Faery Motifs (a glimpse into Irish tradition)
by Silverspear
The Otherfolk are easily offended, contrary, and quick to anger. Treat them with respect at all times.
The Otherfolk can assume any size, shape or form they choose. They are shape-shifters.
Remain silent and do not boast of any favours granted to you by the Sidhe. They may decide to heal a sick human – but very often, only on what appears to be a whim.
The Otherfolk may glamour humans and lead them astray in entirely familiar territory.
They love music and dance, and may bestow exceptional musical and poetical abilities on certain humans.
The Otherfolk may take a human child and substitute it with one of their own, known as a changeling. They also abduct adult humans – sometimes for a specified length of time.
A human can also enter the Otherworld accidentally; the rule is to consume neither food nor drink while there, or one will remain captive forever.
The passage of time in their realm is different to the passage of time in our human world.
The dead may appear in the company of the Otherfolk, but the dead are not the Fey, nor vice versa.
The Otherworld is not the Underworld; it is not Hades or Hell. The Otherfolk may dwell under water, under grassy knolls (hollow hills), in remote areas or underground. They tend to frequent liminal, or in-between places, and are often encountered at liminal times, such as dusk, midnight, or sunrise.
Never disrespect their habitats or disturb their haunts at any time.
Never steal from the Otherfolk – though they may borrow from you what they require. They have their own unfathomable agenda.
Never spy on their activities. The Sidhe are secretive. They will often blind the eye that sees them.
The Otherfolk are not confined to one place; they travel to where they choose. They also have their own roads, tracks and pathways. Never block their routes or build upon them. Misfortune will surely follow.
END
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