Lesson 1-2 (2024)

The faery realm gets named many things, but it doesn't take away from the general belief that this realm is located on the same planet. In faery lore, that means it is the parallel dimension to Earth. In some derivations, it's an inaccessible landmass across vast oceans. Many of the older versions believe this world of faery is a mystical island, where immortal and magical beings frolic to hide away from the harshness of mortal life.

There is a distant isle,
Around which sea-horses glisten:
A fair course against the white-swelling surge,--
Four feet uphold it.
- excerpt from "Voyage of Bran, Son of Febal"

In Irish folklore, the world of the Fey is called Tir Na Nog ("Land of the Young") or Mag Mell, and is thought to be the place in which the Tuatha De Danann live. Many also mention the fact that this island is inhabited by not only faeries, but by gods, demons, spirits, and shades. Namely, all the magical beings not usually found in the human world. The best known depiction of Tir Na Nog would probably be from the stories of Ossian (an Irish poet of great renown), who was spirited to the faery realm for seven years. In the Irish legends, Ossian lived as the consort of the faery queen, and returned to Ireland after seven years. Of course, when he did make it back to his beloved country, he realized that the Feinin (the "Fair Folk" who stayed around in the mortal world) disappeared and became merely old wives' tales. This was because 300 years had passed since he disappeared from the mortal realms.

A similar world can be found in the Welsh faery land of Annwn or Tylwyth Teg (also the name of the "Fair Folk"). Like Tir Na Nog, Annwn is an island located to the west of Wales (sometimes it is also rumored to be located underground). No mortal creature can reach it save for a dangerous faery path, which can only be traversed with a particular fae guide. The king of Annwn is Arawn, though other sources have indicated that he was succeeded by Gwyn ap Nudd.

Both Tir Na Nog and Tylwyth Teg resemble the Fortunate Isles or the Islands of the Blessed, which is a prominent land in Greek mythology. The Greeks believe that this land (also located in the Western Ocean) houses the heroes and immortals. Only the exceptionally pure and the chosen ones are allowed entry into this paradise. In most cases, these heroes would have to undergo three reincarnations, where each death lands the hero into the Elysian Fields. This is a particularly difficult task to accomplish, considering it's hard enough to get into the Elysian Fields the first time around.

“Comfort yourself,” said the king, “and do as well as you
may, for in me is no trust for to trust in. For I must into the
vale of Avalon to heal me of my grievous wound. And if you
hear nevermore of me, pray for my soul!”
- excerpt from Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur

What is a discussion of faery islands without Avalon? Seriously.

Arthurian legends date almost as far back as the Mabinogion, the collection of Welsh lore that also include Arthurian-type legends. King Arthur is a famous hero of legend and folklore. A king of Britain, he was the boy of wizard prophecy and the boy who did the impossible by pulling a magical sword out of the stone. And within this legend of knights, wizards, and witches, there is also the land wherein magic holds its base: Avalon.

This mystical place serves as a place of magic. In some accounts, Avalon is also called the Fortunate Isles (a name for the paradise in Greek mythology). Geoffrey of Monmouth actually mentions Avalon in his accounts and relates the island as part of Arthurian legend. In his depiction, Avalon is the place where Arthur is whisked away to after suffering a mortal injury at the hands of his son Mordred. Legends say that Avalon is where Arthur finally dies of his wounds. But other legends say that Avalon was where Arthur went to recover and live in an immortal state. Among those that help heal Arthur is the "head of the sisters," Morgan le Fay. In some accounts, Morgan le Fay is Avalon's faery queen, because Avalon itself is the world of the Fey.

"On the horse behind her
With full rush Lanval jumped.
With her he goes away into Avalon,
According to what the Briton tells us,
Into an isle, which is very beautiful."
- excerpt of Lanval's adventure to Avalon

Many others have tried to reach Avalon, of course. The knight Lanval was so bewitched by the likes of a faery that he even refused Queen Guinevere's charms. When accused of shunning the queen, Lanval's faery vouches for him, and eventually takes the knight to Avalon. But again, only through the aid of a faery (in Arthur's case, the faery who ferried him to Avalon was none other than Morgan le Fay herself).

Guided by the Lonely Star,
beyond the utmost harbour-bar,
I'll find the heavens fair and free,
and beaches of the Starlit Sea.
Ship my ship! I seek the West,
and fields and mountains ever blest.
Farewell to Middle-earth at last.
I see the star above my mast!
- excerpt from "Bilbo's Last Song" by J.R.R. Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth has been the model for many a high-fantasy construction of world-building and race-building. Tolkien's adventures, languages, and elven and dwarven races in his The Lord of the Rings trilogy have spurred inspirations amongst the fantasy world. So it is no surprise that the talk of this mystical western island should be a part of a discussion of faery realms.

Valinor, also the Undying Lands, was the place where the elves and the Istari (or wizards) came from. It is part of a much bigger continent that houses the gods. Technically, the entire realm of Aman could be considered the otherworldly equivalent of the faery realm, but in keeping with the island motif, the lesson will just focus on Valinor. This is the realm of the Valar, the place where immortals travel to leave Tolkien's Middle-Earth. Valinor is an island far to the west, and many elves speak wistfully about the beautiful land of Valinor (Arwen particularly sings about the two trees of Valinor in The Return of the King).

There are, however, misconceptions to the belief that Valinor is a land that grants immortality. On the contrary, while Valinor is considered a paradise, the beings are there because they are immortal, and not there to become immortal. Some exceptions, however, include the likes of the hobbits (Frodo, Bilbo, and Sam) and Gimli, who are all ferried to the west with the elves for their magnificent feats during the War of the Ring.

"[All] heart's desires are granted there...it is a land without strife or suffering, where even death itself is unknown..."
- excerpt from The High King by Lloyd Alexander

Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain depicts the journeys of a boy as he becomes a man, rising from a mere pig-keeper's apprentice to the High King of Prydain. Many beings live in the world of Prydain, and mention of the Fair Folk can be seen throughout the pages of the five-book series. Like Tolkien, Alexander also declares that the age of immortals/magic is at an end, and this results in the exodus of creatures with magical abilities. The magical beings inevitably follow the Fair Folk, who have all gone to The Summer Country.

The Summer Country is also mentioned in the Mabinogion (especially in the story of "Culhwch and Olwen"), and in many ways, Alexander's Summer Country is based on the Welsh folklore. It is a land where beings remain immortal, because the land suffers no strife. In The High King, the "sons of Don" must travel on their golden ships and embark toward the Summer Country.