In the legends, hundreds of words spell into describing the utmost attractiveness of the aes sidhe—their cleanable hair, their cleanable bodies, their cleanable apparel (in 1 case, adjacent their cleanable knees)—and, conscionable arsenic with the elves, this quality often shifts into thing much akin to seduction. Male aes sidhe were often to beryllium recovered having their mode with quality women: Lugh and different important aes sidhe, Manannan, some get mortal women pregnant, and astatine slightest successful Manannan’s case, helium goes retired of his mode to specify (to a radical of implicit strangers, who possibly felt they didn’t request to know) that this was done “vigorous sex.”
Female aes sidhe tin beryllium highly intersexual arsenic well: adjacent the Sovereignty of Ireland, a somewhat dull and colorless fig successful The Phantom’s Vision, could beryllium acold much forward. In 1 fable called The Adventure of the Sons of Eochaid Mugmedon, for example, 5 sons of the king brushwood a hideous aged pistillate sitting by a good who tells them that successful bid to gully h2o they indispensable buss her. The archetypal 3 refuse, and get nothing; the 4th does arsenic she asks, and she tells him that his descendants volition regularisation Ireland; the fifth, and youngest, member decides to spell each successful and has enactment with her, astatine which constituent she transforms into a beauteous pistillate and informs him that helium shall beryllium king—a sovereignty goddess giving retired kingship successful instrumentality for intersexual favors (as good arsenic exhibiting the shape-shifting powers of the aes sidhe).
But not each intersexual brushwood with these supernatural women results successful a crown—as with the elves, giving successful to temptation could bring danger. In 1 fable Conn himself marries a pistillate of the aes sidhe called Becuma, an enactment that, done Becuma’s machinations, leads to a famine unleashed crossed each Ireland: it’s not until Conn sends Becuma distant that everything is acceptable right. On the different hand, resisting the temptations of an aes sidhe pistillate was besides fraught with peril: erstwhile the leader Cú Chulainn turns down the aes sidhe Morrigan successful a communicative called The Cattle Raid of Cooley, she starts shape-shifting into assorted animals to effort and distract him oregon travel him portion he’s successful combat.
The Otherworlds are conscionable similar the aes sidhe themselves, beauteous and beguiling and afloat of wondrous magic, but to beryllium feared and avoided nonetheless.
And Morrigan besides shows intelligibly different facet of the aes sidhe that feels comparable to elves, mares, and valkyries: pistillate aes sidhe were seldom constrained by sex stereotypes—they’re dominant, powerful, choosing their antheral lovers, and often the driving forces down the stories (especially, arsenic we’ll see, successful stories of Otherworlds). Morrigan herself is an enormously almighty figure, and 1 who would person fitted close successful with immoderate pack of valkyries she came across: she is violent, blood-soaked, and she adjacent prophesies conflict and decease successful immoderate legends. It’s notable arsenic good that the Sovereignty of Ireland successful The Phantom’s Vision has a sideline successful prophecy, and sometimes Morrigan is adjacent divided retired into 3 antithetic women, “Morrigans,” alternatively than a azygous Morrigan: if they’d lone person taken up spinning, they’d person been indistinguishable from valkyries, norns, and disir.
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This isn’t to suggest that aes sidhe and the elves (along with their related beings) came from a communal source, but their similarities inevitably meant that their stories could merge into each different (which, successful turn, lone pulled them person together). In the Irish story The Sickness of Cú Chulainn, for example, the titular leader shoots down 2 beauteous achromatic birds, without knowing that they are successful information aes sidhe. He falls asleep, and is instantly assaulted successful his dreams by 2 women—the birds successful their quality form—who bushed him with horsewhips until he’s astir dead. The similarity with the decease of Vanlandi successful the Icelandic myths—being brutally beaten to decease by a mare successful a imagination astatine the behest of 2 women (with the horsewhips utilized against Cú Chulainn hinting astatine the “riding” of a mare)—is instantly striking.
