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Faerie Sex
Here are some encounters between fae and humans of the opposite sex. These examples are hardly inclusive, these are only about 10 of probably 10,000 (and thats on records here in the U.S.). If you want some good sources try "A Field Guide to the Little Folk", "Celtic Love Stories", "The Silver Arm", and just about any book of myth not written for children. (Most of the stories here can be found in "The Tain", "Fionn" and "A Field Guide...."). The Birth Of Cuchulainn Like many heroes with a curious semi-magical or divine origin, Cuchulainn had a miraculous birth, His mother Dechtire was sitting at her wedding feast, about to be married to the Ulster chieftain Sualtam. Into her cup of wine flew a mayfly, which she swallowed without noticing its presence. Soon she fell into a deep sleep in which the sun-god Lugh appeared to her as if in a dream. Lugh told her that it had been no mere mayfly that she had swallowed but himself. After delivering this revelation, Lugh transformed Dechtire and her fifty maidens into the shape of a beautiful flock of birds, and so they disappeared without trace. After months had passed, the warriors of Emain Macha were lured out to hunt, drawn by the appearance of a flock of birds. Riding in their chariots until nightfall, pursuing the elusive flock, the men of Ulster suddenly realized that they had been lured to the Brugh na Boyne which was the home of the gods and goddesses of the land, Before the warriors arose a splendid hall, of a beauty and size such as they had never before seen. A tall, handsome chieftain, very richly attired, came out of the hall and welcomed them, offering them hospitality. When the warriors entered this marvelous place, they found seated there a beautiful woman and fifty lovely maidens; upon the tables was set a feast of meat and wine such as would grace the hall of a great king. The Ulster warriors rested for the night, and during their rest they heard the cry of a new born babe. In the morning, Lugh revealed his true name to them, and told them that the woman was no other than the half-sister of Conchobar, and that she had given birth to a child who was to be taken back to grow up among the warriors at the Ulster court. Thus the mother, the baby boy and maidens returned; all the heroes, Druids poets, and lawgivers of Ulster gave the best of their skills and wisdom to the infant as instructed. Chuchulain woos. Chuchulain once found a woman walking by the shore of the sea. She was more fair than the sky, and seven strands of hair flew about her. The young warrior was instantly smitten with love for this fair maiden. And when he approached her she was equally impressed with the young warrior, so much so that she did allow her to lead her to a sheltered spot where they spent the day in loving. As Chuchulain drifted into sleep the woman told him that she had to go, but that if he returned to this spot she would await him. The young warrior returned home, and so great was his infatuation with the woman that he had meet that he could not resist bragging of it to his fellow warriors of the Red Branch. And while he was thus speaking his wife, Emer, overheard him. Her beautiful visage filled with rage, and she rushed forth to confront her husband. But her anger was as nothing to the warrior, and he brushed her away. Then did Emer go to her women, who armed themselves with knives and set out to slay the woman who had replaced Emer in Cuchulainns heart. Ignorant of these events Cuchualinn returned to the spot where he had lain with the woman. He saw her awaiting him, and rushed to her. But before the warrior could reach her side a great man stepped between the lovers. Great was his countenance, and power was on his brow. "I am Mananan McLir, and I cannot allow even you, Chuchulain, to steal my wife from me." So saying the god of the sea raised up his cloak between the lovers. The woman reached for Chuchulain with tears in her eyes, but then her husband swept down his cloak and she disappeared

