on which they ride over the country, and to Scotland and back. They have
no religion, but a great dread of the Scapular (Latin words from the Gospels
written by a priest and hung round the neck). Their power is great over
unbaptized children, and such generally grow up evil and have the evil eye,
and bring ill luck, unless the name of God is instantly invoked when they
look at any one fixedly and in silence.
All over Ireland the fairies have the reputation of being very beautiful,
with long yellow hair sweeping the ground, and lithe light forms. They love
milk and honey, and sip the nectar from the cups of the flowers, which is
their fairy wine.
Underneath the lakes, and deep down in the heart of the hills, they have
their fairy palaces of pearl and gold, where they live in splendour and
luxury, with music and song and dancing and laughter and all joyous things
as befits the gods of the earth. If our eyes were touched by a fairy salve we
could see them dancing on the hill in the moonlight. They are served on
vessels of gold, and each fairy chief, to mark his rank, wears a circlet of gold
round his head.
The Sidhe race were once angels in heaven, but were cast out as a
punishment for their pride. Some fell to earth, others were cast into the sea,
while many were seized by demons and carried down to hell, whence they
issue as evil spirits, to tempt men to destruction under various disguises;
chiefly, however, as beautiful young maidens, endowed with the power of
song and gifted with the most enchanting wiles. Under the influence of
these beautiful sirens a man will commit any and every crime. Then when
his soul is utterly black they carry him down to hell, where he remains for
ever tortured by the demons to whom he sold himself.
The fairies are very numerous, more numerous than the human race. In
their palaces underneath the hills and in the lakes and the sea they hide
away much treasure. All the treasure of wrecked ships is theirs; and all the
gold that men have hidden and buried in the earth when danger was on
them, and then died and left no sign of the place to their descendants. And
all the sold of the mine and the jewels of the rocks belong to them; and in
the Sifra, or fairy-house, the walls are silver and the pavement is gold, and
the banquet-hall is lit by the glitter of the diamonds that stud the rocks.
If you walk nine times round a fairy rath at the full of the moon, you will
find the entrance to the Sifra; but if you enter, beware of eating the fairy
food or drinking the fairy wine. The Sidhe will, indeed, wile and draw
many a young man into the fairy dance, for the fairy women are beautiful,
so beautiful that a man's eyes grow dazzled who looks on them, with their
long hair floating like the ripe golden corn and their robes of silver
gossamer; they have perfect forms, and their dancing is beyond all
expression graceful; but if a man is tempted to kiss a Sighoge, or young fairy
spirit, in the dance, he is lost for ever--the madness of love will fall on him,
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