But there’s 1 mode successful which the aes sidhe were wholly abstracted from the elves, astatine slightest successful these earlier periods: they had a homeland, the Otherworld. And portion Lugh mightiness person conjured his Otherworld from his shadow, successful astir stories mortal heroes are taken to the Otherworld by pistillate aes sidhe, who (despite the occasional mentions of immoderate never-seen king) look to beryllium rulers of the Otherworld realms, which are often populated wholly by women. What’s more, these Otherworlds had locations wrong the existent quality world: they were wrong the burial mounds.
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The Mound of the Hostages does not look large capable to accommodate an Otherworld—it could possibly negociate an Other-studio-flat. But the Otherworlds were often enormously larger than the mounds themselves—sometimes the size of a elephantine palace, oregon a full island—and portion they were, occasionally, entered by stepping done the acheronian small doorway of a mound, astatine different times they were reached by walking done mists (like Conn), oregon sailing crossed oceans. But contempt this, they were inactive conceived of arsenic being located wrong the mounds themselves, real-world anchors for these strange, marvelous realms. These realms were not ever unfastened and accessible—it wasn’t conscionable a lawsuit of sauntering into a mound and uncovering an Otherworld whenever you felt similar it—sometimes you had to beryllium invited, sometimes you needed to sail there, and sometimes you had to hold until the close clip of year: the festival of Samhain (November 1) was a time erstwhile the mounds were particularly apt to beryllium open, and the aes sidhe abroad.
At archetypal glance, it mightiness look arsenic if radical would beryllium queuing astatine the mounds each Samhain: the Otherworlds are, successful immoderate ways, written arsenic wondrous paradises. There’s joy, there’s music, there’s magically regenerating food, trees that angiosperm and effect astatine the aforesaid time, piles of treasure, crystals that rainfall from the sky, everlasting happiness and health. In 1 Otherworld, a wandering leader finds a crystal bower filled with inexhaustible vats of perpetually replenishing food; successful different realm “there is nought prevention truth, and determination is neither property nor decay nor gloom nor sadness nor envy nor jealousy nor hatred nor haughtiness.” Free emotion abounds successful these Otherworlds: Otherworld women often slumber with visiting mortal heroes, and the Otherworld inhabitants person enactment with each different too: successful 1 description, we’re specifically told that men and women “lie with each different nether bushes.” These Otherworlds person names that bespeak their marvels—Mag Mell (the Plain of Delights); Tir na mBeó (the Land of the Living Ones); Tir na nÓg (the Land of the Young); Tir na nlngnad (the Land of Wonders).
But contempt each their wonders, Conn was close to fearfulness the Otherworlds. He mightiness person travel backmost from his travel unscathed, but 1 of his sons, Connlae, wasn’t truthful lucky. The communicative of The Adventure of Connlae, arsenic with The Phantom’s Vision, apt dates to the eighth period AD, and describes however a beauteous aes sidhe pistillate approaches Connlae, tells him that she loves him, and asks him to spell with her to her home—a realm successful a burial mound, a spot “without death, nor want, nor sin,” wherever they support a “perpetual feast,” and wherever they tin unrecorded successful ageless, deathless joyousness for ever. It’s not specifically stated wherefore she wants Connlae to come, but we’re told he’s handsome, and the accusation seems to beryllium that she wants him arsenic her lover. Connlae is tempted, but Conn overhears, and begs the tribunal druid to thrust disconnected this “treacherous attack” that threatens to snatch his lad away. The druid begins chanting, forcing the pistillate to depart, but arsenic she leaves she throws Connlae a magic apple, which reconstitutes itself aft each bite. After the encounter, Connlae is near changed. The substance tells america that helium lived, without drink, without food, until the extremity of a month, and helium did not deliberation immoderate sustenance worthy eating but the apple.
…Longing past seized Connlae for the quality of the pistillate that helium had seen.
And then, erstwhile the period is over, the pistillate returns, this clip successful a magnificent crystal boat, and again invites him to articulation her (adding an further spot of accusation astir her homeland—apparently, it’s a satellite wholly populated by women). This clip Connlae agrees to go, but helium seems uncertain astatine best, saying:
It is not casual for me, too I emotion my people. Yet longing for the pistillate has seized me.
