008 Fairy Forts and Raths

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