Faeries of the Black Months

© By Ariana Afsanay Clausen Küehl

As we approach the time of Scorpio and the changing of the wheel to celebrate and honour those Ancestors and others who have begun the journey to the Other World through death yet life we too come upon the time when the faerie are to return to the Underworld.  During this time there are yet a few not many who remain above to protect, however, there are more who are malefic by nature and one should be wise and careful where they wander inside the wilds of forests, and such.  If not careful you can end up in the hands of a variety of malefic faerie.

The Celtics follow the myth of harvesting that any crops in which are left un-harvested are now property of the faeries and if any human are to eat of these crops it is considered a sign of ill to that human.   It was also said that any of the farm animals that were lost or left out after this time, too were now property of the faerie.  On Samhain which is the Celtic feast in which is also known as “summer’s end” or end of summer, is when all the benefic faeries returned underground until spring time’s arrival.  During the black months the malefic faerie, the Unseelie Court, Korrigan, Goblins, and others who love to play tricks on humans come out, faery do not go near places in where iron is set, not Christian symbols.  Who are the Unseeline Court?  Unblessed/Uncanny Court, they are malevolent by nature and thought to be the souls of damned and often times are speculated by the Christian beliefs to be those souls who entrée Purgatory, purgatory is more recognized with the Roman Catholic than any other religion and they believe that those persons who have commited sins [as so defined by the Church] are doomed to purgatory until they have been purified and allowed to ascend to heaven.  The Celtic people had no concept of this in their beliefs, for one reason fire was not one of the Celtic people’s elements, it was the transformation of Air, Earth and Water in which created the forth element, fire which does not exist on its own but is the indispensible agent through which divine creative energy manifests itself.  Who are the Korrigan/Corrigan?  Is a beautiful female faeries who guard the springs and fountains and by night haunt the forests and appear in an enchanting beautiful maiden form, men who fall in love with them meet an timely death for they will pine away and die of love for her, however, if the man loves both the ugly and beautiful faces of the Korrigan she shall forever remain beautiful.  Goblins are evil, they often during the time of Samhain will try to trick humans into eating faerie foods, such as blackberries and all red foods.  Faerie food is not as it always appears it can appear to be one thing and be something completely different.  An ancient myth is that if one hears faerie music and drinks of faerie wine that human will die before the year is out, so suffice to say never eat faerie foods during Samhain or the black months. 

They are all kinds of ways to protect your home and self from the malevolent during the black months, you can hang wind chimes of metal, hang iron nails on your doors, say blessings over the food prior to partaking the meal, place offerings of food out for the faerie to deter them from coming into your home.  Specific trees and plants are also protection from faeries as well as witchcraft the Rowan tree, Oak tree, having four leaf clovers growing in the yard.  One way to keep malevolent at bay is to ring bells in the home at the entrances daily, especially bells of metal all metals except for gold and silver bind the malevolent from entrance to the home.

One must also be careful when going into the forests as during this time and without any warning you may by mistake wander into an area in which faerie mounds may exist and you will not realize until it is of course to late, you have entrée their realm.  Once inside their realm you will be tested without compassion and endure great battles for you own life.  Only if you fight with strength will you be allowed to return back to your world.  Pixies at this time are great to lead humans off their path, so if you go in turn your jacket backwards for this will throw the pixies off and you will not get sidetracked by trickery.  The forest, foods and cairns can be dangerous to the unknowing during this time as they have the ability to see you, but you not them, they manipulate ghosts into working with them as they too can appear in any form that is pleasing to the human eye. 

To entrée their world you must be prepared on all levels physically, emotionally and mentally if you are understand and return home.  This journey few take, but those who they deem worthy do take it, and you never know when that journey will be taken, especially if taken during the black months.

Reference Sources:

• The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Faeries, by Anna Franklin
• Working w/Faeries, by Anna Franklin
• The Pagan Mysteries of Halloween, by Jean Markale
• Personal Experience