And helium boards the woman’s crystal boat, his mourning radical and begetter watching arsenic helium sails retired of sight, ne'er to beryllium seen again.
There’s thing profoundly haunting astir this story, a consciousness that Connlae didn’t genuinely privation to go, that helium should person resisted the temptations of the strange, Otherworld woman. And anyone proceeding the communicative successful eighth-century Ireland would person known that if Connlae did travel to regret his decision, helium mightiness person recovered it precise hard to get home, an thought made explicit successful different aboriginal Irish substance (and near-contemporary of The Adventure of Connlae), The Voyage of Bran.
The aes sidhe were precise intelligibly associated with the divine. In eighth-century myths the aes sidhe are virtually called the people of the gods.
Like Connlae, Bran (who is king himself, alternatively than the king’s son) meets a lovely, nameless aes sidhe pistillate who invites him to her Otherworld—the onshore of Emain—an land wholly of women, afloat of endless joyousness and beauty, crystals, perpetually flowering and fruiting trees, and each the different Otherworld paradise staples. Unlike Connlae’s Otherworld guide, though, this pistillate doesn’t instrumentality Bran with her—instead, she leaves him with directions, and helium sets sail with a unit of 30 men.
The archetypal land they travel to is not her paradise location but “The Isle of Joy,” wherever they spot the enactment filled with radical laughing. One of Bran’s men goes retired to greet them, but arsenic soon arsenic helium reaches the land helium looks backmost to the boats and his comrades and begins laughing too, incapable to speak, incapable to admit their calls for him to return. Unwilling to hazard much men, Bran is forced to permission his crewmate there, laughing madly connected the distant shore. It’s a grim episode—and 1 that makes the assertion that the onshore of Emain is “without grief ” and afloat of happiness and laughter abruptly threatening. Exactly however and wherefore is everyone successful Emain “happy”? Perhaps this is the crushed Bran doesn’t disembark erstwhile his vessel reaches Emain, adjacent erstwhile helium sees the beauteous pistillate who asked him to travel lasting connected the shore. But she throws a shot of yarn to him, portion holding 1 extremity of it herself. When helium touches it, it sticks accelerated to his hand, leaving him helpless portion she pulls him in.
Her location is genuinely beautiful, and for a twelvemonth Bran and his men stay, with “no savor wanting to them,” enjoying the delights of paradise and having enactment with each the Otherworld women. Eventually, though, they turn homesick and agelong to instrumentality to Ireland, astatine which constituent the pistillate allows them to go—but earlier they depart she warns them not to acceptable ft connected mortal soil. When they yet scope the enactment of Ireland, Bran hails a antheral connected the headland and tells him that helium is “Bran, lad of Febal,” returned. The antheral looks astatine him confused—“We bash not cognize specified a one,” helium responds, “though the Voyage of Bran is 1 of our past stories.”
A azygous twelvemonth whitethorn person passed successful the Otherworld, but centuries person gone by connected earth. And worse is to come: 1 of Bran’s men leaps ashore and instantly collapses into a heap of dust—the value of each those centuries catching up with him arsenic soon arsenic helium comes into interaction with mortal realms. Bran and his men tin ne'er travel home. They narrate their wanderings to the antheral connected the enactment and past sail away, ne'er to beryllium seen again.
The Otherworlds are conscionable similar the aes sidhe themselves, beauteous and beguiling and afloat of wondrous magic, but to beryllium feared and avoided nonetheless. Should 1 of the aes sidhe look beside the crooked doorway of the Mound of Hostages, bidding you to duck done the lichen-spotted stones and task into its depths, you’d beryllium ill-advised to follow.
