Question Faerie / Faeries Q&A

Alright everyone, the Fae AMA is back! I'm gonna stick to simple lore and mechanics for how to make a faerie char. I want to do this to spread the fae love in fanfictions so feel free to phrase a question for me and I'll try to answer it.

OK, a rather big one:

How faerie/fairies/Sidhe relate to magical beings from non-European myths, legends and folklore? Are they the same, distantly related, or entirely different things?

So, where was the previous AMA? On the Discord?

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So... WhatIF-y questions... How varied can Faerie powers be? Do they all know their history, unlike the non-royal Sidhe not knowing their history?

What happens if a Sidhe descendant and a Fairy descendant have babies? Do they get some cool fusion power?

Sir Lee wrote: OK, a rather big one:

How faerie/fairies/Sidhe relate to magical beings from non-European myths, legends and folklore? Are they the same, distantly related, or entirely different things?

The general rule of thumb I use is if I can speak to someone from the culture the myth is from and I have access to sensitivity readers I'll consider using it. Badru is based on a lot of aspects of Egyptian myth. DEAD mythologies such as Norse, and Roman are open game to me. The bigger issue is when we deal with -living cultures-. I have a friend whose helping me with some Hindu aspects, but I am being very careful because -I'm European by descent- and I'm not gonna acculturate something cuz I think it's cool.

But yes, there are non-Indo European Fae.

Malady wrote: So, where was the previous AMA? On the Discord?

...

So... WhatIF-y questions... How varied can Faerie powers be? Do they all know their history, unlike the non-royal Sidhe not knowing their history?

What happens if a Sidhe descendant and a Fairy descendant have babies? Do they get some cool fusion power?

The old Faerie Q&A disappeared I dunno where it is.

Faerie powers are controlled by the Domains they hold a Pact to. MOST families have specific abilities passed among them. HOWEVER there are differences. Morgan's sisters weren't bound to Fate, they were bound to war, Fodla the oldest, was bound to Rule, War and the Wyld.

Most Siobhrai and even Discir know their history, they have fairly well established records and legends. The main thing is that some of it is a lie and some of it is a nightmare.

Anything that is born of Fae will become Fae. Faerie blood and its power consumes and transforms the child into Fae. ONLY a Fomor is able to be a true hybrid. The fact that faerie blood is dominate in Sidhe / Siobhrai relationships is a point of contention between the two species. This goes back to the deal made on the Old Throne, to the Dreamer, and to Ancient Iron Oath.

Ah. Yes. Found the traces of the old thread by looking through my emails!

It was lost in the Latest Crash.

Web Archive doesn't work for me. Weird.

Here's some of what was said:

Message:

Malady wrote:

ShadowedSin wrote: You might have a barghest which is an English creation remains a spirit where as a Black Shuck and such are Faerie Hounds.


Now I'm wondering about Buttons, Clover's familiar dog-thing. Called both a Barguest and Gabriel Hound by narration, and "Faerie hound" by Caduceus...


It's not a Faerie entity, I'm gonna say that since it wasn't mad by me and thus I don't have a right to suddenly state it's new status.

HOWEVER, I could be bribed to create a few Faerie monsters if people are that interest. I am alsy very happy to see Faerie fan-creations, because I also want to see more Gen1 chars. Hell, I'd lose my shit if someone made a fae and joined the cabal.

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Fairy Animals... Thinking about pixies...

Small flying things... Faerie Insects or Faerie Birds? Or Faerie Birbs?

To my knowledge, Pixies fall under the purview of the Small Folk.

Yes there are Faerie birds.

Thank you Sir Lee, you have asked a question I was wanting to ask myself.

ShadowedSin, your answer to that question has me rethinking something I had been considering.

Cryptic wrote: Thank you Sir Lee, you have asked a question I was wanting to ask myself.

ShadowedSin, your answer to that question has me rethinking something I had been considering.

The most well known Afro-Asiatic fae are those who many the Peri in Iran. Most now hold the blood of ancient gods in their veins, while others follow the ancient line of Ishtar. Please note all of my answers -specifically- only mention the Siobhrai. None of you have even contemplated asking about the Aes Discir aka the Wild Folk.