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from view. And as soon as the pair were gone Chuchulain could remember her no more. Emer and her women then found Chuchulain sitting by the sea shore, staring out towards the seventh wave. Emer again confronted him, demanding to know where his new woman was. but Chuchulain answered that he could remember no woman but her. And so Emer forgave him and peace was restored. Fionn Now all the Fianna were great hunters, and none more than Fionn himself, who had two great hounds, Bran and Sgeolan, who came to him from the enchanted realms. And one day they were hunting near Allmu of the White Walls where Fionn had his chief place in Ireland and they set up a hind that ran so swiftly before them so that no dog, not even Bran and Sgeolan, could catch her. And it seemed to Fionn, who outpaced all the rest of the Fianna, that the hind was making for Allmu as though in search of sanctuary. Sure enough, when they were close to the walls of the dun, Bran and Sgeolan, who had kept close upon the heels of the hind all the while, gave tongue that they had cornered their quarry. But when Fionn came upon them he saw a strange sight, for instead of falling upon the hind and rending her in twain, the two great hounds were licking it and fawning upon it as though it were a long lost sister. Then Fionn knew that there was magic afoot and commanded the rest of the Fianna to call off their dogs. And he took the hind into Allmu, with her trotting before him, and Bran and Sgeolan hounding at either hand. That night the hind sat always near Fionn's feet and when he went to his sleeping place, she came and sat by him. And in the night he awoke and saw lying by his side the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and she had the eyes of the hind that had followed him at the end of the chase. The story she told was this: that she was of the Faery people, the Lordly Ones of Tir-nan-Og, and that one of her kind had desired her, though she had always refused him. So at last he had struck her with his hazel wand and turned her into a hind. 'But now I am with Fionn Mac Cumhail I know that I am safe, and I would ask that you allow me to stay,' she said. Fionn looked at the woman and asked her name. 'You may call me Sabha,' said she. Fionn said, "Sabha, you may stay here for as long as you will, save only that you agree to be my wife. And Sabha looked at Fionn in her turn and said that she would. So Fionn and Sabha drank the bride-cup together and they were happy for a year, in which time Fionn almost gave up hunting or going afoot from Allmu. But at the end of that time, enemies of Ireland were sighted off the coastline and the Fianna had to ride forth, for it was their task to keep the shores and hills free of wrong-doers or of invasion, And though Sabha begged Fionn not to go, yet go he must, but he bade her remain within Allmu until he returned and to speak with no one not of the court. So the Fianna rode forth and gave battle to their enemies. They were victorious and came home eagerly - none more so than Fionn, who as Allmu of the White Walls came in view, was already searching the ramparts for a sight of Sabha. When he could not see her, Fionn's heart gave a great lurch and turned over in his breast, and he rode swiftly into the court demanding to know what had occurred. His steward came forward and told him that not two days after he had ridden out of Allmu, there had come a man that seemed in every way like him, and who had two hounds the like of Bran and Sgeolan with him. And Sabha, on seeing this, gave a cry of joy and fled on swift feet to meet the man, But when she came up to him he suddenly struck her with a hazel wand and she became a hind again and, in that moment, the two hounds vanished away and the man that had the appearance of Fionn changed into a strange dark figure who led the hind away, Then Fionn was broken hearted, for he knew it was the Faery lord who loved Sabha who had taken her away and he believed that he would never see her again. But for all that he began to search, and many long days he spent combing the hills where he had first had a sight of her, Until at last he began to realize that his quest was in vain, and so turned again to the leadership of the Fianna, which he had allowed to lapse while he searched. Thus seven years passed and once again Fionn rode to the hunting, and this time the quarry that Bran and Sgedan discovered was even stranger - a little naked boy wandering in the bracken on the hill of Benbulben. And though Fionn spoke to him, he knew no words of human speech, so Fionn took him back to Allmu and had him cared for and taught to speak, until the day came when he could tell his story.

