Papers by Morgan Daimler
A brief survey of the history and facts behinds the common modern idea that saint Patrick decimat... more A brief survey of the history and facts behinds the common modern idea that saint Patrick decimated the druids and destroyed Irish paganism.
In the popular imagination those tried for witchcraft were people who dealt with the Devil, engag... more In the popular imagination those tried for witchcraft were people who dealt with the Devil, engaging in horrific acts in his service and empowered by a demonic familiar. However the evidence from Scottish witchcraft trials and related contemporary sources offers a more complex view, which includes not only the expected diabolism but also a witchcraft taught, guided, and fuelled by fairies. This is a liminal witchcraft which existed with one foot in mortal earth and another in the fairy knowe, where a witch or cunning person learned their skill from the 'Gude Nichtbors', where the human swore allegiance to the Queen of Fairy, and where the witch's familiar is a fairy rather than an imp. Testimony from accused witches provides a picture of a witchcraft that existed side by side with the diabolic type but separated from it by the powers being drawn on and connected to, providing a practice that was more socially acceptable. Witchcraft intertwined with fairy belief existed within the wider framework of that fairy belief and benefited from its pervasiveness across the culture, so much so that accused witches used their association with fairies as a defence against criminal accusations. Exploring these connections, the evidence for fairy powered witchcraft, and the place that such practices found in the culture, shows that witches who dealt with fairies were viewed as and acted as a unique class of cunningfolk, making this a distinct approach, different from other types of witchcraft.
Witches & Pagans Magazine, 2022
An overview of the diversity found within descriptions of fairies across western European materia... more An overview of the diversity found within descriptions of fairies across western European material and the insertion of racism into fairylore during and after the Victorian era.
published under the title 'The (White) Elephant in the Room: Race & Identity in Fairylore'
Abstract: The intersection between human society, cultural fears of the ‘other’, and fairy belief... more Abstract: The intersection between human society, cultural fears of the ‘other’, and fairy belief has been reflected and inverted in descriptions of fairies’ enactment of gender roles andsexuality. In older sources fairies often appear in ways that reverse expected norms while actingoutside of expectations of human morality. In the Victorian era these expectations shifted fromoverly sexualized beings into creatures who were infantilized and sanitized, made the domain ofchildren. In the 20th and 21st century fairies continued reflect deeper human fears and hopesaround othered gender and sexuality with stories now showing beings that encompass a range ofconcepts from the romanticized monster to the asexual androgynous guide. Throughout all ofthese periods humans who were othered for their sexuality were often seen as connected to orrelated to the fairies. The fairy across history is intrinsically tied to human social mores andexpectations but also embraces those that mainstream culture rejects.
Fairies as dangerous and potentially deadly beings can be found across folklore, sometimes portra... more Fairies as dangerous and potentially deadly beings can be found across folklore, sometimes portrayed as inimical to humanity other times as ambiguous. In Scotland these specifically dangerous beings eventually came to be labelled as Unseelie, a term and concept filled with nuances. The Unseelie appeared in contrast to the more benevolent Seelie fairies of folklore, creating a moral and philosophical dichotomy between the so-called good and bad fairies or "gude wichts" and "wicked wichts" as explained by F. Marian McNeil in her mid-20 th century Silver Bough text. Urban fantasy in the later 20 th and 21 st century would latch onto and quickly
Fairies as dangerous and potentially deadly beings can be found across folklore, sometimes portra... more Fairies as dangerous and potentially deadly beings can be found across folklore, sometimes portrayed as inimical to humanity other times as ambiguous. In Scotland these specifically dangerous beings eventually came to be labelled as Unseelie, a term and concept filled with nuances. The Unseelie appeared in contrast to the more benevolent Seelie fairies of folklore, creating a moral and philosophical dichotomy between the so-called good and bad fairies or "gude wichts" and "wicked wichts" as explained by F. Marian McNeil in her mid-20 th century Silver Bough text. Urban fantasy in the later 20 th and 21 st century would latch onto and quickly modify these terms in new directions which shifted the fairies of fiction away from their folkoric predecessors and muddied the moral waters around both groups. The Seelie increasingly, although not universally, came to be depicted as the corrupt and cruel group while the Unseelie took on the role of the antiheroes, who were more honest and genuine than their Seelie counterparts and often featured as the main love interests of the protagonist. This shift has been both quick and compartmentalized, with the folklore remaining true to its older views while the fiction rapidly moves into new territory.
Pagan Dawn, 2017
A brief overview of folklore around the Scottish fairies tiend to Hell with discussion of possibl... more A brief overview of folklore around the Scottish fairies tiend to Hell with discussion of possible interpretations.
