Faeries in your family tree
Mar 11th, 2008 | By Fiona Broome | Category: A faerie primer, Featured articles
Do you have fae ancestry? I mean really fae ancestry, the kind that can be written on your family tree?
If you have Irish ancestry, the answer is probably yes! Most people with Irish roots also have faerie ancestors.
Here’s a short version of the history.
The Irish fae world includes the Tuatha De Danann, who were the “gods and not-gods” (in Irish: de agus ande) of early Ireland.
The Tuatha De Danann were–and are–real people, or perhaps “beings” is a better word.
And, they married the (very human) Milesians and had children, when the Milesians conquered Ireland.
(This history is documented in many ancient sources, including The Annals of the Four Masters, one of Ireland’s earliest written histories, transcribed by monks.
The Milesians were the people who populated modern Ireland. Their surnames are the ones that start with O’ and Mac.
However, in recent times, those O’ and Mac prefixes were often dropped. For example, O’Baoighill became O’Boyle and then simply Boyle.
(Murphy was O’Murchadha and Sullivan was O’Suileabhain, and the list goes on…)
So, if you have Irish ancestry (and over 50% of people in the United States do), then you probably have Milesian blood in your veins.
That means you probably have faerie ancestors, too.
If you could trace your heritage back far enough, you’d get to the Irish ancestor who married one of the Tuatha De Danann, and you’d actually have the name of your faerie ancestor.
(If you’re a FitzGerald from the Limerick area, the process may be a lot easier, since Lord Desmond, the third Earl of Desmond, married the Tuatha De Danann goddess, Aine. Their son, Gerald, fourth Earl of Desmond, is still seen riding from Lough Gur every seven years when the lake is dry.)
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My emphasis is on Irish faeries, because that’s my own ancestry.
However, many cultures have similar traditions, from Scandinavian to Indian to Arab to African.
Research your family tree and learn your faerie connections.
You may find some wonderful surprises!
Related posts:
I need some guidance. Im positive i havea past life as a faerie and still am. Id really like two find out everything i could about my past life. Can anybody help me discover these truths?
This is so interesting. I have FitzGerald blood and it just so happens I am a whyte faerie witch. Coincidence? I doubt it..
This is a really useful website and it’s full of useful infomation. Like some I think I have seen faeries.
I saw them in Ireland near an old oak tree. It was early eveing and there were little person like creatures. They seemed to be dancing but flying at the same time, circling round in the air, they also gave off a faint glow. I did’nt go to close for I did’nt want to disturb them. I belive that faeries make their homes inside of trees, and if one hears really quiet laughter it is a sign that a faeries are inhabiting a certain tree.
I get really upset when I tell my friends about faeries because they always think im making it up. But I know better. They just have to belive and observe the world they live in a little more.
To Holly: You’ve described the faeries beautifully! The glow is especially nice to see, since it’s unique to faeries.
More and more people are realizing that we live in a world that faeries visit regularly. I hope your friends realize this, soon, so they can enjoy the beauty and grandeur of faeries!
To Jessi:
Dreams are one of the best ways to contact your past and present… and perhaps your future.
Several quantum scientists have suggested that dreams aren’t fantasies; they’re very real visits to parallel worlds and times.
Learn to remember your dreams, and see if you find clues there. That’s my best recommendation for beginning this journey.
omg!!! i luv faeries. wat do u know about elementals? they’re really fascinating. i think i might be a fire elemental which is soo cool
i live in south africa so when ever the seasons change, everything is obviously different to what’s happening in the northern hemisphere. it seems to be throwing me out abit when it comes to the traditional celebrations of samhain, imbolc and so on…what can i do?is it proper to celebrate beltane when all the trees are bare and its pouring with rain?
and i dont know much about the fae here in africa.could you please tell me more?
To Jesse, I recommend contacting Colby Wilk at http://www.healthroughspirit.com. He could more than likely help you find the answer.
John, thanks for your recommendation.
I have Irish ancestry, and I also have a weird kind of affinity for water. When I am around any body of water (creek, lake, ocean, etc.) I feel instantly calm and refreshed. I get depressed when I can’t regularly visit some kind of natural body of water. I have also felt a tree’s pain when it was being cut down… it was very strange. I was crying uncontrolably, and with every branch that was severed, I felt an odd, numbing pain spread through my body. Can you possibly explain this to me?
