aos sí

' (; English approximation: ; older form: ) is the Irish name for a supernatural race in Gaelic folklore, similar to elves. They are said to descend from the Tuatha Dé Danann or the gods of Irish mythology.

The name ''aos sí'' means "folk of the ''sí''"; these are the burial mounds in which they are said to dwell, which are seen as portals to an Otherworld. Such abodes are referred to in English as 'shee', 'fairy mounds', 'elf mounds' or 'hollow hills'. The ''aos sí'' interact with humans and the human world. They are variously said to be the ancestors, the spirits of nature, or goddesses and gods. Evans Wentz, W. Y. (1966, 1990
The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries
Gerrards Cross, Colin Smythe Humanities Press

In modern Irish, they are also called ''daoine sí''; in Scottish Gaelic ''daoine sìth'' ('folk of the fairy mounds').

Etymology

In the Irish language, ''aos sí'', earlier ''aes sídhe'', means "folk of the fairy mounds". In Old Irish, it was ''áes síde''. Dictionary of the Irish Language:
síd, síth
' The word ''sí'' or ''sídh'' in Irish means a fairy mound or ancient burial mound, which were seen as portals to an Otherworld. It is derived from proto-Celtic ''*sīdos'' ('abode'), and is related to the English words 'seat' and 'settle'.

David Fitzgerald conjectured that the word ''sídh'' was synonymous with "immortal" and is compared with words such as ''sídsat'' ("they wait/remain"), ''síthbeo'' ("lasting"), ''sídhbuan'' ("perpetual"), and ''sídhbe'' ("long life"). In most of the tales concerning the ''sí'', a great age or long life is implied.

In medieval literature

In medieval Irish literature, the names ''aes síde'' and ''fír síde'' (folk of the ''síd'') are equivalent to the terms '' Tuath Dé'' and ''Tuatha Dé Danann''. The only difference is that ''Tuath Dé'' tends to be used in contexts of legendary history and mythology.

Writing in the 7th century, the Irish bishop Tírechán described the ''sídh'' folk as "earthly gods" (). The 8th century ''Fiacc's Hymn'' says that the Irish adored the ''sídh'' folk before the coming of Saint Patrick.

In Irish folklore

Due to the oral nature of Irish folklore, the exact origins of the fairies are not well defined. There are enough stories to support two possible origins. The fairies could either be fallen angels or the descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann; in the latter case, this is equivalent with ''aos sí''. In the former case, it is said that the fairies are angels who have fallen from heaven, but whose sins were not great enough to warrant hell.

In many Gaelic tales, the ''aos sí'' are later literary versions of the Tuatha Dé Danann ("People of the Goddess Danu")—the deities and deified ancestors of Irish mythology. Some sources describe them as the survivors of the Tuatha Dé Danann who retreated into the Otherworld when fleeing the mortal Sons of Míl Espáine who, like many other early invaders of Ireland, came from Iberia. As part of the terms of their surrender to the Milesians, the Tuatha Dé Danann agreed to retreat and dwell underground.

In folk belief and practice, the ''aos sí'' are often appeased with offerings and care is taken to avoid angering or insulting them. Often, they are not named directly, but rather spoken of as "The Good Neighbours", "The Fair Folk", or simply "The Folk". The most common names for them, ''aos sí'', ''aes sídhe'', ''daoine sídhe'' (singular ''duine sídhe'') and ''daoine sìth'' mean, literally, "people of the mounds" (referring to the ''sídhe''). The ''aos sí'' are generally described as stunningly beautiful, though they can also be terrible and hideous.

''Aos sí'' are seen as fierce guardians of their abodes—whether a fairy hill, a fairy ring, a special tree (often a whitethorn) or a particular loch or wood. It is believed that infringing on these spaces will cause the ''aos sí'' to retaliate in an effort to remove the people or objects that invaded their homes. Many of these tales contribute to the changeling myth in west European folklore, with the ''aos sí'' kidnapping trespassers or replacing their children with changelings as a punishment for transgressing. The ''aos sí'' are often connected to certain times of year and hours; as the Gaelic Otherworld is believed to come closer to the mortal world at the times of dusk and dawn, the ''aos sí'' correspondingly become easier to encounter. Some festivals such as Samhain, Bealtaine and Midsummer are also associated with the ''aos sí.''

The ''sídhe''

A ''sídh'' (anglicized 'shee') is burial mound (tumuli) associated with the ''aos sí''. In modern Irish, the word is ''sí'' (plural ''síthe''); in Scottish Gaelic it is ''sìth'' (plural ''sìthean''); in Old Irish it is ''síd'' (plural ''síde''). These ''sídhe'' are referred to in English as 'fairy mounds', 'elf mounds' or 'hollow hills'.