I was thinking Romanian Iele .

Wild Folk... Erlking?

Cryptic wrote: I was thinking Romanian Iele .

Wild Folk... Erlking?

Erlking is also a concept in germanic mythology. But yes, I use the term in my writing and yes, its a title used by one of the Nine.

What are you willing to reveal about the Beast folk? I had been trying to avoid dragons, but the idea of a Fae with a fire lizard like beasty tormenting the girls cottage and Nikki is starting to appeal to me.

Cryptic wrote: What are you willing to reveal about the Beast folk? I had been trying to avoid dragons, but the idea of a Fae with a fire lizard like beasty tormenting the girls cottage and Nikki is starting to appeal to me.

A dragon would presumably be a creature of the Northern Court, though I could see some sort of fire lizard or small drake associating with members of the Western Court. Probably not with the later Fae, though. I could be wrong, however, given that stories of dragons persisted into human history (not all of which could be based on Tywyswyr).

On a related note, are Eastern beings such as the Tanuki which Gateway summoned in any way related to the Fae or the Sidhe? I am guessing that they aren't, at least not directly, but I am curious.

But yeah, what other beings relate to the Fae, Sidhe, and/or the Courts in general - and how they are related - is a question. Sluagh (such as Shadowdancer )? Redcaps (which Red is likely to be)? Satyrs and Fauns (possibly including Toison , though that's just speculation on my part)? Leprechauns and Clurichuans? Kelpie? Pouka? Fir Derrig? Dryads (which we've already seen at least one, in "Eating Dog" )? Naiads and other river spirits? Selkie (by which I don't mean Heather O'Malley, but the seal folk)? Etc., you get the idea.

(Speaking of Heather , is she actually Fae/Fey, or was that just speculation which leaked into the wiki? It does get mentioned in canon as a possibility, but it is never confirmed, though Pejuta seemed to think she was Sidhe.)

Are the Canotila such as Julie Robinson more closely related to Sidhe or Fae, or equally distant from both?

We know that Elementals of various types have their own realms, but would those native to Earth be Center Court across the board, or would they be divided among the Five Courts? Are any of them distinct from the Five Courts, as the Fae are?

Dawn's the golden fleece/the goat Zeus suckled the teat of, I thought.

Cryptic wrote: What are you willing to reveal about the Beast folk? I had been trying to avoid dragons, but the idea of a Fae with a fire lizard like beasty tormenting the girls cottage and Nikki is starting to appeal to me.

I've slowly worked mostly on the Biology of the Aes Siobhrai and I'll likely introduce an Aes Discir eventually. We've already seen Beast Fae in the form of the Black Shuck that Grainne summoned. That was one thing I wanted to emphasize with Fae when they mess up their magic it doest create hobs it instead draws a line of energy which allows Beast and more dangerous Fae to cross over.

So a few things about the Aes Discir.

1. They are mostly take after entities well known. Selkies are one type and are widely found across the Atlantic with some colonies living in the Pacific Rim. There are also a lot of Fox Folk found in Europe. Some take after deer and are mostly in Europe with some in Africa and Asia. These enfleshed fae usually live in plain sight and don't show their trueselves as they can hide among GSD communities or use glamours to hide their true forms. Most are bound to natural Domains like "Forest" or "Mountains" etc or elemental Domains. They're usually organized into Clans or Tribes bound around a major figure of the natural world. So you might have a clan of Selkies living in Donegal who call themselves something like the "Finfolk" or the "Tribe of Manann".

For Malady's Entry on the Morrigan
Morgan also entitled "the Mórrígan" or "She who Rages" is an ancient Faerie Queen who has long been a Class 2 or 3 entity bound to certain heroes in Ireland under the name, "the Emerald Soul". Her true name is unknown, but given name is Ériu making many modern Faerie Scholars to believe she is one of ancient Triad of Goddess collectively known as the Three Sovereigns.

Her known Pact-Domains are War and Fate.