Shelby,
I know exactly what you’re describing. For me, it’s not just water… it’s salt water. When I don’t live near the ocean (or at least near a salt lake), I’m miserable. I used to joke that being inland was like large-scale claustrophobia for me. I have no idea why I feel that way. One of my three children doesn’t feel the ocean connection; the other two seem to, but that doesn’t clearly prove a genetic element.
However, your fae connection to water could relate to the faeries that are supposed to live beneath the water. Some examples include the faerie cities that are supposed to exist below the waves off the northeast coast of Ireland, and the castle that is supposed to be below the water in Lough Gur (Co. Limerick, Ireland). In both cases, there were a few people (perhaps through special equipment or magick) who could travel between the underwater places and our world. If one of them is your ancestor, the affinity for water may be genetic.
Most people I’ve talked with, who have Celtic ancestry, seem to have a strong connection with trees. It’s almost protective, in some cases. I’m not sure why, but I’ve had very intense reactions to seeing a tree cut down, and since I was little, I felt terribly sad around trees with Dutch Elm disease, etc.
There are some stories of shape-shifting into the form of trees, but I’m not sure that would explain this widespread phenomena.
It’s an interesting but baffling reaction; all I can do is assure you that many, many people feel the same way.
I recommend contacting Gypsy at http://www.salemwitchschool.com she has helped me so much in discovering my past and my future.
Hi, it is nice to finally meet some of the TDD, I found out by my spirit guides, and I am very honored but now, some major problems are arising for me, and I really need some help!!
Lacie,
Gypsy is indeed respected by many people around Salem and in the Pagan community.
Fiona
Hester,
I hope you find the answers you need, here or through your spirit guides.
Fiona
I have no clue if i have faerie blood in me. but in one my past lives i am a fearie does this mean anything???
Cecilia,
You’re the only one who can answer that question, based on how much of a faerie you still are. You’ll need to consider your memories, and your experiences so far in this lifetime.
Sincerely,
Fiona Broome
can witches be faeries too??? do most faeries have wings?? can anyone give me advice on seeing my past life/s?please i know i have alot of Qs, btw i love this website!!!!
i have irish heritage, could i possibly have faerie ancestery??? is there any easy ways to find out?? help me!!
No doubt about it with my family. Every woman in my family has a very strong connection with nature and such. Casting spells comes naturally for them (me, not so much), and it’s even lead to the “unintentional” demise of a few family enemies. Also, possibility of past lycanthropy in the family, believe me, if you looked at some of my family members you’d think they got stuck mid shift.
Is there anything about fae blood causing trouble for technology, because I seem to kill my cell phone every couple of months and even once caused a perfectly good car battery to die (I have no clue how my computer has survived this long)
Mrazeck,
I definitely like your humor.
The technology issue is an interesting one. I remember, years ago, when Roseanne Barr had a talk show. She mentioned a study that showed people with multiple personality disorder have a higher-than-average likelihood of being near a streetlight when the light burns out.
At the time I thought, “What?” (I’ve never found documentation of this. I wish I’d taken notes when she was talking about it.)
But anyway, my thought is: If that’s true (and I’m not sure that it is), some of us might have very odd energy fields. So, there’s a kind of logic if you’re affecting electrical things.
After all, we’ve seen batteries fail at haunted sites. That’s so common, we hardly even talk about it now. Other electronics can behave strangely at haunted places, as well. (Of course, it raises the question if we’re dealing with ghosts, or something fae, both… or neither.)
But, I’m going to keep this in mind when I’m studying faeries. I think there might be more to learn.
Thanks for your comment!
Cheerfully, Fiona
bekee,
You’ll need to study your family tree to be sure that you connect with a Milesian family. (The surname usually starts with O’ or Mac, or you find someone of Milesian ancestry one generation before the Fitz- prefix entered your family tree.)
However, I think the vast majority of families who’ve been in Ireland for at least three generations have some Milesian ancestry. That’s what usually indicates a genetic connection with the Tuatha De Danann.
Cheerfully, Fiona
bekee,
Witches can be faeries, and vice versa. “Witches” are often people to adhere to the old ways, or who connect deeply with the earth and the seasons (aka, the wheel of the year).
I discuss the wing issue elsewhere at this website, and in some of my podcasts.
Regarding past lives, that’s outside the scope of this website. I’m focusing on faeries in history and in folklore.
Cheerfully, Fiona
thankyou for your help Fiona, i would like to know when you study the faeries, do you encounter any? in which form? and in any special place? thanks again for your help and im looking forward to finding out more!!!
is there a special faery language that faeries speak?
