Fairies And Celtic Folklore

Updated on 28/03/26

Introduction

This is going to be an ongoing piece of work, so I will add to it each week, allowing you to learn with me. Where you see ********* it means I'm researching facts.  I will give references to support my work.

Fairies are far from the tiny little creatures the media has portrayed in the past.  In folklore, fairies are sometimes beautiful and or tail and may even look very much like a human.  Fairies predate Christianity and Rome.

Irish Fairies

Types of fairy 

• Banshee
• King Finvarra
• Queen Aibhell
• Amadan Dubh
• Cailleach 

Stories about fairies

The Tuatha Dé Danann and Irish Fairies

The Irish fairies are said to have descended from the Tuatha Dé Danann, a supernatural race that lived in Ireland physical and non-physical world after arriving in a cloud.  The Tuatha Dé Danann had a war with the *******, a physical legendary race. On realised they couldn't win in the physical world they choose to sidestep into the space between worlds through the openings in the mounds and water.  Some say they were conquered and retreated to this space between worlds. 

Danu, is the Mother of The Tuatha Dé Danann and is often depicted with water or pouring water into the rivers and seas. She is very human looking and beautiful. 

Banshee

Description

She can be either old or young, and lets out a blood-curdling mournful wail to announce the death of someone in the family or household of the people that hear it.  She is also found in Scottish and Welsh folklore.

 

Stories 

King Finvarra

Description 

He is the king of the Daoine Sidhe,******, in Irish folklore.  He is a benevolent, well meaning and kindly, figure that rewords people with riches. King Finvarra is also associated with horses and good crops. In some legends, he is also the ruler of the dead (Briggs, 1976)

 

Stories 

 

Cailleach (old woman or hag) 

Description

Cailleach means old woman or hag.  She is the Celtic Goddess of winter. She is old and has white hair.  

 

Stories

If she is out collecting firewood on at Imbolc, a festival around 1st or 2nd of Feb then the weather is clear.  This means she plans to make winter longer and that is why she needs the wood, so she can keep warm. 

Scottish Fairies

Types of fairy 

• Redcaps (At current it is unclear if they are a Christian attempt to slander the Fair folk. )

Stories about fairies

Redcaps need to keep their caps soaked in fresh blood.  They have iron boots 

 

 

Welsh Fairies 

Types of fairy 

Stories about fairies

 

Wheel Of The Year Deities 

Yuletide

 

Imbolc

Brigid is a Celtic Myth associated with this time of year.  The Catholics attempted to steal her from the pagans.  Tradition is to tie a white piece of cloth on the outer door so she can bless it on her way through. You can then use it in your magick as a charm of good fortune.  

• Fire festival 
•  

Ostara (First day of Spring in the Astrological calendar.)

Ostara is a Goddess of spring and not a fairy.  Information about her is limited, but what we do know is that she is a modern Goddess with roots in Germanic mythology.  

• Marks first day of spring
• Germanic origins 
• Celebrated by Celts  

Beltane  (Thinning of the Veil)

Beltane, otherwise known as May Day, is celebrated by dancing around a pole with ribbons. Unlike Samhain, the thinning of the veil is more about the fae folk interacting with this world from the otherworld rather than relatives visiting from the otherworld as with Samhain.  

• Fire Festival 
• Marks peak spring 
• Date: Always May 1st

Litha

 

• Summer solstice (The longest day)

 

Lughnasassada 

 

Mabon

 

Samhain (Thinning of the Veil)

 

Bibliography  

Witchy Apothecary (Oct 27, 2025)  'Thinning of the Veil' https://www.patreon.com/posts/thinning-of-veil-142072455 

Reffences 

Briggs, Katharine Mary (1976). An Encyclopedia of Fairies, Hobgoblins, Brownies, Boogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures. Pantheon Books. pp. 125–127. 

Dumb Supper

Since I'm new at all this, I thought I'd write down my experiences.  So far, I find myself drawn to something very natural.  What I mean is, I've started making things I find out in the countryside or in the garden.  I don't feel drawn to exotic or rare ingredients. Furthermore, I've started to think about an outdoor altar, but I don't know how that is going to workout.  Nonetheless, I do feel a strong draw to the wheel of the year.  While learning about Samhain, the next festival, which is in a few weeks, I learnt about the dumb supper and really liked the idea. 

My plan for this years dumb supper sometimes called a silent supper is as follows:

• Write out an invite list of friends and pets past on and then burn it and see the smoke as a postal service to the otherworld. 
• I bought some black dinnerware especially for the occasion. The dinnerware and tableware should be all black if possible.  
• Incense sticks for after the supper. 

