by Mara Freeman
Who are the Faeries?
Midsummer Eve, also known as Summer Solstice, is one of the traditional Celtic Spirit Nights of the year when the faeries are about in forest and field. What are faeries and do they still exist today? Many people today think of them as the tiny, gauzy-winged creatures of children’s books, but this was an idea of the Victorians. For hundreds of years, there has been a strong recognition, especially in Scotland and Ireland, of the knowledge that we share this planet with a race of non-physical beings deeply connected with the living Earth. It is to these spirits that the name ‘Fairy’ or ‘Faery’ is generally given.
Faeries can range from a tall, beautiful race of Lords and Ladies to the diminutive imps we call the ‘little people.’ One of the best explanations as to what they are comes from the unlikely source: A 17th century minister of the Church of Scotland, the Reverend Robert Kirk, defined them as being “of a middle nature betwixt Man and Angel.” They are creatures of light and energy who can shift their shapes as they please, as they are not bound by the laws of the physical world.