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And this was the way of it: for as long as he could remember he had lived in a cave in the hills with a hind for company, Then one day a dark man had come who seemed to want the hind to go with him, and when she would not, the man struck her with a hazel wand and after that she went, though always looking back to where the little boy stood watching. And though he wished to go also he might not move so much a foot until he heard the cry of Fionns hounds and was discovered by Bran and Sgealan: Then Fionn knew that the boy was his own son and the child of Sabha, and that now he would never see her again. Ossin speaking to St. Patrick Patrick looked at the old warrior in amazement. 'I have heard of the Fianna' he said, 'but it is more than three centuries since they were in Ireland.' 'Then it is true,' said the warrior. 'They are all dead and I am the last of the Fianna' and he wept for a long while. At length he raised his head and asked 'I would know of this time in which I find myself, for it seems unlike the days when I was young.' 'I shall be happy to tell you, ' answered Patrick. 'But first I would have you tell me how you have been these past three hundred years, when all of your kin lie dead!' 'That is soon told' said Ossin sadly, and he spoke at length of the days of the Fianna and how he had come to love Niamh, a woman of the sidhe, the Lordly Ones who live in the land of Tir-nan-Og. And on a time she had come for him, to take him to her own land and people, taking him up on the hack of a steed as white as milk. 'And fast as were the horses of the Fianna, the mount of Niamh was faster, and in truth it seemed that the earth fell away beneath its hooves, and that when we reached the sea it did not pause but galloped over the tops of the waves as though they were a hard roadway. Many were the wonders we saw,' said Oisin. 'Cities and courts and palaces of silver and gold that seemed to float above the sea: and deer running with a red-eared white-bodied hound following on. At another time, coming towards us, we saw a woman on a black horse who had a golden apple in he right hand And following after her a youth on a white hone who wore a crimson cloak and carried a sword of gold. And they passed us on the right hand. But in time we came to the land of youth itself, and of that I must speak either no words at all, or continue talking for all the days that are left to me, So I will but say that it is always green spring and golden summer there, and no sickness is there, nor death, and the folk who dwell there are perilously fair, and garbed in finest silk and with gold upon them, heavy at neck and wrist. 'There I stayed and it seemed to me that only a year passed which I spent with Niamh of the golden hair, Then upon a time I took thought of Fionn my father and of my companions, and the need arose in me to see them again. And Niamh looked upon me sadly and bade her women prepare her steed. "For" she said, "I see that I cannot keep you here, But only remember this, that when you are come again into the land of Ireland do not dismount or let your foot so much as touch the earth, lest you see me no more nor return to Tir-nan-Og." 'So I mounted upon the milk white steed and returned as I had come, riding the tops of the waves as though they were a road; and I saw again the woman with the golden apple, followed by the youth with the scarlet cloak, but this time they were coming towards the Land of Youth, and passed me upon the left hand 'So at last I came to the shore of Ireland and it seemed changed I rode everywhere in search of the Fianna, until I came to this place and chanced to set foot on the earth. Until that moment I had been in the brightness of my youth; but from that moment I have been as you see me now. And the white steed of Tir-nan-Og turned and galloped away from me, bad a I believe, to the place where Niamh of the golden hair awaited him. 'So you have my story, Talkend' said Oisin, calling Patrick by the name which means 'shaven one'. Patrick sat in silence a long while, thinking of all that he had heard and then he said: 'Come with me, Oisin son of Fionn, and when you are in my house we shall talk more of these things. The horny shepherd Once a shepherd lad sat upon a fallen elder tree watching over his flocks on the side of hill in what is now Belgium. The day was hot and the lads attention wandered. He thought about the skin full of cool water that he had left back at home, and of the fair day that was coming. He hoped to be able to buy his girl something special, but he was unsure of how much money

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he had. "You look thirsty." a musical voice said right at the boys shoulder "Would you like a drink?" Startled the boy turned, and saw sitting next to him on the log the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her eyes were wide and blue, her hair long and golden and her teeth full and white. So startled was the boy that for a long moment he did not notice that his companion was naked. "Come," she said again, "have some to drink." So saying she cupped her large breast in her hand. The boys was so shocked at this behavior that all he could do was sit with his mouth gapping open like a fish. He did not even notice that instead of feet, the woman had hooves like a goat. The girl laughed at the boy. "Are you afraid?" she teased. "I promise it wont hurt. Just one sip!" Before he knew what had happened the boy was in her arms with her nipple in his mouth. Everything seemed to blur about him. He had brief visions of days of love, of dancing below the moon, and of sweet, sweet music. But when the haze faded, he lay alone upon the hill where he had been. The boy staggered home, to where his parents waited. They descended on him with great joy, for he had been gone for many weeks. But when they asked him what happened the boy would not answer. Guessing that he had been among the elerfolk his father forced a piece of raw meat upon him, making him eat as much as he could. The boy then fell into a great sickness that wracked his body. For weeks he lay unable to move, but his fathers quick action saved his life. Finally the boy got well and was able to go back to his duties. but he was never the same again. No longer did he smile or laugh with his fellow man. He spent all his time out upon distant hills with a look about him as though he was listening to distant music. Death and Sex There are death certificates from 1700 - 1800s Norway, signed by doctors of the time, that give the official cause of death as "Gratuitous sexual intercourse with the fair folk." In the middle ages students were warned to avoid having sex with the Dame Blanche, because their ideas of sex were so extreme that they often killed their paramours with their "unnatural enthusiasm." Some of the original vampire legends started with female fae who were so starved for sex that when a man came among them they couldnt control themselves. They fought over the man, ripping him to pieces in the process. Desperate for any contact they than drank the blood and ate cooked the flesh of the poor rended S.O.B. The maenads in Greek myth did similar things. Finally on a nicer note two final stories. A youth was once in the forest cutting wood for his house when he saw the most beautiful woman he had ever imagined walking towards a near-by lake. Her hair flowed free in the breeze, her dress seemed spun of moonlight, and there were jewels on her sandaled feet. Desperate to meet her the youth called out, offering her some of his bread. The fair lady looked at his bread and replied "Your bread is hard baked. Youll have to do better to win me." Then she stepped into the lake and was gone, without so much as a ripple. The next day the youth returned with uncooked bread dough. The woman passed by again, and when he offered her some of his bread she replied, "Your bread is unbaked. Youll have to do better to win me." Then once again she disappeared into the water. On the third day the youth rose early and prepared bread that was moist and soft, but with an flaky crust. When the woman came by this time he asked her once more to join him. This time she did, with a smile radiant as the newly blooming flowers. She sat next to him, spreading her dress across the ground and eating all his bread with delight. "Your bread is perfect." said she, "You deserve to marry me." So saying she rose and walked into the lake.

