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!
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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?