If you had to guess the political persuasion in the land of Faery, what's the first thought that comes to mind? I think for most, it would be hard to separate our preconceived notion of faeries from their titular tales, replete with Queens, Kings, and courts. Although there is no lack of allusions to a Faery adherence to some form of Otherworldly monarchy (or monarchies), there are just as many instances of clear inversions of the etiquette and mores of our human royal courts, in their Faery reflections. In the Early Modern period, we also see a number of social rebellions on the part of the human working classes against the tyrannical excesses of their own monarchs, carried out in the name of faeries. How much of this mirroring of our own realm, that we see askew in Faery, is an expression of their inherent nature, and how much is it actually a form of theatrics or co-creation? When is Faery an interface? In the US today, are there still Faerie Queens, or have they decided to try out the popular mode of democratically elected authoritarian?
In Morgan Daimler's latest book on The Fairy Courts, they challenge many of the pre-conceived notions we have about the social structures of these beings, and the relative morality at play in their pledged loyalties, from the "Seelie" and "Unseelie" Courts in Early Modern Scotland, to their modern adaptations in fiction and pop culture. In our conversation, Morgan unpacks all the nuances of this complex topic and fells some sacred cows along the way.
And while I have you here, I just want to mention that we have a lively Patreon page you can check out if you want to pledge support for the show. We offer extended bonus interviews for every episode, and I've been offering a Patreon-exclusive deep dive into my approach to seership over there as well. I also have a free Substack called The Foliate Head, where I'm about to post my fifth entry into an essay series on the vast array of theories about the fundamental nature of faeries, and why they might not all be mutually exclusive.
And if you haven't yet, go forth and rate and review the show. It actually goes a long way in getting us into more ears. All that said, I hope you enjoy my chat with the great Morgan Daimler.
SHOW NOTES:
Morgan's Books: Author Page
The Fairy Courts: Moon Books
Feed the Fairies Podcast: Spotify Link
Morgan's Patheos Blog: Patheos Pagan
Morgan's Classes: Irish Pagan School
Morgan's Instagram: @morgandaimler
