Lesson 5-2 (2024)

Now we're winding down to the last elements of the faery world! The topic here is: how different are those living in the world of Fey to those living in the mortal plane? In Fae Folk 1: The People of the Fey, I have stated that faeries are in many ways similar to humans regarding certain human-like characteristics: greed, envy, beneficence, etc. But there are definitely clear boundaries that faeries cannot cross in order to be fully "mortal."

One thing constant in the faery world is the fae love for beauty. To them, beauty can be venerated or loathed; either way, a fair damsel and a handsome knight usually incites an extreme emotion from Seelie and Unseelie alike. Whether these faeries know human "love," however, is suspect, but we'll look at that in a bit.

Another faery constant is the fae love of celebration. While there are numerous solitary fae who would rather stay away from public eye in general, there are many others who congregate at the courts in order to join in the revelry. The Seelie and Unseelie courts are well-known for these types of occasions; previous stories have placed them in situations where they congregate and dance the night away, the music so magical that even mortals cannot resist. We'll briefly look at some more examples below.

Throughout the four lessons, we have seen the manifestation of faery love between fae and mortal. In fact, most stories usually tend to display a partnership between a besotted mortal and a fae seducer. Bards have warned many an innocent female from traipsing alone in a forest or near a mountain path so as to avoid Tam Lin (who works for the Faery Queen) and Reynardine. Men are wary of the water, for fear of the dark and irresistible charms of the Slavic rusalka and in avoidance of the sad results of falling for the Celtic selkie.

And yet we find that mortal and faerie fall in love anyway. Ossian grew enamored by Niamh of the Golden Hair, Tam Lin by the Faerie Queen, and in some accounts (if not all), Arthur by Morgan le Fay. In Ash and the short story "Wild Hunt,"the protagonist gets drawn to the unfathomable beauty of an elf from the Wild Hunt; in Tithe, the heroine falls for an Unseelie prince. In Wildwood Dancing, the eldest of the girls declares an unbreakable bond with a servant of the Night People (similar to the Unseelies).

There are, however, downsides to this love. In one Hungarian story by Elek Benedek ("Firtos lova"), a fae and a mortal peasant fall "in love," which, in many cases, is forbidden by the doctrine of the Fey. Ignoring this faerie doctrine, the two continue to rendezvous as couples go, which ultimately leads to some sort of disaster. Thank goodness for a magical horse, but I won't digress.***

The faerie world is not for everyone, falling in love with a faery will likely change you in ways you would not want. It isn't just a mere romantic outset. For the most part, faeries find that the concept of such "strong love" or "strong bond" is only a variation of servitude and slavery. Those of the fae fortunate enough to see otherwise might realize just how lucky they are, but this is fairly uncommon, even in fiction. The human treatment of love is a concept many faeries do not understand, and thus a "human"-like love of a faery to a mortal is frowned upon. For the fae folk, servitude is love.

Dating all the way back to ancient mythologies, we'll find that there will always be occasion for music, merriment, and mischief. Faeries gravitate toward music like moths to the light. They cannot resist when a good musician is playing a sprightly tune or mournful lament. Sometimes these musicians are so celebrated that they are lured to the faery world so that they would forever play their sweet melodies to the dancing fae. If you are equally beautiful andmusically talented, you'd better watch out, because the faeries will no doubt keep you for seven years and then use you as part of their Teind.

They called it, the Pied Piper's Street --
Where any one playing on pipe or tabor
Was sure for the future to lose his labor.
Nor suffered they hostelry or tavern
To shock with mirth a street so solemn;
But opposite the place of the cavern
They wrote the story on a column,
And on the great church-window painted
The same, to make the world acquainted
How their children were stolen away,
And there it stands to this very day.
-- excerpt from "Pied Piper of Hameln" by Robert Browning

Music is displayed prominently in many folktales. Perhaps one of the more popular ones is the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, whose musical skills entranced animals and children alike. In the legend, the Pied Piper helps rid the village of Hamelin of the rat infestation by luring the little rodents away with the use of his musically enchanting pied piping. The village "conveniently" forgets their payment, and in revenge, the Pied Piper uses the very same enchantment to lure the village's children to what can only be construed as the world of the Fey. (Imagine the field day the faeries have from that! Children to play with!) Many storytellers acknowledge the power that music holds as far as enchantments go. And the faeries agree.

The world of the Fey is infused with power no mortal can easily fathom. But this is not a one-sided mirror. Just as mortals look upon the fae folk with wonder, the fae folk also look upon the mortals with equal curiosity. They cannot help but interact with us, even if their plane is separate to ours. We are human, and the faeries do not understand what it is to be so. Therefore, they explore, and they branch away from their world, leaving trails for us to follow them.

For mortals, there is more than just black and white, Seelie and Unseelie. For mortals, time is a precious element, not to be wasted away. For mortals, love is not something a servant feels for a queen; love for mortals is passionate or gentle, lasting or abrupt. Faeries can try to emulate these human conditions, but in the end, their world is different to ours, and crossing to our mortal plane is probably just as magical and dangerous as us crossing into their faery world.