The supper plan

I learned the the supper is in reverse order, so dessert is served first and starters are after the supper. It is customary to set a place for the ancestors at the table and eat the supper in silence; hence, the turn 'dumb supper'.  The idea is to invite those relatives and pets past on, which is why we set a place at the table for them. 

To start: Homemade apple and pumpkin crumble with homemade pumpkin ice-cream.

For the main: Juicy marble vegan steaks with mash potato and green beans.

To finish: olives and pineapple chunks on sticks.

Later, I have some sweets and vegan sausage rolls because I'm bound to feel hungry again after drinking some wine. That is also when I plan to spent to not only remembering those passed on, but look at the photos I have of them.  I might even share some photos with other living relatives. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of my Nan and Pop or my cat, which is hurting me so bad. 

What I learnt about Samhain this week

Samhain takes place at the end of October and the beginning of November, which is the midpoint between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice.  I also learned that Samhain, like the other festivals, has its own set of colours. These colours are orange and black. The dinnerware is black, the tablecloth is meant to be black, but I couldn't find one that I could afford.  I did, however, find black napkins, so i did my best.  The dinner is meant to be by candle light, but I can't find any black vegan candles, so I will have to do with out.  It is worth noting, that the supper is held at this time of the year, because it is said that the veil between this world and the otherworld is at its thinnest; thus, allowing for communication between the two worlds to take place. In other words, the ancestors can cross over for the supper and communicate with us. Is is a serious business and no laughing matter; we we love and miss our relatives and pets and long to be with them again.  Personally, I like to seek guidance from the ancients about customs since the Romans destroyed a lot of evidence of old Britain and the celts didn't leave much in the way of writing.  Perhaps, this is why I started using Orgham in my witchcraft. As of yet, I still feel that it is unsafe to talk openly about witchcraft in the UK.  

The connection to Halloween, All Hallows Eve. 

I've seen some connection to the two festivals, but they are different in some ways. Halloween is a christianisation of Samhain; thus, excludes any attempts to communicate with the dead or invite them in. Halloween is more about sweets and dressing up while Sahmain is more about remembering lost loved ones and pets.  While the dumb supper is I big part of Samhain and is in silence, Halloween is more about a happy, loud party where kids go out trick or treating while dressed up as monsters. The two seem worlds apart to me and I would even go as far to say that Halloween is more about mocking Samhain. While reading about Samhain, whereas some see it as a 3 day festival that starts at sunset 31st of Oct and ends at sunset on the 2nd of Nov, Halloween is just on one evening on the 31st of Oct. 

Hopefully, with with my new black dinner plates, black side plates, black bowls and black napkins and invites, I will have do enough to make the ancestors feel safe and welcome enough to attend the supper. I did have a lot of fun learning about this wonderful festival and I really think I will have a great time.

Samhain

Hi witchy friends!  Samhain is a feastival on the wheel of the year.  This wheel is new to me, so I'm learning about it as I go along.  The first mistake I made was thinking that Halloween was the same as Samhain.  In fact, they are different. After speaking online with someone that seemed to know more about this stuff than myself, I learned that the festival with start at sunset on the 31st of October and finish on sunset on the 1st of November.  With this in mind, I have planed food and drinks for these two days.  

What I discovered about Samhain

From searching online, I learned that the festival is about remembering the dead.  Family, friends and pets that are no longer with us are invited to join in with the celebrations since the festival is in there honour. Some dictionaries say that it marks the 1st day of winter but winter in the UK starts between 21st and 24th of December and ends in March. Samhain signifies the darker half of the year and is seen as a doorway to the otherworld. So, it looks like I will be calling it Samhain from now on.   

What am I going to do?

My plan has not changed to be honest.  I plan to have a nice dinner and some drinks on both day with the climax starting at 12 midnight on the 31st of October and will have sweets.  The 1st of November will be a nice dinner and a few drinks and then an early night. For dinner, I plan to have Juicy Marble Steaks with mash and runner beans.  Sweets are likely to be homemade vegan pumpkin ice-cream and homemade chocolate orange dessert. I was thinking of having sweets like kids have but I really need to watch the calories. 

Since it is about remembering our loved ones that have passed to the otherworld, I will be looking at photos of them and spending time remembering them and pets I had as a child. I plan to make a list of their names and spend a little time on each of them. 

