record and report the history of peoples who
populated these lands from time immemorial; long before there was
an English language. Among the earliest denizens of the so-called
"British Isles" were Druids, famous for their superstitions, as
well as netherworld creatures about whom stories have come down to
us in poems from times when writing wasn't even being dreamed of.
Yet when one looks to the traditions of other lands, in their
language and literature, faeries are found that are not altogether
different from those of Celtic lands.
Human beings have always looked for explanations of unusual
events. I am sure that even pre-dating the earliest philosophers
of the seventh century BC who attempted to explain the mysteries of
fire, water, land and air, there were questions about the weather,
the seasons, and the sun, moon and stars. Imaginations of early
men were perhaps more active. They did spend a lot more time in
the dark, when night fell without artificial light and imaginations
took over actual events. Think of it: Even the earliest light in
the darkness of night came from crude fires which cast strange
shadows, fueling active imaginations and creating the first stories
of goblins and other spirits. The phenomenon of long dark nights
and un-explainable events such as lightening and thunder, or the
changing of the moon, must have mystified mankind the world over.
No wonder similarities exist throughout the many and otherwise
varied cultures in the world, about spirit beings which make their
existence known in many ways, and thereby demand explanation.
These matters were discussed, and over time certain common
conclusions were developed, which over more and more time became
solidified and accepted as fact.
Supporting the imaginative explanation of strange happenings
was the ever-present human wonder about who he was, where he came
from and where he might go. To associate himself with spirits, and
to consider that he himself was manifestation of a spirit, seems a
most natural development. It seems to me that it would have been
infinitely more difficult for early man to have denied the
existence of spirits than to accept them as a part of nature.
Modern man has more difficulty accepting the existence of Faerie,
simply because science and technology seem to take over in
providing the needed explanations. But are Faerie and Science
mutually exclusive phenomena?
What then is a faerie? Can one believe that there is such a
thing as a spirit and that there is no such thing as a faerie?
Then let us call a faerie a spirit, or a spirit a faerie. Another
name for a spirit is "soul," or the immaterial and immortal part of
man. The Spirit is God. God is the "Soul" of the universe. We
are taught that we are created in the image and likeness of God;
which to me means the spirit-side of man as contrasted with the
mortal. (It is silly to think of God looking like us (earth
humans)). The phrase "one with God," means the spirit-nature of
man being related to the God-Spirit. Socrates tells us that the
soul is the "life-principle" of man. That which is "life" is the
spirit. Without a spirit it is "not-life." Without a soul a body
is not alive.
Now consider that upon conception of a new "life," when that
which is not alive becomes alive, a soul enters. But it is the
entering of the soul which is conception; not the reverse; just as
it is the departure of the soul which is death. (Just as an aside,
let the pro-abortion people note that life begins at conception and
not at birth). Socrates also teaches that the creation of souls
was a matter of "fission." (He did not use that word, which was
left to a later generation to coin, but his explanation in Timeus
is clearly that). This leads to the question: do souls exist
whether occupying a mortal being or not? Or: are souls created
upon conception of life? If souls do exist outside of a mortal
body, for any amount of time, then where are they and what are they
when not occupying bodies? The answer is Faerie.
Popular belief (or conjecture) about Faerie indicates all
manner, shape and disposition of creatures, from the popular but
misunderstood "Chaun" to the less known "Sie," or "Shee." There
are "Brownies," "Elves," "Pookas" and of course such as "Mers," of
whom "Mermaids" are well known even if "Mermen" are not. Among
"Sies," one of the best known is the "Bansie," or "Banshee," who
bemoans impending death. But all description, all names, and all
beliefs about conduct, intention and purpose of Faerie are
inventions of man. We know no more about what they look like, what
they think or do, or what they might mean to mortal man than we
know about life itself. It is entirely possible that Faerie exists
without regard to man, despite man, and with no interest in man.
It is somewhat otherwise when a soul enters a man's body, giving it
life and taking on a sort of responsibility for that life; but then
there is the supposed interference with the life of the soul
imposed by mortal demands during that "life."
The belief, or superstition, that Faerie has some interest in
mortal man comes from wonder. As mentioned earlier, man needs some
sort of explanation for things that happen to him and around him.
Take the "Nightmare" for an example: The belief that a "Pooka" is
a spirit that takes the form of an animal in order to exercise some
influence upon a man, led to an explanation for such human things
as "guilty conscience," or "hang-over." The "Nightmare" is a
horse, usually black, which comes to a man deserving of the
treatment, and requires that he mount the mare and ride through the
night, on a dangerous, fearsome ride that always ends without
mishap but never occurs without fear of mishap. This is a Pooka,
although more popularly, he comes as a black jackass, and merely
admonishes. More likely the mental punishment of guilt, or the
physical punishment of a hang-over has nothing to do with the
existence of Faerie, but man needs some explanation.
Man has come to associate the unusual, although the natural,
with the world of Faerie. Wild flowers, the sounds of nature such
as the murmuring of trees or the whistling of winds, dark places or
darkness itself, and just what lies beyond the horizon or over the
hill belongs to Faerie as does the fourth dimension. If one has an
explanation for something, so be it. If not, it is Faerie. Note
too, that early mythologies had a lot to do with
explanation-seeking for events of nature. So also the religions of
man that tend to link nature and natural phenomena with God. From
the most profound teachings of the world's leading religions to the
most simplistic of those found on every corner and in every tent,
man has always attempted to explain the un-explainable with Faerie;
although he may not call it that.
Rather than evil, I associate things holy and saintly with the
world of Faerie. An angel is a faerie. A saint is the spirit of
one who has lived among us doing good, and is now a faerie. A soul
not yet "tested" with the responsibility for a mortal life, is a
faerie. A spirit that has left a body (or many bodies over time
for those who believe in reincarnation) is a faerie. On the other
hand there is at least the symbol of evil in Satan, who is a
faerie. If I call books of the Bible "faerie stories," or such
epics as Milton's Paradise Lost the same, I do not mean fiction. A
lot about Faerie is in fact fiction, as pointed out, but that is
because man has to invent answers for what seems to be
un-answerable. It is one thing to create a fiction for
entertainment or to deceive, and another to put a name to a belief
in, or an acceptance of, the supernatural.redd_k
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