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Darkly Woven Dreams; The Sidhe of Avalon
Topic Started: Apr 7 2010, 08:57 PM (18 Views)
The Storyteller
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[align=center]"For all the hillside was haunted
By the faery folk come again
And down in the heart-light enchanted
Were opal-coloured men"[/align]


In Inismore they are called the Tuatha de Dannan.

In the Highland, they are called the Daoine Sidhe.

In the tongue of old Avalon, they are called the Tylwith Teg.

In Montaigne, they are called Faeries...a term that even the dimmest Avalon knows They despise.

But in nearly every culture, They are referred to as the "Goodly Folke," or the "Kindly Ones" out of fear that one among them may be listening.

It is not easy to define the Sidhe. They are like walking dreams: manlike in so many ways, but completely alien in so many others. Their mannerisms are difficult to discern, but once one understand them, they are as predictable as the rising and setting of the sun.

Although they have an unspoken allegiance with Avalon, the Sidhe are ubiquitous. They can be found in the furthest reaches of Ussura, riding the canals in Vodacce, or even sailing a ship toward the setting sun.

Iron

In her book, Lady Mary refers to "cold iron", something that causes the Sidhe "discomfort". What exactly is cold iron and why the Sidhe loathe it is never really explained. Those with knowledge of the Sidhe ways always assume that wearing or presenting iron to the Sidhe is an unpardonable blunder, and make certain to hide or remove such items before dealing with the Goodly Folke.


Bryn Bresail

"The Ghost Isle" is what sailors call it, the island that appears in the crimson light of dawn and disappears just as dusk claims the sky. The Sidhe call it Bryn Bresail, and it is their home...or at least one of the doorways to their home.

The Sidhe live in a world of frozen springtime. The grasses and trees are green and the flowers bloom, all covered in a thin layer of frost as delicate snowflakes fall from the crystal blue cloudless sky. It is a land where beauty is frozen forever. Green and plush, and yet so very cold.

First Impressions

"It can be said that there are as many shapes and forms of Sidhe as there are flowers or fishes. Once you think you have catalogued them all, you find another that makes your recordings antiquated.." ~Lady Mary Katharine, Booke of the Goodly Folke.~

While it is true that many Sidhe are "human-like" in appearance, there are many important differences. Lady Mary Katharine, in her famous Booke of the Goodly Folke, classifies the Sidhe into various categories that she calls 'families'.

The Noble Sidhe

Much like humans, Sidhe seem to have an upper class or 'nobility'. These noble Sidhe are taller than humans, ranging from six and one half feet to seven or eight feet tall. They are majestic and beautiful, as slender as cobwebs and sleek as silk. They dress in flowing robes of a material that any mortal seamstress would ruin if they tried to sew it. Their eyes are wide and bright and their faces gaunt and angular. Their fingers are long and delicate and they move with the alacrity of shadows.

Lady Mary goes on to say that only those Sidhe trust have ever seen them eat or drink. She also notes that they avoid looking in mirrors. In one terrifying passage, she writes of seeing a Sidhe Lady accidentally catching sight of a looking glass and screaming with such terror that she was certain that the lady saw her own death. Lady Mary also mentioned that when she tried to ask why, the Sidhe gave her such a look that Mary was certain she faced her own death in the Sidhe's eyes.

They refer to themselves and "lords" and "ladies" and they are ruled by a king and a queen. However, it appears that the Queen of the Sidhe has much more political power than her husband (who, as Lady Mary notes, has never been seen by human eyes). As are all Sidhe, the Nobility are shape-shifters, and it appears as if the Queen has mastered the craft. According to Lady Mary, the Queen has never been seen in the same guise twice, and she has even referred to her appearance as her 'costume'. Whatever guise she chooses to take, she is always tall, magnificent, and beautiful.

She is always seen with a mortal male counterpart whom she calls her knight. He is usually young (sixteen at the oldest), and striking. However, it is rumoured that some horrible fate is in store for the young man on the longest night of the year.

Beautiful and Terrible

"The Sidhe are not to be trifled with. They are ancient creatures who are tolerant of mankind. At best, they are fascinated with his naivete, but they do not indulge rudeness. Mankind is a small, fragile creature. The Sidhe are not. To treat them with disrespect is to invite one hundred thousand dooms, each one more impossibly awful than the last. ~Lady Mary Katharine.

While Lady Mary painstakingly details the beauty of the Sidhe, she also makes certain to remind the reader that these are creatures of terror. To watch the angelic face of the impassioned Queen of the Sidhe twist and contort into that of inhuman rage is a sight that will haunt the dreams of the viewer until their last days.

The Sidhe are like thunderstorms: terrible, powerful, and unaccountable. They are capable of incredible beauty, and at the same time, horrible revenge. There is a vast history of Sidhe curses lasting not only through one man's life, but through generations. Their magic is mighty, but it pales when compared to their wrath.

