There are, of course, the kings and queens of Faery, who are often associated with dominant features in the landscape such as mountains or great hills. Below that, we have the lords and ladies, the gentry, or the trooping faeries, who, as their names suggest, could be considered the Faery nobility, though it is worth considering whether any of this is simply their way of trying to make themselves understood to humanity by mimicking our own social structures of the past. However, if we look at great shining beings such as the sidhe, they are so different in power and ability from, for example, a dryad (tree spirit), that there is a definite hierarchical quality. This is not to say that even the most seemingly limited Faery being, elemental, or nature spirit should ever be underestimated. Within these “lordly” classes of Faery beings there are many tribes and roles, and these vary from area to area, as may be seen in tales and experiences around the world, yet there are always parallels to be found. For want of a better word, the “lower” classes of Faery beings are more accurately referred to as nature spirits, and below that, the elementals of earth, air, fire, and water (i.e., gnomes, sylphs, salamanders, and undines).
The grimoire magicians of the Renaissance were well aware of the existence of a hierarchy within the Faery realm and made good use of it within their work:
I exorcise, adjure, call upon and Earnestly Require you terrestrial spirits, that are the supreme head of the hierarchy, of those that are called Fairies, and who are called by the names of Mycob and Oberyon…to command the seven sisters Lilia, Rostilia, Foca, Folia, Africa, Julia, Venulla, or some one of them to appear visibly to us…(the seventeenth-century Sloane MS 3824, as quoted in David Rankine’s Book of Treasure Spirits, 2009)
They used very similar techniques to conjure Faery beings as they did to conjure demons and angels, primarily in order to locate buried treasure troves! Interestingly, though, instead of the usual threatening behaviour, Faery beings would be bribed with a good meal of “a chicken or any kind of small joint, or piece of meat handsomely roasted” (Ibid.), so it is clear that the magicians were aware that Faery beings could not be controlled in the usual methods and must be appealed to instead.
The author and teacher R. J. Stewart has been studying Faery tradition for over thirty years, and I asked him in a recent interview about his experiences of Faery hierarchy:
I have described it in several of my books, especially Earth Light, Power Within the Land, and The Well of Light. It’s very easy to understand, because it starts with huge beings who are of, say, the Atlantic or the Pacific, or of the European landmass, so it’s a total consciousness like that, which is what the Greeks would have called Titans. Inside them, you have lesser (but still very large) beings that are of the mountains or forests—they’re like a massive consciousness of the forest or the river. Then, inside that, you have somewhat smaller ones like a mountain, a region. Then, eventually, just as in the human world, you get the smaller inhabitants who live in that region, the difference being that these are all consciousness. They’re not just geography, they’re consciousness. Places, People, and Powers are the three Ps to remember.
This is a fascinating way of looking at hierarchy within Faery, more like a Russian doll than a pyramid, with the smaller beings contained within the energies of the larger landscape spirits. Of course, this also works with the idea of the world soul, as all beings would then be contained within the greater planetary spirit.
Unseelie, or the Darker Side of Faery
“We remember the elves for their beauty and the way they move and forget what they were. We’re like mice saying ‘Say what you like, cats have got real style’…”
Terry Pratchett, Lords and Ladies
It is extremely important to understand when working towards connection with Faery and cooperation with their realm that not all Faery beings want to work with us. Most of us are lucky enough not to encounter directly negative attention from Faery, as most who do not wish to work with us simply wish to be left alone, and this wish should certainly be respected. Others amongst them may be termed unseelie—a term from Scottish Faery lore that translates as “unholy,” as opposed to their polarity, the seelie, or “blessed,” court. Religious connotations aside, these are the beings whose solution to the problems of the world would be to simply get rid of humans if given the chance. An excellent portrayal of this in recent popular culture can be seen in the hit movie Hellboy II, which also succeeds in making their viewpoint quite understandable.
Scotland is not the only place to draw a clear distinction between the dark and the light courts of Faery. In the Nordic myths there were light and dark elves, or alfar and svartalfar, who lived in Alfheim and Svartalfheim, respectively. In South Africa, where there is a strong belief in Faery beings, they raise the beds of children from the floor to protect from the dangerous tokoloshe. Almost all the Slavic faeries are considered extremely malevolent, and Native American culture has its harmful spirits also, who cause disease and famine.
Emily Carding, “Svartalfheim”
Indeed, most countries have their Faery races, and within them may always be found purely malicious beings. You will most likely not encounter these beings, but if you do, treat them with courtesy and respect and do all you can to keep them at a
