In honor of America's favorite green holiday, let's talk fantasy! Jackie takes us into the realm of fairy tales with stories of the sidhe, fae, and elves.
Questions/comments/concerns/recommendations? Email us at ragingromantics@nopl.org!
Definitions:
- sidhe (correlated fairy for purposes of this episode and understanding) - taken from Aes sídhe or daoine sídhe ( meaning the people of the mounds). "In Old Irish we see references to síd, síth, síodh, sídh, sídhe, síodha, or sídbrugach as ‘a fairy hill or mound’, and later in a more general sense, to mean something wondrous, enchanting, charming, or delightful. Subsequently, we see the term being associated with supernatural beings themselves, or fairies specifically." (Irish Pagan School, 2022)
- Tuatha De Danu - "people of the goddess Danu," Danu being a Celtic land or mother goddess
- euhemerization - any interpretation of myths that derives the gods from outstanding men, and seeks the source of mythology in history
- seelie/unseelie - derives from the Anglo-Saxon (ge)sælig/ sællic meaning ‘happy’ or ‘prosperous," associated with "seely wytes" in 17th c. Scotland
- Álfheim - Old Norse, "The Homeland of the Elves”
- ljósálfar - Old Norse, light elves (or bright elves)
- svartálfar/ dökkálfar - Old Norse, dark elves/black elves
- Svartálfheim - Old Norse, "home of the black elves"
- dvergar - Old Norse, "dwarves"
Other episodes to listen to:
Books/Authors/People we mention:
Sources:
- “Luck of the Irish: Folklore and fairies in Rural Ireland” (HRAF, Yale)
- “Fairies and Fairy lore: The reality of the Irish fairy” (Broderick, 2018)
- “The Sidhe – Irish Fairy Folklore” (Irish Pagan School, 2022)
- “Túatha Dé (Danann)” (CODECS)
- “Fairy in The Faerie Queene: Making Elizabeth Irish” (Severson, 2019)
- ‘A History of Elves” (Bradford, 2017)
- “The Seelie and Unseelie Courts” (British fairies, 2021)
- "Incredible History of the Tuatha de Danann: Ireland’s Most Ancient Race" (Connolly Cove, 2023)
- "Hallmarks of Fantasy: A Brief History of the Genre" (Pagan, 2020)
- "What Do Readers Want From Great Fantasy Fiction?" (BookViral, 2023)
- "What is fantasy fiction?" (Cliffnotes, 2023)
- "The Sidhe – Irish Fairy Folklore" (Irish Pagan School, 2022)
- "Everything You Need To Know About The Fae Folk" (Tea & Rosemary, 2021)
- "The Fae Meaning and Mythology Secrets You Need To Know" (Brethauer, n.d.)
- "The Seelie and Unseelie Courts" (Writing in Margins, 2022)
- "Who Were the Celts?" (History.com, 2019)
- "Svartálfar" (Wikipedia, 2007)