The Two Courts

According to the Lady, the Noble Sidhe were divided into two grand courts: The Blessed....also called "The Seelie" and the "Unseelie" who the Lady kindly refers to as "The Unforgiven". These two courts seem to be interrelated although there are subtle differences ~chiefly in temperament~ that should be noted.

The Seelie are the Sidhe that have been described above. Cold and distant, they live in a world of perpetual snow-covered spring. The Unseelie are much different. Sometimes described as beings of living fire, described as burning shadows, the Unseelie are as passionate as the Seelie are distant, and although the Seelie can be equated with the dispassionate storm, the Unseelie know exactly what they are doing with the terror they carry.


The Lower Class

While nobility are the most common Sidhe (or, at least, the most visible), there are countless others who inhabit the world. They are the "lower class" or as Lady Mary calls them, "the common breeds."

Creatures such as goblins, boggins, bogeys and brownies are all members of the Sidhe race, each with their own peculiarities and passions. However, only those who are familiar with the Sidhe will be able to recognize them and their ways.


Manners

"If there is anything true about the Sidhe, it is this. They care nothing for anything in the world but manners, and a human child who is well behaved is the most wealthy in the eyes of the Goodly Ones. ~Lady Mary Katharine.

Manners are as good as gold.

If that statement is true for mortal men, it is ten times as true with the Sidhe. Treat a Sidhe Lord with the respect he feels he deserves, and you've won a prize more valuable than any treasure trove.


Title and Address

To begin with, you must learn to speak properly in the presence of the Goodly Ones. There is a distinct difference between the address of a Sidhe Lord or Lady and the Common Sidhe, however.

Sidhe Nobility

Just as there are proper ways to address those of mortal noble stations, so there are ways to address Noble Sidhe. The rules, however, are much easier to remember. Any member of Sidhe nobility is called "Lord" or "Lady" under all circumstances, regardless of the mortal's status or position.

Many Sidhe have additional titles. Knowing such titles and using them in proper address (such as "His Lord of the Shadow of Winterbite Mountain") is also entirely proper and may even earn you some favour.

Common Sidhe

"When he approached me from the woods, I spied the smile on his lips and said, 'Dear fellow, I hope that I will be able to call you 'Hobgoblin' by this evening'. ~Lady Mary Katharine.

Any member of the common breed of Sidhe who is generally beneficial to mankind (at the very least, not malicious) is considered a hob. The term is also generally used as a prefix to the creature's name. For Instance, Bollin is a local goblin who scares away crows for one farmer's corn. When the farmer speaks of him, he calls him "Hob Bollin".

Any of the common Sidhe consider the title to be a compliment but look down upon those who do not use it properly. A Sidhe cannot be called a hob unless he has done something to gain the title. In other words, calling Dunnel a hob when he has done nothing to deserve the title offends the other Sidhe, who will now make certain you know the difference between a kindly Sidhe and a troublesome one. It also shows Dunnel that you are a fool and are deserving of some kind of mischief...



The Glamour of the Sidhe

The people of Avalon learned the art of Glamour from the Sidhe, and as powerful as the Avalons may be, the Sidhe are even more so. They use Glamour without effort, and, it seems, without limit. Practitioners of Glamour know better than to challenge a Glamour of the Sidhe, for to do so is of grave insult, one punishable by something far worse than death.


Sidhe Folklore

"There is so much of the Goodly Folk that could be said, but there is much more that cannot be said, and even more that should not be said." ~Lady Mary Katharine

Here is the folklore of the Sidhe. Some of it may be true.

Turning your clothes inside out protects you from Glamour.

Learning a Sidhe Lord or Lady's name gives you power over them.

Pieces of bread spread across the entrance of your house will keep Sidhe from entering your home.

Spread salt on your windowsill and below your door, and the Sidhe cannot enter.

A four-leaf clover shatters Glamour.

St John's Wort heals Sidhe wounds.

Children wearing daisy chains are protected from Sidhe kidnapping.

The Sidhe cannot swim and fear running water.

A cross of rowan wood protects you from Sidhe Magic.

Cold Iron protects you from Sidhe Magic.

Hanging a pair of scissors (iron and a cross) over a child's bed will protect them from wicked Sidhe.

If you can woo (or trick) a Sidhe Lady into marrying you, she can never leave your side unless you strike her three times.

The Sidhe can only be seen between the blinking of eyes.

The Hounds of the Sidhe can never be outrun. They run just behind you, no matter how far or fast you run, then catch you just when you fall.

On the longest night of every year, the Sidhe spill the blood of one of their own to satisfy the hunger of a dark enemy they vanquished long ago.

If a Sidhe offers you a gift or a loan, you must return it with equal value ~ no greater and no less.~ To do otherwise will draw misfortune and misery.

There is a mixture you can drink that allows you to see through Sidhe Glamour.

The Sidhe only accept gifts made from oak, ash and thorn.

Bells frighten the Sidhe, and may even harm them.

The Sidhe steal the "goodness" of food, leaving behind only a cold shell of a meal.
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