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These stories are among the precise earliest recorded lit successful Ireland, which begs the question: wherever did they travel from? Taking that successful the astir literal imaginable way, the legends we person contiguous were apt written successful Irish monasteries. Ireland was mostly Christianized by the extremity of the seventh period (Patrick himself had already been and gone successful the fifth), and by the clip of the eighth century, erstwhile these myths were being written down, monasteries were the large cultural, artistic, and literate centers of the country: if you person a written substance from eighth-century Ireland it’s improbable to person travel from anyplace but a monastery. The different subtle hint that the legends of the aes sidhe mightiness person been written successful a monastic mounting is that, contempt being afloat to the brim with unusual and chaotic enchantments, they’re besides afloat to the brim with highly learned Christianity: determination are predominant references to the coming of Christ, the accomplishment of Christianity connected Ireland’s shores is perpetually (and joyously) prophesied, and galore of the legends see references to the works of celebrated Christian scholars (there’s immoderate existent treats successful determination for each you Isidore of Seville lovers).
But adjacent if the monasteries are wherever these texts were written, they (obviously) aren’t the full story. There’s plentifulness of grounds that the aes sidhe of the eighth period and beyond stemmed from earlier traditions—the monks penning these stories mightiness person been adding their ain spins, but they weren’t making them up entirely. They were drafting the tales from older legends and mingling them with Christian beliefs. And that unusual premix of pagan Irish story and Christianity is what has brought maine to Tara, for this peculiar morning.
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On the hillside a fistful of radical person gathered with maine successful the pre-dawn light—a canine walker, a mates staying successful Dublin, a radical of giggling teenage girls. The canine walker lives adjacent and tells maine she’s been coming here, connected this morning, since the pandemic—she doesn’t judge successful thing either pagan oregon Christian, but says she finds the agelong past of the spot grounding. The mates accidental they’re visiting each the Neolithic sites successful the area, and arsenic their sojourn happened to coincide with this peculiar day, they thought they’d come. We’re a unusual small group, shivering unneurotic successful the icy wintertime wind, but we’re each watching arsenic the Mound of the Hostages, gray-black lone a fewer minutes ago, turns to a vivid green; arsenic the reddish glow reflecting disconnected the clouds closest to the skyline turns truthful agleam it seems similar fire, burning ever much powerfully until it hurts to look astatine it, until the full of the eastbound entity is ablaze.
And past the prima slips supra the horizon, and successful an instant the shadows crook from indistinct grey blurs to crisp achromatic lines. In that aforesaid instant the transition into the mound is superb with sunlight, the rays entering it consecutive on, pouring done its wonky entrance, filling the passageway with shadows and light, with a sunrise directed precisely into the transmission of the transition tomb: a sunrise that has filled this tomb each February 1 for the past 5,000 years.
It’s intolerable to cognize if the radical who built the tomb intentionally angled it into this peculiar sunrise, oregon the sunrise of November 1, which besides sees airy watercourse down into its tunnel; determination are truthful galore transition tombs successful Ireland and lone 2 are positioned successful this way, truthful it mightiness good beryllium a coincidence. But successful the Irish legends, some these dates are significant: November 1, arsenic we’ve seen, was the day of Samhain, and today—February 1—was the day of Imbolc, the archetypal time of spring. Imbolc is simply a solemnisation referenced successful 1 tenth-century fable (The Wooing of Emir), and successful Cormac’s Glossary, a ninth-century manuscript containing explanations and glosses of astir 14,000 Irish words.
There’s nary proposition arsenic to wherever this festival mightiness person travel from, but from the seventh period February 1 and Imbolc were besides the day of St. Brigid’s Day. Nominally this was a Christian feast time of Saint Brigid, patron saint of poesy and lambing, who was said to person lived successful Ireland successful the precocious 5th century. But Brigid besides appears passim the aboriginal Irish myths arsenic a subordinate of the aes sidhe. And determination was a 3rd mentation of Brigid arsenic well—according to Cormac’s Glossary, Brigid was a “goddess, whom the poets adored, due to the fact that precise large and precise celebrated was her protecting care.”
In this way, conscionable similar the elves, the aes sidhe were precise intelligibly associated with the divine. In eighth-century myths the aes sidhe are virtually called the people of the gods, and there’s a communicative arsenic well, successful an relationship of Patrick’s beingness written successful the precocious seventh century.
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Excerpted from Perilous Enchantment: The True History of Faeries by Sarah Clegg. Copyright © 2026 by Sarah Clegg. Reprinted by support of Atria Books, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster, LLC.
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