I love this site… I had no idea there were others that felt such deep connections. That I know of, I have no direct ancestry with faeries, but like Shelby said, except with something different, I love the forest and feel at home and at peace there. Like I could get lost in that world of leaves and trees and be forever happy. I was thinking perhaps this is because of a past life? Or maybe I somehow am a descendant of a faerie or I live another life in my dreams.
Hello there!
I was wondering if the faeries marrying the Irish could also be applied for the Scots. I think I might have fae blood, or something of the sort. I was also wondering if there are types of faeries, and if so, how to tell what type you are. Is there a certain type of magick fae can do? Also, I do not like to wear shoes; even in school, I am almost always barefoot as long as the teachers don’t catch me.
I also don’t like to wear form-fitting clothes and I wear looser clothing (and preferably no… upper-undergarments). I don’t like to be restrained, I suppose, and was wondering if those “symptoms” could be related to the fae, or if I’m just weird. 
Thank you for your time!
-Maggie
[...] more information about the faerie-related families protected by Banshees, see Fiona’s article, The [...]
I don’t know much about my family tree except the fact that my grandmother’s maiden name is Mack and when she married it became Taylor. Also on my Dad’s side his last name is Francis and supposedly I have family in England, but I’m not sure. Are any of those names related? If any of those name have meaning that would mean that I have picked up on something ancient in my blood and would explain my attraction to paganism, Faeries and all other sorts of stuff my family finds odd. If not that’s okay too.
would a valid point be that humans and faeries back then had children together? would this then contribute to whether someone has faery anstestry or not?
what would be a good way to find out if you do or are there any tell-tale signs?
thanks beck.
does anyone know anything about the o’reilys? apparently one of them changed their name to rahaley and yer. do you think they may have faery blood? i hope so
I love trees and forests – it was one of the reasons I moved away from the Midwest plains shortly after moving into them. I feel a loss of energy whenever I move into a place barren of trees. I feel a pull to the ocean, but a stronger pull to the skies. Whenever I feel upset, my fist instinct is to go up; usually up a tree, which I am good at climbing, naturally, or something else if there are no trees around. I got in a good amount of trouble in preschool several times for climbing the playscape and ending up on the roof.
For technology, it took practice in schooling my energies (learning to pull them in, not have them frazzed out around me all the time) for me to not cause static when I passed a television or radio (this was before we had a computer). Now, I find all my electronics work better than they did when I bought them and their battery lives just keep getting longer as time goes on. They do have a few issues when I first get them, though.
I’m quite sure I have fey blood of some kind, I’m just not sure how much, of what kind, or from where.
It would make sense that any peoples living close to the land would please the fey and have relations with them, so any indigenous people would likely have some fey ancestry.
Have you heard any tales of Japanese fey, the yousei? I’ve been trying to learn more of them, and haven’t been able to find much.
~Laura
Lady,
You’ll need to go back through your family tree and see what the Mack name was originally. Chances are, it was shortened from Mac-something, possibly indicating Milesian and faerie ancestry.
The surname Francis usually traces back to England, and then sometimes to France. If the family was in Ireland at any time, they probably married women in Irish families.
Fiona
Stumbling upon your website has gotten me a little excited!
My last name is Crowley and I can most certainly trace both sides of my family back to Ireland and Scotland. Thanks to my mom, we have whole books containing our legacy, and I’m so proud! *wipes tear* Haha!
My main question is to you – and anyone – regarding Faeries in our families, I suppose. I’m writing a fiction work on a Changeling, of sorts, that involves both Fae courts. Her story involves being tied to Faeries from years past and although this was simply a fun way for me to learn even more about Faeries, I’ve been thinking that it might be someone’s true story, somewhere.
How neat would that be?!
So, I ask, has anyone actually had contact with a Fae from their family? Seen a Faerie? I was considering posting this to the Seeing Faeries post.. thanks for anyone’s help!
-Bethany
While a lot of people don’t think there’s a difference, I always feel there is. I’m not of Irish heritage but I am from a scottish heritage (I am either the third or fourth generation on my father’s side. The reason isn’t not exact, is no one keeps records of each other. They only keep the first names of who married who. My mother’s side, however I could trace back to the 1500s). Does being scottish up the chances of being a decendant, just like the Irish.
but I don’t know. After I found the notebook, I felt complete and I kept finding myself saying outloud randomly “I am a faerie” (it might be werid) and because of that my friends buy me faerie statues and just anything that has to do with that. (I honestly have like 20 costume fairy wings from them. Some small, some HUGE)
I always believed in fairies, and never faltered my belief no matter what one said to me. My grandfather was an amazing man who was definately scottish from his accent (wether he was actually born there or not I am not sure) and it’s from him I had a scottish accent when I was younger (I lost it a year after he died, when was when I was 8. It kept shrinking after he died, until it faded all together) and it was through him I got so dedicated to faeries.