In some later English-language texts, the word ''sídhe'' is incorrectly used both for the mounds and the people of the mounds. For example, W. B. Yeats, writing in 1908, referred to the ''aos sí'' simply as "the ''sídhe''". However, ''sidh'' in older texts refers specifically to "the palaces, courts, halls or residences" of the otherworldly beings that supposedly inhabit them.

Other names in Irish folklore

The ''Aos sí'' are known by many names in Ireland, among them:
* ''Aingil Anúabhair'': "Proud angels"
* ''Daoine Uaisle': "The noble folk"
* ''Daoine maithe'': "Good people"
* ''Deamhan Aerig'': "Air demons"
* ''Dream Anúabhair'': "Excessively proud eople
* ''Sídhfir'': "fairy men"
* ''Sídheógaídhe'': "Young Moundlings"
* ''Slúagh Cille'': "Host of the churchyard"
* ''Slúagh na Marbh'': "Host of the dead"
* ''Slúagh Sídhe'': "Mound host"
* ''Slúagh-Sídhe-Thúatha-Dé-Danann'': "Mound host of the Túatha Dé Danann"
* ''na Uaisle'': "The noble" or "The gentry"

Types

The banshee or ''bean sídhe'' (from ), which means "woman of the ''sídhe''", has come to indicate any supernatural woman of Ireland who announces a coming death by wailing and keening. Her counterpart in Scottish mythology is the ''bean sìth'' (sometimes spelled ''bean-sìdh''). Other varieties of ''aos sí'' and ''daoine sìth'' include the Scottish ''bean-nighe'' (the washerwoman who is seen washing the bloody clothing or armour of the person who is doomed to die), the '' leanan sídhe'' (the "fairy lover"), the '' cat-sìth'' (a fairy cat), and the '' cù-sìth'' (a fairy dog).

The '' sluagh sídhe''—"the fairy host"—is sometimes depicted in Irish and Scottish lore as a crowd of airborne spirits, perhaps the cursed, evil or restless dead. The ''siabhra'' (anglicised as "sheevra"), may be a type of these lesser spirits, prone to evil and mischief. However, an Ulster folk song also uses "sheevra" simply to mean "spirit" or "fairy".

List

* Abarta
* Abhartach
* Alp-luachra
* ''Bean-nighe''/ Caoineag
* Banshee
* '' Cat-sìth''
* '' Cù-sìth''
* Changeling
* Clíodhna
* Clurichaun
* Dobhar-chú
* Dullahan
* Ellén Trechend
* Fachan
* Far darrig
* Fear gorta
* '' Am Fear Liath Mòr''
* Fetch
* Fuath
* Gancanagh
* Ghillie Dhu / Gille Dubh
* Glaistig/ Glashtyn
* Leanan sídhe
* Leprechaun
* Merrow
* Oilliphéist
* Púca
* Selkie
* Sluagh

''Creideamh Sí''

''Creideamh Sí'' is Irish for the "Fairy Faith", a term for the collection of beliefs and practices observed by those who wish to keep good relationships with the ''aos sí'' and avoid angering them. General belief in the Celtic otherworld, the existence of ''aos sí'' and the ability of the ''aos sí'' to influence the local area and its people are all beliefs characteristic of the ''Creideamh Sí''. It is characterised as an aspect of Irish popular religion and exists syncretically with folk Christianity.

Effort is made by those who believe to appease local ''aos sí'' through food and drink. The custom of offering milk and traditional foods—such as baked goods, apples or berries—to the ''aos sí'' has survived through the Christian era into the present day in parts of Ireland, Scotland and the diaspora. Those who maintain some degree of belief in the ''aos sí'' also are careful to leave their sacred places alone and protect them from damage through road or housing construction.

See also

* Edmund Lenihan
* Enchanted Moura
* Fairy riding
* Fir Bolg
*Jinn (Arab mythical being)
*Kami
* Otherworld
* Strontian
*Seiðr

References

Primary sources

* ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' (''The Book of Invasions'') in '' Lebor Laignech'' (''The Book of Leinster'')
* '' Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'' (''The Annals of the Four Masters'')
* '' Leabhar Bhaile an Mhóta'' (''The Book of Ballymote'')
* '' Lebor na hUidre'' (''The Book of the Dun Cow'')
* '' Leabhar Buidhe Lecain'' (''The Yellow Book of Lecan'')
* '' Leabhar (Mór) Leacain'' (''The Great Book of Lecan'')

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Aos Si

Fairies
Irish folklore
Irish legendary creatures
Scottish mythology
*
Irish fairy tales
Irish mythology