History
A member of the Áes Síobhraí (Fair Folk in Old Irish), her given name is "Ériu nic Ernmas" and is the daughter of Irish Deities, Delbáeth and Ernmmas, both members of the royal House of Danu (Tuath Dé in Irish), Queen of Summer. Her and her sisters, Fodlá and Banba, went on to fight against against the Fomorians (Fomóire in Old Irish) in the Wars of the Bastard. During their time as Warrior Goddesses they became known collectively as the Morrígna or the "Spears of the Sovereign." Both Fodlá (known as Nemain) and Banba (known as Macha) would fall in battle long after the foundation of Faerie Civilization.

The first known bonding of the Emerald Soul to an Avatar on record was the infamous Pirate Queen, Gráinne daughter of Cormac mac Airt, in the 1600s.

For Schol

A dragon would presumably be a creature of the Northern Court, though I could see some sort of fire lizard or small drake associating with members of the Western Court. Probably not with the later Fae, though. I could be wrong, however, given that stories of dragons persisted into human history (not all of which could be based on Tywyswyr).

On a related note, are Eastern beings such as the Tanuki which Gateway summoned in any way related to the Fae or the Sidhe? I am guessing that they aren't, at least not directly, but I am curious.

1. Dragons being aliens to earth have a strange lineage among the Fae, most who died manifested as Noble Fae where some lesser types would manifest as Wylder Fae. There were entities from the Eastern Court who became Fae, but their presence in Modern Asia is very limited. Most in that area are found in parts of Iran and the indian Subcontinent. Reflexively, the reason that many Sidhe might not like the Noble Fae is that while they have similar appearances the Aes Siobhrai often are the result of Faeries having to piece themselves back together from the Sundering. This means that a lot of the "Noble Spirits" weren't necessary Sidhe, but because all the various noble families had to use a common template. This means that the Siobhrai have biological connects to Dragons, the Sidhe, and other upper casted Fivefold spirits.

This mixing is also a hard reason why Morgan doesn't like Kodiak, or even the Sidhe Queens. Why like someone when they think your an abomination of creation?

But yeah, what other beings relate to the Fae, Sidhe, and/or the Courts in general - and how they are related - is a question. Sluagh (such as Shadowdancer )? Redcaps (which Red is likely to be)? Satyrs and Fauns (possibly including Toison , though that's just speculation on my part)? Leprechauns and Clurichuans? Kelpie? Pouka? Fir Derrig? Dryads (which we've already seen at least one, in "Eating Dog" )? Naiads and other river spirits? Selkie (by which I don't mean Heather O'Malley, but the seal folk)? Etc., you get the idea.

2. Red Caps are a Sidhe sub-type to my knowledge, they are not -Fae-. However, some Faeries especially Small Folk will act like Red Caps as they might easily bind themselves to Pact Domains of War and Blood. Most of the smaller faerie types such as Leprechauns, Knockers, and the like are ranked as Small Folk in the Rules of Faerie.

Kelpies are Beast Fae and so are other beast types without higher levels of intelligence. Faeries such as Selkies and Nyxies are considered Aes Discir aka Lesser Fae. The thing to also note is that entities related to the Olympians are necessarily "Faeries". Some might be since they reformed from that lineage, but there are still non-faerie, Fivefold spirits still kicking around. Think of it this way. When Faerie formed the shreds that were the faction who would become the Faeries had to use common templates to remake themselves.

The nobles utilized a mix of Sidhe and carnivorous forms. This is why you meet so many with claws, fangs and movable ears. It's a conglomeration of Dragons, Sidhe and other upper ranking spirits who became the Aes Siobhrai. The Aes Discir were those middle spirits such as Fawns, Djinni and even more so who had elemental or animal-like features. They basically became more humans, but in some cases stayed more animalistic. And since they had to form the collectively hogdpoge of these animalistic spirits they chose some common features to unite themselves as a people.

3. Sluagh is a type of Sidhe and so is "Selkie", I've spoken to Heather about this.

4. Canotila are related to Sidhe so they are considered "Fey". Think of the word as referring to pure FIvefold spirits. Faerie refers to those who were tainted and gained the blessing of the Dreamer to be purged said taint, and thus their existence is tied to the Wyching Tree.