Success With The Sleeping Spell

Although I was not expecting this spell to work, I did have a wonderful success with it.  I slept well for the first time in months and had the most pleasant dream.  I don't expect it to work every night, but i'm pleased with the result I have had so far.  Dreams were immensely important to me as a child when I was practicing witchcraft a lot. 

Today, I made the time to make a start on the pillar for the garden.  I have just a common house brick and researched some Ogham words to inscribe on it. I may add a few more words before I place it in the garden. I'm wondering if i should just settle for writing the words in Ogham or if I should attempt to etch them into the brick witch a knife or other suitable tool. 

I'm still very worried about my weight, so looked over the spell again to see if that helps. I still feel that these spells work in a psychological manner, so affecting the subconscious.  In this case, putting me off food.  

The Curse

 

In an earlier blog, I mentioned that we are all under a curse. In this blog, I will attempt to explain what the curse is and how it affects us. Firstly, we must name the curse as a curse of convenience, so we understand what is going on.  The curse is a curse of convenience that lays over the people like a cloth making us think in a different way.  As a result, people have stopped caring about the environment and only care about their own convenience.  Cars are convenient for people, yet they pollute the air.  Animals are killed on the roads and not many people care and in fact pretend that it doesn't happen.  Plastic is another convenience that is destructive that people turn a blind eye to.

Who and what does the curse affect?

• Everyone is affected and that is why it is unfair to judge anyone. People simply don't know what they are doing. 
• Has an effect on the world too.  

What is the effect of the curse?

It causes people to stop thinking about the consequences of their actions for the sake of their own convenience. 

• Plastic is convenient, but pollutes the Earth and kills the animals. Plastic has even been found in humans.
• Fast food is convenient, but it is making people fat, and I find a lot of fast food packaging in the countryside.  People throw their fast food packaging out of the window of their cars. 
• Cars are convenient, yet pollute the air we all breathe. 
• People throw their rubbish on the floor because it is more convenient for them to do so. 
• It is convenient for people to turn a blind eye to injustice. 
• People replace natural grass with fake plastic grass because that is more convenient for them to do, and they don't care about the wildlife that lived in the earth.  
• Fake plants are more convenient except for the bees and other insects. 
• Pesticides are convenient to the farmer. 
• packaging is convenient for people.
  

Because of our convenience, animals lay dead on the roads. Wildlife is affected by our rubbish the air, earth and water is polluted, yet people continue because the curse makes us forget and tells us what good people we are and that we are not the problem. The curse also convinces people that the packaging is magically turned into something else that no animals are harmed, and the Earth is respected, yet the birds are found with plastic in their stomachs.  Litter is all over the countryside.

I'm not sure to the origins of the curse, but I wouldn't be surprised if it had something to do with the crimes against people from the Christian Church throughout history. Maybe their victims cursed the world. 

My First Mabon

After I returned to the craft, I was immediately drawn towards the Wheel of the Year.  This is a set of eight festivals. The first for me to celebrate was Mabon, autumn equinox. I felt compelled to go out into the countryside and pick up litter as an offering to Mother nature and the Earth. The effort and time was the offering. While out in nature, I felt compelled to make a witch sign and stood it in my garden. Furthermore, I charged a protection spell in the moonlight and used it to protect the house.  I learnt a little about lavender and using smoke to cleans things.  The wheel of the year is new to me and didn't follow it as a boy when I last practised this craft. Incidently, we had a harvest moon on the 18th of Sept this year, and it was beautiful!

Wheel of the Year

• Yule (Winter Solstice, solar festival)
• Imbolc (seasonal festival)
  
• Ostara (Spring Equinox, solar festival)
• Beltane (seasonal festival)
  
• Litha (Summer Solstice, solar festival)
• Lughnasadh (seasonal festival)
  
• Mabon (Autumn equinox, solar festival)
• Samhain (seasonal festival)

I awakened in time for Mabon, the autumn festival, on the 22nd of Sept 2024.  I decorated the house with pine cones and cinnamon and had Viking Skause for dinner with apple blackberry crumble for dessert. During this time, I was drawn to runes and Ogham and set about using them in my craft. I also bought a book on the craft, which was a little disappointing, but still fun.

It's a few days after Mabon and my next project is to use Ogham and make more things for the garden.  I have a brick and plan to write Ogham words on it, so it is like a little pillar in the garden. I must admit, I'm looking forward to Samhain (31st of Oct) already. It falls at a time when the spirit world and this world are close together. 