FIS Newsletter, 2021
Tales of fairies are found in Celtic and British folklore and literature across the last thousand... more Tales of fairies are found in Celtic and British folklore and literature across the last thousand years often marked with subtle or overt sexual themes. The various names for the fairies across history, including elf and goblin, have been glossed with incubi as a way to acknowledge this and female fairies of certain types are known to seduce and kill the unwary adding an inherent layer of danger and death to the sexuality of the Good Folk. Male fairies are often noted to take on feminine roles or to be found in domestic areas more associated with human women while female fairies may haunt wilderness and contradict cultural human female roles; in both cases the expected human gender norms are overturned, as the sexual norms are with the fairies licentiousness and overt amorousness. Historically this shaped not only how people understood the dangers and allure of fairies but also the way that some humans embodied or depicted them across folklore and literature. In contemporary terms fairies in fiction and popular culture, possibly unconsciously, embrace the boundary breaking roles of fairies relating to gender and sexuality resulting in a diverse array of depictions. The entirety of this material sheds light on how human society at different periods has defined what is and is not acceptable within these subjects. The human reflection that appears in the mirror activities of fairies then is both one that is familiar and foreign, allowing for a deepening understanding of human culture and of the contrast created by the actions of the Fair Folk.
Air n-Aithesc, 2016
Of all the beings in Irish-and more generally Celtic-folklore one of the most interesting may be ... more Of all the beings in Irish-and more generally Celtic-folklore one of the most interesting may be the Leannán Sí. The name literally means 'fairy lover'* and we see two distinct pictures emerge in mythology and folklore of this type of being, very different in nature although both perhaps equally hazardous in various ways. One has become very well-known and even found a place in modern novels and pop culture, while the other may be the better documented but less often discussed in modern contexts. Although seemingly very different in nature and interaction with human beings, both share similar roots and can often lead a human to the same end, suggesting a closer connection than may first be apparent.
In Ireland the subject of sovereignty is a complex one, tied to both the power of an area's Godde... more In Ireland the subject of sovereignty is a complex one, tied to both the power of an area's Goddess to confer the right to rule and more subtly with horses as symbols of strength and potency. The horse was intrinsically linked to kingship and horse Goddesses seem almost invariably to be Goddesses of sovereignty as well. Both of these connections are present in the Irish Goddess Macha, who is associated with horses, and who is also a deity who gives or takes sovereignty as can be seen in her various myths. Macha is not a simple deity and to understand her one must peel back the layers of her various stories and look not only at each story alone but how each relates to the others. The picture that forms then is one of a complex deity who controls the sovereignty of her eponymous territory by blessing with abundance or by destroying with war, and her symbol which itself represents these same things is the horse.
A look at three different inter-related terms for users of folk magic in Irish culture.
Air n-Aithesc, 2015
An article looking at the aos sidhe or Good Neighbors in the context of Irish mythology and folk... more An article looking at the aos sidhe or Good Neighbors in the context of Irish mythology and folklore with some Scottish cultural comparison.
Conference Presentations by Morgan Daimler
In the ballad of Tam Lin the eponymous character begs his lover to rescue him from the fairies be... more In the ballad of Tam Lin the eponymous character begs his lover to rescue him from the fairies before he is given to Hell to pay the fairies' tithe. This single stanza in the ballad reflects an obscure but fascinating piece of early modern folk belief around the area of Selkirk in Scotland, which positioned the fairies as tenants of Hell who paid the Devil rent in the form of souls. Highly localized until recently this specific belief played into wider ideas in Scottish fairylore that described fairies as a slightly less evil kind of demon and had the Queen of Fairy wed to the Devil, and were used to explain why fairies were motivated to steal humans into their world. Thomas of Erceldoune, the ballads of Thomas the Rhymer and Tam Lin, witchcraft trial testimony, and contemporary sources including reverend Robert Kirk will be used to illustrate the overlap between demonic and fairy beliefs in 16th and 17th century Scotland. Exploring these beliefs within the context of the time period illustrates the tenuous position of fairies in relation to the dominant Protestant faiths, the persistence of these beliefs, and the way the prominence of the Devil and the demonic influenced understandings of fairies within the culture.
In the popular imagination those tried for witchcraft were people who dealt with the Devil, engag... more In the popular imagination those tried for witchcraft were people who dealt with the Devil, engaging in horrific acts in his service and empowered by a demonic familiar. However the evidence from Scottish witchcraft trials and related contemporary sources offers a more complex view, which includes not only the expected diabolism but also a witchcraft taught, guided, and fuelled by fairies. This is a liminal witchcraft which existed with one foot in mortal earth and another in the fairy knowe, where a witch or cunning person learned their skill from the 'Gude Nichtbors', where the human swore allegiance to the Queen of Fairy, and where the witch's familiar is a fairy rather than an imp. Testimony from accused witches provides a picture of a witchcraft that existed side by side with the diabolic type but separated from it by the powers being drawn on and connected to, providing a practice that was more socially acceptable. Witchcraft intertwined with fairy belief existed within the wider framework of that fairy belief and benefited from its pervasiveness across the culture, so much so that accused witches used their association with fairies as a defence against criminal accusations. Exploring these connections, the evidence for fairy powered witchcraft, and the place that such practices found in the culture, shows that witches who dealt with fairies were viewed as and acted as a unique class of cunningfolk, making this a distinct approach, different from other types of witchcraft.
