The fairies of English and Scottish folklore have been classified in a
variety of ways. Two of the most prominent categories, derived from
Scottish folklore, are the division into the Seelie Court and the Unseelie Court.
These categories may reflect an earlier classification of the Germanic elves, as
the corresponding Insular Celtic "fair folk" do not appear to have a comparable
division. William Butler Yeats, in Irish Fairy and Folk Tales, further divided
them into the Trooping Fairies and the Solitary Fairies. Katharine Mary Briggs
noted that a third distinction might be needed for "domesticated fairies" who
live in human households. Seelie and Unseelie
= Etymology= The Northern and Middle English word
seely, and the Scots form seilie, meaning "happy", "lucky" or "blessed"
and unseely meaning "unhappy", "misfortunate" or "unholy" are derived
from the Old English sǣl and gesǣlig. Felicia the Fairy derives her name from
the Latin word "felix" meaning lucky. The Modern Standard English word silly
is also derived from this root and the term "seely" is recorded in numerous
works of Middle English literature such as those by Geoffrey Chaucer. Many
ballads and tales tell of "Seilie wichts";. a Lowland Scots term for
fairies. In Wales there were said to be two fairies or elves called Silly Frit
and Sili go Dwt whose names represent a borrowing of the adjective silly as
applied to fantastical beings from its usage on the English marches bordering
Wales rather than the Anglo-Scottish border; the former name being purely
English while the latter is a corruption of English fairy names featuring "tot"
as an element. = Seelie and Unseelie Courts=
The Seelie court are known to seek help from humans, to warn those who have
accidentally offended them, and to return human kindness with favors of
their own. Still, a fairy belonging to this court will avenge insults and could
be prone to mischief. The most common time of day to see them is twilight.
Other names for the Seelie court are 'The Shining Throne' or 'The Golden
ones' and 'The light Court'. The categorization of fairies based on court
is whether or not a fairy is light or dark. Light fairies are known for
playing pranks on humans and having a light hearted attitude, forgetting their
sorrows quickly and not realizing how they might be affecting the humans they
play pranks on. The Unseelie Court consists of the
darkly-inclined fairies. Unlike the Seelie Court, no offense is necessary to
bring down their assaults. As a group, they appear at night and assault
travelers, often carrying them through the air, beating them, and forcing them
to commit such acts as shooting at cattle. Like the beings of the Seelie
Court who are not always benevolent, neither are the fairies of the Unseelie
Court always malevolent. Most Unseelies can become fond of a particular human if
they are viewed as respectful, and would choose to make them something of a pet.
Some of the most common characters in the Unseelie Court are Bogies, Bogles,
Boggarts, Abbey Lubbers and Buttery Spirits. The division into "seely" and
"unseely" spirits was roughly equivalent to the division of Elves in Norse
mythology, into "light" and "dark" distinctions.
In the French fairy tales as told by the précieuses, fairies are likewise divided
into good and evil, but the effect is clearly literary. Many of these literary
fairies seem preoccupied with the character of the humans they encounter.
The Welsh fairies, Tylwyth Teg, and the Irish Aos Sí are usually not classified
as wholly good or wholly evil. Trooping and Solitary Fairies
Yeats divided fairies into the solitary and trooping fairies, as did James
Macdougall in Folk Tales and Fairy Lore. Katharine Mary Briggs noted that a third
distinction might be needed for "domesticated fairies" who live in human
households, but such fairies might join with other fairies for merry-making and
fairs. The trooping fairies contain the
aristocracy of the fairy world, including the Irish Aos Sí. They are
known as trooping faeries because they travel in long processions, such as the
one from which Tam Lin was rescued. But the trooping fairies also include other
fairies of lesser importance; a trooping fairy can be large or small, friendly or
sinister. Unlike the trooping fairies, solitary
fairies live alone and are inclined to be wicked and malicious creatures,
except for beings such as the brownie who is said to help with household
chores. See also
Álfheimr Changeling
Elf Fairyland
Jinn Otherworld
Pixie / Pysky Puck
Sluagh References