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Astounded the boy jumped up and ran to the edge of the lake. After a moment the woman returned, and with her came another who looked just like her and a powerful man who seemed to be her father. They stepped out of the water without a drop of moisture upon any of them, nor was their hair touched by the lake. The man stood between his daughters and spoke. "To prove to me that you are worthy of my daughter you must tell me which of these is the woman who you broke bread with." The youth stood, unable to tell which woman was which. They were as alike as peas in a pod, with no difference that he could find. Finally he remembered that the woman who had taken his bread had unlatched her saddle before she sat. Pointing at the woman with the unlatched sandal the boy said, "That is the woman I love." With a joyful cry the woman ran to him and threw her arms around him. As they embraced the father scowled, not best pleased. Eventually he said "Very well, no for my daughters dowry I will give you as many sheep as she can count without taking a breath." With that the lady took a deep breath and began to count quickly. At every number of her counting a sheep, twice as large as any normal sheep and gleaming whitely, came out of the lake to stand behind the lovers. For a great time the girl counted, getting for her dowry three hundred head of sheep. Before the marriage the woman had one more secret to tell her lover, "This gease is laid upon our marriage. If you ever strike me three times I will leave you, and take our children with us." The youth agreed to this, as he never intended to strike his beautiful bride. Their marriage went happily for many years, and several children - strong and tall, were born to them. The sheep that had been the wifes dowry never aged, and could be shorn every new moon. So the youth and his family grew wealthy and happy. But one day the man came into his house to see his wife plunging their new baby head-first into a bucket of water. Alarmed he snatched the babe from her grasp and then struck her across the face. "Wretched woman!" he cried, "Why are you trying to kill our child!" She looked calmly back and replied "I was only teaching him my arts. You have struck me once, if ever you do it twice more I will leave you." Years passed by and one of the youths neighbors died. When he took his family to the funeral his wife began to laugh at the priests sermon. In anger the youth, a man now, struck her and said "This is no place for mirth!" His wife looked back and said "If ever you strike me again I will leave you forever." Years passed by again, and when the couples oldest son came of age the father decided to give him some sheep so that he could start his own home. But his wife objected, saying that their son should become a healer. They quarreled, and the husband struck his wife the third blow. Without a word his wife turned and walked from the house. As she left by the front lane all of her dowry sheep, and all of their children followed after her. Sick at what he had done the husband chased after her. But before he could catch her she and all the sheep disappeared beneath the surface of the lake. And though the man search the lake, nearly drowning himself, and calling out for forgiveness, he never saw his loved wife again. But it is said that sometimes her children would go to the edge of the lake, and speak to the water as if it were their mother. None know the truth of this, but it is known that these children and their descendants became the greatest healers in Wales. Selkie A young man of Uist once walking on the seashore, when he saw a number of sea people dancing, with their discareded seal-skins lying beside them. He crept up and seized one, and carried it away. The dancers put on their skins and took to the sea; but one beautiful creature was left behind. She begged him to return the skin, but he would not, and only asked her to marry him. In the end she consented, and they lived together for some years, and had several children. One day, when her husband was out, one of the children found a seal-skin hidden in a stack of corn, and ran with it to his mother. She received it with delight, kissed her children, and ran down to the sea. Her husband was only in time to see her plunging into the water.

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A big dog seal came up and greeted her. When she was safely out of reach she turned and said to her human husband: "Farewell. I loved you well enough, but I always loved my first husband more."

On the habit of the sidhe kings of kidnapping mortal women. The queen is more beautiful than any woman of earth, yet Finvarra loves the mortal woman best, and wiles them down to his fairy palace by the subtle charm of the fairy music, for no one who has yet heard it can resist its power, and they are fated to belong to the fairies ever after. Their friends mourn for them as dead with much lamentation, but in reality they are leading a joyous life down in the heart of the hill, in the fairy palace with the silver columns and the crystal walls. End. Back to the Articles page The picture at the top of the page is by Jim Fitzpatrick

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