Across folklore fairies exist as both beings who transgress human norms and also as beings who en... more Across folklore fairies exist as both beings who transgress human norms and also as beings who enforce expected behaviors. Stories depict male fairies in traditionally female domestic spheres, while female fairies lurk as dangers in the forest, yet these same stories and beings enforce a human social order that-ideally-keeps children in bed at night, wives keeping houses tidy, and husbands staying kind and generous. Those humans who adhere to expected norms may find fairy rewards for their efforts, while those who stray from them may be punished by invisible hands. Beneath this surface layer of story as social norm reinforcement is a deeper level wherein deviance from norms causes not a social rejection but an absorption of the human into the world of Fairy. Deviance transitions the human into the liminal realm of the fairies, where the rules of expected behavior changes and then allows the human to act outside social norms within human society, protected to some degree by the auspices of this connection. Exploring examples of this pattern, across England, Cornwall, Scotland, and Ireland, demonstrates the way that deviance was sometimes legitimized by a connection to fairies and allowed a human uncommon leeway in behaviour. Those who defied social norms were more likely to attract fairy attention and in turn that attention, while not without risk, could offer a person an opportunity redefine what a community would accept from them, creating a fluidity between normal and deviant, individual and community, and human and fairy.
The intersection between human society, cultural fears of the ‘other’, and fairy belief has been ... more The intersection between human society, cultural fears of the ‘other’, and fairy belief has been reflected and inverted in descriptions of fairies’ enactment of gender roles and sexuality. In older sources fairies often appear in ways that reverse expected norms while acting outside of expectations of human morality. In the Victorian era these expectations shifted from overly sexualized beings into creatures who were infantilized and sanitized, made the domain of children. In the 20th and 21st century fairies continued reflect deeper human fears and hopes around othered gender and sexuality with stories now showing beings that encompass a range of concepts from the romanticized monster to the asexual androgynous guide. Throughout all of these periods humans who were othered for their sexuality were often seen as connected to or related to the fairies. The fairy across history is intrinsically tied to human social mores and expectations but also embraces those that mainstream culture rejects.
OGOM Ill Met By Moonlight Conference, 2021
Fairies as dangerous and potentially deadly beings can be found across folklore, sometimes portra... more Fairies as dangerous and potentially deadly beings can be found across folklore, sometimes portrayed as inimical to humanity other times as ambiguous. In Scotland these specifically dangerous beings eventually came to be labelled as Unseelie, a term and concept filled with nuances. The Unseelie appeared in contrast to the more benevolent Seelie fairies of folklore, creating a moral and philosophical dichotomy between the so-called good and bad fairies or "gude wichts" and "wicked wichts" as explained by F. Marian McNeil in her mid-20 th century Silver Bough text. Urban fantasy in the later 20 th and 21 st century would latch onto and quickly modify these terms in new directions which shifted the fairies of fiction away from their folkoric predecessors and muddied the moral waters around both groups. The Seelie increasingly, although not universally, came to be depicted as the corrupt and cruel group while the Unseelie took on the role of the antiheroes, who were more honest and genuine than their Seelie counterparts and often featured as the main love interests of the protagonist. This shift has been both quick and compartmentalized, with the folklore remaining true to its older views while the fiction rapidly moves into new territory.
3rd Annual Heathen Women United Conference, 2019
Comparing and contrasting Norse Alfar, Anglo-Saxon Aelfe, and German Elben in a historic and mode... more Comparing and contrasting Norse Alfar, Anglo-Saxon Aelfe, and German Elben in a historic and modern Heathen context.
OSU Fairies and the Fantastic Conference, 2019
The purpose of this 20 minute presentation is to examine the evidence of the concept of courts in... more The purpose of this 20 minute presentation is to examine the evidence of the concept of courts in the realm of Fairy, beginning with references in Scottish ballads and tracing their development through to modern urban fantasy. What began as a single euphemistic grouping has grown over the centuries into a multitude of different royal courts in fiction, each of which has its own character, but as the concept itself has diversified the understanding of who and what these groups are has lost cohesion. Influencing this the concept of the court in Fairy is often misunderstood in modern culture due to its roots in the Scots language where the word was more nuanced and this has influenced the way that current fiction interprets and envisions them. Evidence will be considered from Scottish sources as well as modern fiction to trace these changes and show the way that they both reflect wider cultural concepts of their time as well as the contemporary understanding of who and what fairies are within the literary context which in turn influences popular belief.
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Papers by Morgan Daimler
published under the title 'The (White) Elephant in the Room: Race & Identity in Fairylore'
An in-depth look at each appearance of the Morrigan in the Cath Maige Tuired, including new translations from the original text. The Morrigan's role as a key inciter of the battle is explored as well as her use of battle magic and prophecy.
Conference Presentations by Morgan Daimler
published under the title 'The (White) Elephant in the Room: Race & Identity in Fairylore'
An in-depth look at each appearance of the Morrigan in the Cath Maige Tuired, including new translations from the original text. The Morrigan's role as a key inciter of the battle is explored as well as her use of battle magic and prophecy.