Today we're talking about Fairies. There are many concepts about fairies. My only association with the word fairy was the Tinkerbelle sort in Peter Pan. Sort of a Fairy Godmother. The tooth fairy. A good little angel. Fairies that I heard about growing up were good… and there was never any worry about a fairy causing mischief or harm.
But in the pre-Christian Celtic countries the concept of fairies was different. These beings were feared because they could curse you or bring you bad luck. You didn't mess with the fairies. You didn't disturb their domain or their rath. You stayed away from fairy hills or forts. You didn't cut down the lone hawthorn bush because it might be a fairy tree – a fairy domain.
There's a well-known poem about fairies, written by a man from County Donegal named William Allingham. It describes this apprehension about interacting with the fairies.
Up the airy mountain
Down the rushy glen,
We daren't go a -hunting
For fear of little men.
Fairies were known to steal babies and replace them with a fairy changeling who would bring bad luck to the house.
They stole little Bridget
For seven years long;
When she came down again
Her friends were all gone.
They have kept her ever since
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.