mythology

Witchblood and Faeries: Being a Faerie Witch

“On the Dark Moon make sure to leave out a dish of honey and milk, in case any of the Good Neighbors go walking.”

Good Neighbors. So many names. Fair Folk, Good Folk, Good Neighbors, Dwellers under the Mound, Faerie, Fairy, Fae. So many names for the same thing. Or maybe not the same, but close enough. Others might include Sidhe or Elf on that list -I would- but not all agree so I’ll keep it simple.

We all know roughly what someone means when they say Faery. We’ll disagree on details but the meat of the definition would be the same.

Faeries are a big part of European witchcraft, specifically pre-Gardnerian and traditional witchcraft lineages. There are strong feelings on the Fae. Are they friends, allies, enemies, neighbors…or even family? Maybe all of them?

Some witchcraft traditions view the Fae as dangerous beings necessary for the world but to be avoided or at most placated. Do not engage the faerie lest they bind you to your word. Leave out offerings, not to thank them or recruit them, but so they leave you alone.

Other witchcraft traditions see them as spirit allies, friends who live part in our world part in their own and can help us on the way, but also be wary of them for they are quick to anger.

Then others like my lineage view them as family. There is the belief that some time far back in history that the Fae “intermarried” with humans. (They say intermarried, but when you read the myths it’s less about marriage and more about rape and kidnapping) This becomes the gift of the Witchblood. Again beliefs differ, some lineages say it happened so long ago that everyone carries the Witchblood, others say only those that possess the Witchblood will be called to the tradition. Fae being less than physical are more magical beings, and sharing their blood allows us to tap that side of ourselves.

I’m not saying I believe this or that there is reason to believe it, it’s a story or myth like any other. It is weird for me though because I’m Faerie. I have known I was Faerie for a few years before getting into magic, and knew for many years before ending up in my current lineage. I love my lineage, my coven, and my path, but it’s weird. We have a wary veneration of the Fae. The first witch ancestors in our mythology were Fae and human offspring. Our rites are to honor and strengthen that connection, to “ignite” the Witchblood. Who needs faerie blood if you have faerie spirit?

It was a couple of years before I told my priest about my belief. It was gut-twisting and nervewracking. Here I am claiming to be one of the beings that we so honor and venerate. Surely he must think it is a belief to get attention. It would be like a Catholic confessing to their priest that they’re an angel. What would they think?

Maybe we were right though, maybe not about blood but spirit, that only those who possess the Witchblood or are connected to the Fae are called to the tradition. I kept talking until I didn’t know what to say. “Is that it? We weren’t sure if you knew yet.” He identifies as Fae, the priestess identifies as fae, several of the coven mates do too. I had found the right lineage. I’ve seen friends struggle with sorting out being Otherkin and their religion, I just feel blessed that I found a path that accepts who I am, and maybe even calls to people like me.

To my friends who struggle I wish you the best, but know that not all religions have these problems. I hope that one day you find a place that balances your religion with who you are.

Otherkin Mythmatch- Mythic and Literal Identities

Otherkin is definitely one of those communities where if you ask five people a question you’ll get seven answers back. We’re a community that is defined as much by our differences as our similarities. Just because we’re both otherkin doesn’t mean our identities or personalities are remotely similar beyond being “other.” The beliefs and ideas are very personal, and different people might use the same words for different things, some might understand the same thing differently. It can make it a bit confusing sometimes, but I think it’s most obvious when you really ask someone about their identity and what it means.

Ask two dragons what they mean by “dragon” and you’ll probably get different answers. One idea you’ll see pop up with a lot of kin, regardless of type, is that we’re really just using a human code as a short form for what we mean.

What I mean is when someone says “I’m an elf” they probably don’t mean the literal Lord of the Rings elf who walked out of Middle Earth, and they might not even mean literal elflike beings from Celtic or Norse mythology, but what they mean is something with that feel. When an otherkin says they are an angel, to some that is a literal belief that they are a being made in service of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic god, but to others angel is more a description of some type of “heavenly” being, and may not be connected to that god, or any god in particular. So what do they mean? Well, that’s individual, but ask them what does elf or angel mean to them, they will probably give you a list of traits and to that person “elf” is a great shorthand for that list. These are traits you probably think of when you think of Tolkien’s elves, or elves for mythology. It could be the physical traits of being tall and lithe, the ears and the hair, maybe it’s a sense of connection to nature in a different way, maybe it’s an abstract feeling of magic or a sense of a culture. It’s hard to say, but somewhere in “elf”, there are enough points that matchup, that using the term “elf” as an identity inspires the right ideas, if in a vague sense.

Dragon could be a physical sensation, wings that aren’t there but still unfurl behind you when running or in the wind. It could be senses and memories of flying as a mighty beast. It could be a sense of predator impulses like on a hunt. It’s hard to say, but again, if someone says they’re a dragon, chances are the image in your head is probably closer to them than for any other easy one-word identity, that’s why it works.

It isn’t to say we aren’t, we weren’t, literally something else, just that the words we use, elf, dragon, naga, demon, wolf, insect, stone-wing, phoenix, shadow, these words might not be literally what we are, but they are the closest analog we have in human mythology. It might match perfectly, it might have areas that just don’t fit. But they’re often the best words we have. This isn’t to deny literal identities either, sometimes when someone says something like an angel, they don’t mean a being that has some resemblance to an angel, they literally mean angel as they appear in myth.

So whether or not you’re otherkin or just talking to one, trying to understand them, instead of just asking “what” someone is and leaving it at a simple one word answer, ask them what does it mean to be this thing, why do they think that’s what they are, what does the word mean. Reality doesn’t always fit into neat little boxes, our identities rarely do. Don’t mistake the names for a solid identity, the map with the territory.