We know that Elementals of various types have their own realms, but would those native to Earth be Center Court across the board, or would they be divided among the Five Courts? Are any of them distinct from the Five Courts, as the Fae are?

5. Faerie ins't composed of the "Elemental Planes" it however does have realms (a pocket of Faeries chaotic ever churning pieces of realities, usually ruled by a Prince) who have elemental Domains connected to them. For example, Tir Na nOg is tied to Summer whereas Anwn is tied to death, winter, and water.

Domains have been mentioned, and I knew you explained on discord, but what options are there?

And just cause I've been listening to Dresden files, preferred pizza topping?


I should go through discord and find your explanations and throw them into a file... but it is daunting a task...

Sin more than likely has a list of all available Domains. I don't think she's made it public yet. I personally use the list of Domains in the Forgotten Realms wiki, so far Sin hasn't disregarded the existence of any of the Domains I have mentioned. Except for the Magic Domain, since it would technically allow a Faerie to access the magical abilities Sidhes and human mages have, and it's meant to be a completely different magic system.

Oh this could be bad... the meenlock fits so nicely with a dorm mate I have sketched out...

What do I need to search for Sin's posts on Discord? It had been posted, but was lost in the last Insident.

Domains have been mentioned, and I knew you explained on discord, but what options are there?

And just cause I've been listening to Dresden files, preferred pizza topping?

There is no definitive list of Domains, I work them out with each new character I create as the fae I create are done so organically. My newest char is Remnant a Creation / Atrophy Fae I've been thinking over. I honestly spend more time working out history and other stuff. One reason my dialogue feels so natural is I literally think out relations and personality. This lends itself to a more natural dialogue.

My favorite pizza toppings are meat.

As for my Discord, I can send you an invite via DM on discord. Please note I'm pretty fucking blatant on what is and what isn't allowed.

Reposting an answer to cryptic on discord.

So quickly it's "Gráinne" aka Grahnyuh.

What imaginary friend? Graínne had a creepy fae one like me as a kid. Grainne's was not Morgan since the emerald soul was in Ireland until Sinnéad's death.

Fola-sí (Faerie Blooded) do attract fae because they can be "sparked" into active Faerie Mages (Daoithe) or Witches (Ceilleacha).

So. According to the Irish Government:

Draoi / Draoithe or Druids or Faerie Mages are those who use their powers naturally with training and are attached to specific Faerie Lineages. Any acting non-foundking mutant with active magic is a Draoi. All faerie blood avatars are considered Draoithe as well.

Cailleach / Cailleach are Witches they are active healers and fighter and deal actively with Faerie entities in an official capacity.

Asaraí / Asarlsitge are those who spark their faerie blood and shift their domains or gain new pa ts by making deals with a Fae.

Also sparking yet Fuil-Sí or Fae Blood will eventually cause you to become Fae either Áes Síobraí or Discirí. Which leads to faerie related mental illness.

What do mortals need to do to pass into the Faerie lands? Besides having a Fae bring them in.

Mortals can't generally travel in Faerie it's too easy for something to kill it steal their name.

Crossing a faerie realm requires a gift to the local court, a small sacrifice of food, trinkets or even alcohol.

You want to bring an object that deters Beast Fae and Lesser Fae. Iron will get you killed, but us a good last defense. I suggest Oak and Rowen staves or items enchanted with faerie contracts.

Also you'll need a guide, a member of the Wylder Or Small Folk to lead you.

To enter you need to cast a spell on a reflect surface or at a liminal point in the veil.

Cryptic wrote: No rush to answer this: Fae ranking goes from the Princes at the top down through what to the Little folk?

Okay. A realm is ruled by a Prince, if they aren't aligned with a Court they'll likely have a title such as Prince or Duke in English or a Germain rank in their respect tongue. Local Heads of House who aren't the prince who live in the realm will usually then have similar title like chief, baron, count etc. These minor nobles can be from the Áes Síobhraí, Áes Discir or the Little Folk. Power retainers in these groups will have household titles like knight, majordomo, castellan, etc.

Racial casting in descending order:
Gentry > Wylder > Little Folk

Some small folk and wylders rule a realm they never become archfey and cannot hold mantles of power equivalent to a Prince