Ever since The Sidhe were rudely expelled from their native Éire by the evil bastard Druids, they headed South and crossed the seas, in order to head for a new more peaceful home in Aquitaine.
Here they installed themselves in sun-dappled woodland glades, where they are little seen, or even known of, by native populations.
However, those who venture amongst the Oaks and Chestnuts, well before the dew is off the Badgers' whiskers, do occasionally see them; I myself have caught glimpses.
Rather like W B Yeats who, in the Liffy kissed city of Dublin, saw The Sidhe disguised as copies of The Irish Times, I spotted several yesterday morning whilst out collecting mushrooms. But they are no simpletons The Sidhe; as soon as I turned to face them, they transformed themselves, not into old newspapers, but into gnarled and ancient trees.
I shall see them again; I am sure, and they will again hastily transform themselves into trees so as not to be seen. And as soon as my foraging is done, they will dance amongst the bracken as is their wont, leaving their tiny footprints to be spotted by those who dare to dream.
38 comments:
I saw them here last night all around me and then they disappeared when the wind blew the curtains and so I spoke to the cat instead.
They were illegal Sihde immigrants.
Folklore conjures up the most wonderful images, even more so after a glass or two of red.
Looking at the header picture, I thought you might have been to Lourdes.
I would never visit Lourdes, they're all as mad as hatters, other than the trinket sellers of course!
Have you or I been eating too many mushrooms? However I will keep looking out for the little folk they seem fun.
Magic mushrooms?
Rather a hippy post for you Cro. Maybe it's time for a move to Totnes or the French equivalent! x
Tune in, turn on, and drop out. But to Totnes?
Totnes is a Transition town, an evolving green idea, where everyone lives happily together and shares, a bit like the Sidhe, who are of course very elusive, didn't know they had moved to France though ;)
I think you must have had a visit from the 'Holy Willies', it looks like a picture from one of their pamphlets of what the afterlife would be like in heaven!
They probably had French ancestors.
If I believed in an afterlife, I think I would want it to be like that.
Dream on Cro. Here they frolic in the gorse on the moors. The farmer heard one singing this morning when he took Tess for her morning walk. It was disguised as a cuckoo.
Nothing would surprise me, Weave. I'll look at Cuckoos differently from now.
Regardless of you having lost the plot because of ingesting Psilocybin mushrooms. You might at least get the spelling correct ' Sídhe '
Some of those Irish fairies are 8 feet tall. Christ knows how they are never spotted.
I don't know what you're talking about. Too much Guinness maybe?
Most of the Irish Druids are less that 6 ft.... hardly noticeable.
Are they distant cousins to the wee folk in Iceland?
Naughty cousins possibly.
These possibilities have charmed me.
Best wishes.
If you go down to the woods today.....
Damn leg acting up today so walking into the wood is out of the question. Don't suppose they would consider visiting? I would share my best scotch.
Funny you should say that. I finished my bottle of pure malt last winter, and a replacement is on my shopping list for Friday. We could sample!
I wonder how old world fairies are related to the ones in the new world. The Little People of the Cherokees are only knee high, both ladies and gentleman, with very long hair. Apparently leprechauns sailed with the Irish in the late 1840s, out of curiosity rather than need of course.
Thanks Cro, perfect timing. Ours want porridge in the winter but will care for all farm animals in return. And play the fiddle naked in the stream.
I usually see a flickering out of the corner of my eye, and when I turn to look more closely, nothing is there.
"Bastard Druid" an oft used nickname for my grandfather Thomas E. O'Shaughnessy, said with love of course.
Yeah, those mushrooms will do that. I used to see strange things when I'd been drinking Southern Comfort to excess.
The Romans stamped out the druids so I guess the Sidhe were avenged!
;-)
They must be related; they all have similar powers. I expect WE are simply an inconvenience.
They sound delightful (and useful).
Yup; that's them. You've got them too.
Mine was intended as an insult to ONE particular non-Irishman; all in jest of course.
I once had a 'dubious' supply of Jim Beam whiskey from the naval base connected to the US embassy in London. I saw more strange things then than I ever have.
I've never heard of them before. They sound delightful. The only spirits we have here are bunyips and they aren't pretty or fairy-like !
In which case, please keep your Bunyips over there; we have enough trouble as it is.
I suspect many of the white settlers in Oz who thought they saw bunyips were paying the price for a slight over-indulgence in hooch. Fortunately they never made it to NZ.
I think if I ever over-indulge to that extent I'd far rather meet some Sídhe. Oddly I have no idea what the Scots equivalent is. Mind Scots are too down to earth and after a good dram or three either fall asleep or go and find someone to fight.
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