Not one of my five siblings felt a instant connection to William Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night Dream (yeah..I did read that when I was little) or any of the Scottish folk lore he told us about. I was so enchanted by it, when my grandfather knew he was going to die soon, he bought a notebook and wrote anything and everything he knew about Scottish folklore and faeries. Then he gave it me. I cherished it until he died -then I threw it into a box and I had my parents put it in the attic, because I missed him too much. two years later I found it in hte attic when I looking for books to read- It’s rather beaten from over use.
Now I am just gonna stop my ramblings. lol.I get carried away with myself.
…i kinda forgot.. lol thanks a lot ramblings!!… after I found hte notebook, I started seeing things at night. When I’d be laying in bed reading a book with hte one little lamp on, something around the size of a cat -and while I have cats, none are in my room when this occurs, I know this because I make sure they aren’t because htey wake me up at 3am to let them out of my room since I sleep with the door closed- run across the foot of the bed, really quickly, while it is the size of a cat it’s shape is that of a human. I thought I imagined it, then the second time I got scared, and the third time I got used it. It happens at the least, once a week if I stay up working on something. (I have a lot of research papers this year, and I work best with pressure. So I wait till 7 to do the papers, and it’s not till 12 I am done)
Hi, I am interested and scared about fairies…I feel very very attracted to them but when I get near the matter of fact thing (no invocation, at least intentional, just very zealous) I get nervous and my mind feels fraile like under a spell or drug, and am scared…is this fairy posession or something like that, or ghost or demon? I practice a branch of hinduism as well..
Thank you
ps sorry if this is not the questions board
G
I think I might be a faerie. I am Irish from somewhere on my mom’s side, and am the only one I know of in my whole family who actually believes in faeries. I’ve asked my Grandma if i can borrow her book of our family’s history, so I’ll flip through that next time I see her. I also think I may have some sort of connection with nature. Maybe not, it could just be a really weird coincedence, but I remember a time when I was in grade 2 and I was in the school hallway working on a project. I was working with one of my friends, and I was bored so I looked to my left out the partially-opened window that was at the end of the hallway. I saw a sparrow flying around outside, and just randomly said to my friend, “Wouldn’t it be weird if a bird flew through the window and into the school?” And the really freaky thing was, at that moment, the bird I saw flying around outside suddenly ducked through the open window and flew down the hallway, banging into the wall as it went. My teacher notified the office who sent a janitor to catch it in a net and let it go outside. The principal gave an announcment over the loudspeaker that that was the first bird to ever fly into the school, and that it probably had a headache from banging into the wall so many times but other than that was fine. I’ve remembered that story all this time, for so many years, because I know that I did it. I DID THAT. I somehow called the bird into the school. I don’t know how, and it’s weird, but I must have some sort of connection with something. It freaks me out, but I swear, that’s a TRUE STORY. Do you think I might have faerie blood in me or… something? Because I really don’t have an explanation for that, unless it’s a freaky coincidence. What do you think?
Er… i mean PART faerie. With faerie blood in me. Not A faerie. Sorry. My mistake.
Goura,
It’s reasonable and prudent to be nervous about faeries. Many of them are not nice.
However, I wouldn’t worry about fairy possession… not like demon possession or anything. Though some faeries seem to be energy vampires (I talk about them briefly in today’s podcast, http://media.libsyn.com/media/faeries/FlyingFaeries-FaerieMagick.mp3 ), they don’t actually “possess” people.
Faeries are a mix of good & bad, just as people are. If you’re uncomfortable around the energy of some of them, get away from that location. Generally, faeries won’t follow you… not very far, anyway.
Sincerely,
Fiona
Grace,
I don’t think you’re describing a coincidence. Not since it’s stayed with you all this time. Generally, if something is merely a coincidence, we only vaguely remember it, years later.
I can’t tell you if you have faerie ancestry. Your family tree is the best resource for that.
Cheerfully,
Fiona
No problem, Grace. I knew what you meant!
Cheerfully, Fiona
Do you know anything about the ancestry of the O’Finns? That’s me. I think our ancestors lived in either Munster or Leinster. I think it’s quite possible that I have faery blood in me, I see strange things and I have weird abilities that I thought were normal until I realized that other kids can’t do this. I don’t know much about genealogy, and I wouldn’t know where to start to check my family tree for this.
