The Fair Folk

An ode my Irish Ancestry: The Fair Folk

18” long beaded necklace featuring a lobster clasp and joined with brass rings.

The beads include:

Antique Japanese glasswork (The shared values between Ireland and Japan are admirable and inspiring. Adding a touch of Japanese artistry to this piece felt incredibly relevant). 

Lepidolite

Citrine

The polymer clay pendant is handmade, painted and sealed. 

Ready to Ship!

A family member of mine is deeply involved with tracing our matriarchal lineage. Through her research we have found our ancestors were largely displaced from their homelands in Scotland and Ireland before seeking asylum in America circa the early 1800s. 

The Irish diaspora has been swept up and held hostage inside the greedy heart of white supremacy for well over a century now.

It is impossible to ignore our ancestral identity was sacrificed for survival in a colonized and hostile land. If you are of Irish descent you may have felt as though you don’t really belong here. Until around the early 1900s we absolutely did not.

It is of no small consequence that the loss of identity for our huddled masses benefited the oppressor for many years —who has much to gain by forcing our assimilation. To read more about how, when and why the Irish were eventually accepted into white society start here.

In an effort to learn more about my family’s ancestral history and culture I dived headfirst into Irish mythology.

The aos sí, are a part of Irish Mythology who are descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann. The name means “folks of sí“ —which are burial mounds as well as their dwelling place. With Irish folklore being an oral record it is difficult to know the exact origin of “The Fair Folk”. These supernatural beings are thought to live in a parallel realm to ours. Some believe they are the deified descendants of Irish Gods, while others believe they themselves are fallen angels.

The aos sí are often connected to certain times of year and hours; as the Gaelic Otherworldly is believed to come closer to the mortal world at the times of dusk and dawn, the aos sí correspondingly become easier to encounter. Some festivals such as Samhain, Beltane and Midsummer are also associated with the aos sí.

More information can be found here.