Returning To The Craft

After many years of ignoring what I am and hiding from it, I decided to be true to myself and returned to the craft that I started as a teenager. I stopped after a few things going wrong.  Now, I'm back. 

• This blog is me introducing myself
  
• What I remember
• What I am learning
• This is not a lesson or an example of how to be a witch
  
• Witchcraft is a very individual thing and I don't expect people to 'follow' me or be the same.
  
• I'm awakening after a long, long time asleep away from the craft.
   

I'm not interested in superstition

One of my biggest gripes is superstitious bullshit.  Some spells are obviously made up rubbish and I wish people would just stop talking crap.  True witchcraft is a connection between this world and the spirit realm. In order to invoke the power of witchcraft, the witch must use items, symbols and words that call the power of the Gods or nature. Witchcraft exists somewhere in the space between feeling and knowing. The witch, male or female, should feel the energy in their skin when casting and even at other times. The energy feels youthful and little crackling electrical energy.  The witch will feel it in their shoulders, hands and stomach first. 

The internet is full of rubbish and people lying.  Being a witch is not about an image or playing a role in some sort of fantasy.  Unfortunately, Christians and Hollywood have promoted many lies and propaganda about withes, likely out of guilt and fear because of what the Christians did to us in the past. With this in mind, if you want to believe in the superstitious nonsense and live like a prisoner of some sort of OCD hell, you go right ahead.  If you want to be a witch and wear the coat of Christian lies living up to their idea of what a witch is, again you go right a head.  However, if you want to know the truth, keep reading. Witchcraft is older than the religions and is not without its darker side as humans attempted to understand the world around them. As a modern day witch, I'm not interested in hurting or using animals in my spells and casting.  I'm sure that such spells that claim to require animals or animal parts are again superstition and Christian lies.  However, hunting was a part of life in the Iron Age, but there is no need for it now. 

Witchcraft at its core is a respect for nature.  Once you give up eating animals, the animals will treat you differently.  They can tell if you secretly desire to eat animal flesh too.  After a while, you might earn their trust enough for them to start speaking to you. Yes, they speak.  When it happens, it will not be in any human language, but you will hear them and know what they said as if it was spoken in your first language.  Respect for nature is why we ask permission and wait before taking anything from nature.

Commercialism

As you look around for information on witchcraft, shops will bombard you with 'must have' ingredients for your spells. Are you going to fall for their sales talk? People are looking to make money out of you, and they will lie about the power of an object or item just to get you to part with your money. Nevertheless, some things you will need to buy, such as salt and pens, but most things will come from nature, just remember to ask nature or the plant before taking it and don't take anything from private land.

The Three Fold Rule

This is not something that I believe in; nonetheless, I do believe you reap what you sow.  So, for example, if you go around being hateful and nasty that is what you will receive back from the universe.

Spells and Casting

A good spell is hard to find, but once you start calling out to nature and the animals the right spells will come on their own to you. Spells often need an accent language like Norse Runes or Ogham.  I find it is good to keep a journal of your experiences with spells, so you can repeat them if needed.  Once you have spells that work, write them in your grimoire. 

Health and safety is essential when using flames. I always use fire in a safe place with the correct equipment.  I never use fire out in the countryside or in the house.  

Nature provides the best ingredients

Be out in nature and look for natural things to decorate your home at festival time.  I find making things out of materials I found in the countryside useful in protection charms and spells.

Bragging

There is nothing worse than a person that brags.  Look at me, look at me, look at me! They say to their own detriment. Furthermore, if people find out you are a witch, they will just mock and ridicule you.

Although Wicca is new, Witchcraft is not

Witchcraft is very old.  This is why I feel it is good to use old languages like Runes and Ogham. Feel the energy from nature and spend time out of the house in a safe place by the river or in the woods, for example. If you start to feel peace in your heart, you are doing something right. 

It's obvious to me that all of humanity and the world lay under a curse, and it is the witches that have woken up first. I will go into more detail in a later blog about the curse, but for now, I will just say it is a curse of convenience, and we are all under it and that is why it's not fair to judge others or ourselves.

Because witchcraft is so old, I tend to shy away from religious ideas. You, however, might not. I'm from England, so I tend to look for things close or connected to the UK in times before the Romans; hence, Norse runes and Ogham from Ireland. The Romans bought with them things from Greece and Egypt, so I tend to stay away from such stuff with the exception of Hecate. However, I don't tend to believe in deities, but rather the forces of nature, and Mother Earth.  For instance, Winter is a dangerous beast that will devour you, but is OK if you respect it and do the right things.

Peace in your heart