Fairy fort
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fairy forts are also called raths. They are places with remains of ringforts in Ireland with remains of houses where ancient Celts used to live. [1] In early times the Irish built circular structures with earth banks or ditches and sometimes there were wooden palings. The materials, which were used to make these dwellings, were not durable. Therefore in many cases only vague circular marks remain in the landscape. [2] Raths are found in all parts of Ireland.
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[edit] How fairy forts were seen
Superstition claimed that ringforts were "fairy forts" imbued with Druids’ magic and farmers were afraid to alter them. Even cutting brush on fairy forts was reputed to be the death of those who performed the act.[1]
There are many superstitions about terrible supernatural events happening at fairy forts. For example a lady who allegedly lived in one jumped at her would be lover as a dragon. Real accidents which happened at ringforts etc could be given supernatural explanations. For example a man who tried to blast a Dolmen suffered a septic hand. The wrecked dolmen was subsequently left untouched.[3]
[edit] Examples of tales involving fairy forts
[edit] Fairies revenge
Workmen were working to level earthworks in a fairy fort at Dooneeva. The originator of this fell apparently dead. His wife, a wise woman brought him back to life magically.[4]
[edit] A cow was taken and restored
A farmer’s best cow kept grazing in a fairy fort. It was unlucky for the cow to graze there but the cow pined when it was prevented from going to the fairy fort. One day the farmer found the cow there with broken legs. He killed the cow and his family ate the meat, some fresh and some salted. A year later the cow was seen in the fairy fort. The fairies told the farmer they had taken the cow because they needed the milk for their children. They had substituted an old stray horse and made the horse to be like the cow. The farmer took his cow home. He became very prosperous because the fairies supported him.[5]
[edit] An old fairy was prevented from marrying a young girl
A rich farmer’s son found an old fairy in a fairy fort. The old fairy asked the young man to help him get a young girl for his wife. The farmer’s son would not give the young girl to the old fairy but instead married her himself. As revenge the old fairy destroyed most of the father’s property.
The farmer’s son and his wife rode to her parents’ house. The daughter proved who she was. The daughter had three brothers. The brothers went to the fairy fort and started digging till they found a large flat stone. The old fairy begged them to spare his house. When they spared it he became their friend and restored what he had taken. [6]
Note: The young girl did not choose the old fairy or the young man as her husband. The story treats this as irrelevant.
[edit] The Fairy Fort and Farmer Paddy Connerley
Paddy Connerley was worried because his farm wasn’t doing as well as he thought it should. His crops were all too often blighted and his beasts were poorly.He wondered, could he have offended the fairies who lived in the Fairy fort on his farm? [7]
[edit] References
- ^ Eddie Lenihan and Carolyn Eve Green, Meeting The Other Crowd: The Fairy Stories of Hidden Ireland, p 125 ISBN 1-58542-206-1