Your website is a lifesaver, thanks so much for creating it.
~Rabbit of the Hollow Hills
Hello im 26 years old, and im a little confused i dont really know if anyone here can shead some light on whats going on with me but i will explain it a little. about two three yers ago well from what i have noticed anyways my dreams have been becoming more vivid and detialed. the weird part is in the past year im living parts of my dreams, As if i was seeing the future. But its only small glimps and i remeber dreming that excact thing palce time moment everything the same. im Also having recurring dreams of me flying around just flying freely anywhere i want i control where im going in my dreams. Unfortanly the flying dream has not become a reality lol. I do have Irish background i just dont know who or how my great grandfather came from irealand so im told we have the last name bindon. can any one explain any of this.
Thanks Christopher
I am mostly Irish on my mother’s side of the family. My mom’s maiden name was McBeth, which I discovered was actually MacBeth generations ago. My mom taught me how to build faery houses, which we made out of cardboard boxes. We used to put flowers and vegetables (cut up and raw) in the house. I don’t remember how we decorated it, but I’m guessing that’s what the flowers were for. My mom’s favorite thing to leave for the faeries were fresh english peas, Which she loved. We had a side garden, that I used to play in because I preferred it to the backyard. That is where we always left the little houses. My whole life, I’ve always yearned to be with the faeries.
Ever since I can remember, I always felt different than everyone else. Kind of like I was marching to a diffefrent tune and I wasn’t in the same beat. I was always shy and I tended to love the outdoors and animals. My mom said that we were part faery and one time she showed me a photograph of her sister, who had slightly pointed ears. I never knew if she was just kidding or not. (maybe she said that because I am short ) I do know that mom and I were very preceptive. To this day, I am very sensitive, which sometimes can be depressing when others are angry or negetive. My desire to meet and befriend the faeries is still as strong as it was when I was little. I do communicate with them sometimes, but I’ve never spoken to them in person. Although, on several occasions, I have see a man who looked exactly like a gnome or elf. It’s when my husband and I are driving on this country road which is off the beaten path, There are some houses on acreage there, but no one is usually walking on the roadway because there are parts of the road that do not have a safe shoulder to walk on. The man is on the short side, but normal height. He has the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen: turquoise blue and piercing, his hair was the color silver. We saw him a day or so after my husband took me to see a family of beavers in a nearby city. I went with the intention to clean up trash, which I did. We’ve seen him several times since and the last time he waved at me, but we’ve not seen him again for a long time.
So where do I go from here ? I’m not sure how to proceed in befriending the faeries. I’ve always considered them to be my friends, but I’m not sure they feel the same way.
Fiona,
My mother’s maiden name is McCarter, which, according to most in an Irish name, and to others is one of the few Scottish “Mc’s”. I’m not sure as to whether this means I have any faerie blood running through me but I do know that I am connected to the fae.
One particular fae has let me photograph her to send an accompanying message about the destruction of the environment. On another occasion, I performed a meditation in which I went to my place of power in my mind and subsequently met my male self who happened to be fae. At the time, I had no idea who I was meeting.
Either way, I have never seen (other than in my photograph) any fae but I feel deeply connected to nature and its entities. How can I make my connection stronger?
I have very little irish blood in me but I keep having these weird dreams of me having a soft glow around me and pointed ears, I’m tall and thin and i can control fire and talk to trees and animals. It might sound like nothing, but I’m concerned. Would I be a faerie folk in my past life?
Hi Christopher,
I’m not sure if fae ancestry can explain the range of things you’re describing.
You may want to look at what Fred Wolf (from the “What the Bleep…?” DVD) is saying about dreams, and what they might be. Basically, he considers dreams to (maybe) be visits to parallel worlds.
That sounds like the most likely explanation for what you’re experiencing.
Generally, research quantum physics, parallel universes, and related topics.
Cheerfully,
Fiona
Hi,
My best advice is to keep visiting or connecting with the fae world. The more comfortable and confident you are, the stronger the connection is likely to be.
Irish “Mc” and “Mac” names are often from northern Ireland, where many people have a mix of Irish, Scots, and British ancestry.
Cheerfully,
Fiona
Hello Nykkei,
I don’t think anyone can (or should) tell you who or what you were in your past lives. That’s a deeply personal connection, and it’s something for you to explore on your own.
Your dream adventures sound wonderful. Consider keeping a journal about them, and illustrating it as best you can.
Cheerfully,
Fiona