I am Menw, one of King Arthur's three wizard-warriors. Merlin taught me my Art, and commanded me to obey and protect the king. But which of those commands takes priority? Should I disobey the king when his order would endanger him? When do I follow my own will?
🎨 Aubrey Beardsley #FairyTaleFlash
In Welsh folklore, certain mines are haunted by coblynau. If treated with respect, these goblins will lead miners to precious ore and warn them of danger, but if treated with disrespect, coblynau will throw rocks at the miners or even collapse their shaft.
🎨 Alan Lee #FairyFriday#FaustianFriday
"The Queen of Fairies she caught me,
In yon green hill to dwell.
And pleasant is the fairy land,
But, an eerie tale to tell,
Aye, at the end of seven years,
We pay a tithe to Hell.
I am so fair and full of flesh,
I'm feared it be mysel'."
In medieval Welsh legends, fairies look the same as humans. In fact, the term "fairy" or "Fair Folk" is never used. It's only implied that maybe these mysterious people with magical powers and an affection for white and gold clothing may not be entirely human.
🎨 Alan Lee #FairyFriday
Though dividing fairies into a more benign Seelie Court and a more sinister Unseelie Court is prominent in modern fantasy, the only folklore it appears in is Scottish, and even then it's a later addition. Other legends don't divide fairies into such easy categories. #FaustianFriday
The pwca is the black-furred Welsh version of the pooka - a forest goblin trickster. Sometimes the pwca uses a magic candle to lead travelers off the path, and other times the pwca turns into a black animal, such a horse, and entices travelers to try to catch it.
🎨 Tony DiTerlizzi #FairyFriday#31DaysofHaunting#31DaysofHalloween
In Wales, a dove being near a mine or a crow circling overhead were often considered omens that the mine had become too hazardous. Mysterious tapping or knocking underground were also bad omens, often coblynau (mine goblins) warning the miners of danger. #FaustianFriday#FairyFriday#folklore#mythology#fairy#Celtic#Wales
In Welsh folklore, the border between worlds is often vague. Arthurian knights don't realize they've ridden into the Otherworld until they encounter progressively stranger things, such as one-legged giants or sheep that change colour when leaping across a river. #FaustianFriday#FairyFriday#folklore#mythology#Celtic#Wales
"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. It is not possible to hunt the boar Trwyth without Gwyn, the son of Nudd, whom God has placed over all the devils in Annwn, lest they should destroy the present race."
#Fairies were not evil. However, they were amoral, not tied to the moral and ethical demands of humanity. They were merely playful troublemakers rather than devilish opponents. They commonly tried to lead travelers astray. This was a minor inconvenience and could be quite frightening, but even without protection, the #fairy eventually grew bored with the trick and released the ensnared human. More seriously, the fairies attempted to lure useful or attractive people into the #Otherworld, to do their bidding until released.
Source: P. Monaghan Encyclopedia of #Celtic #Mythology and #Folklore
#FairyFriday: #Pixies enjoyed leading people astray. Several antidotes to being pixy-led have been recorded: carrying iron, wearing clothing backward or inside out, wearing hobnailed boots, carrying salt in the pocket, whistling or singing while walking. Although none offered a guarantee, such actions offered some protection against fairy mischief.
Source: P. Monaghan Encyclopedia of Celtic #Mythology and #Folklore
#FairyFriday: The #Manx ferrishyn liked to disorient people who walked the hills in the evening, turning them around so that they do not know where they are headed.
Source: P. Monaghan Encyclopedia of #Celtic #Mythology and #Folklore https://twitter.com/flamencobug/status/1111319133818376193
#FairyFriday: #Irish fairies could put a stray sod (fod seachran)—a little piece of enchanted grass—on the path and then watched as people became pixy-led or helplessly confused as to their location. It was possible to hide a stray sod in plain sight, even in the middle of a road. When a passerby’s foot struck the sod, all the surroundings became unfamiliar. Trapped this way, a traveler could wander for hours, growing ever weaker and more exhausted, until the mischief-making fairy put everything right again.
Source: P. Monaghan Encyclopedia of #Celtic #Mythology and #Folklore https://x.com/NOVA_Paladin/status/1397886711846379524?t=-WbyRVyy-2eKu0BRLe8vsQ&s=09
#FairyFriday: „ A small good-natured creature, the puck lived to make trouble, leading travelers astray whenever possible.“
Source: P. Monaghan Encyclopedia of #Celtic #Mythology and #Folklore