Faeries, Elves, and Sidhe
[Edited 2/8/14]
I've talked about how long I've loved vampires, and made a top ten list of them over here. It's only fair I talk about a love at least as old and deep for the beings variously referred to as faerie, elf, and sidhe.
Where they come from and how they're defined varies. Some of my favorites in fiction are called by two of those names at once either "faerie" and "sidhe," or "sidhe" and "elf" mostly. Similar to my love of vampires, I'm sure it all started with a movie I might have seen new or some time later in syndication. Only this one was animated, and I no longer remember enough about it to find its name for you. As I recall the art style was similar to that of the Rankin/Bass features The Hobbit, The Flight of Dragons, and The Last Unicorn. It however was a classic fairy tale were the young hero chased a white deer into Faerie. I remember it had red caps, and a shadow creature he had to defeat. (I tracked it down. Its no fairy tale movie, and the deer isn't white. I was 6 when it was new. It was a half hour special run on CBS in 1981 called Faeries, and based on a Brian Froud book.) I was enchanted. There was something about the faeries in it that caught me even more than the elves in my father's beloved Tolkien. While with vampires I sought out Dracula and found Bunnicula--with the faeries--I sought out the myths and legends. One of my favorite series of books, one that I've loved since childhood, is Lloyd Alexander's The Prydain Chronicles. Though, even when I first read them, I knew he'd unfairly made Arawn the villain and Gwydion the hero. They're more complicated characters than that.
So, I made my list for vampires, and I've finally decided to try and tackle the question of, "Who are some of my most favorite faeries of all time?" Unlike the vampire list where I refused to even begin to try to pick one version of Dracula as my favorite out of the many that have been done since Bram Stoker first wrote that book, here I won't shy away from characters for whom there's more than one version. Some of them were worshiped as gods once, and all of them are characters I love. One thing I failed to do when I first made my vampire list, but I won't do with my Faerie one, is to include the original character of mine that formed when I was young enough so he was more fully an imaginary friend then a writer's muse. While I've since placed Seaghdh mac Ionmhuinn on the vampire list his nature is such it would not be amiss to place him here. He is a creature of Faerie with a darker nature. This list however will be full enough without him standing among it's number. ;)
[Update 10/21/17]
The List
1. Kildarien Shadowbane (Oceans of Time)
2. Aethaeryn ap Ailil (Oceans of Time)
3. Deiniol ap Don (OMC)
4. Terenil (Bedlam's Bard)
5. Doyle (Merry Gentry)
6. Skywise (Elfquest)
7. Rhys (Merry Gentry)
8. Cutter (Elfquest)
9. Gwydion (The Chronicles of Prydain)
10. Nuada (David Sullivan)
Like any list of mine this one is subject to change at anytime. Unlike my vampire list I didn't even try to think about making a Top Twenty rather than a Top Ten. I knew from trying it with the vampires it would be too painful. There certainly are other faeries I care very much about. But, I'm not certain they come from as wide a range of mediums as the vampires I love. I do appreciate finding new faeries to fall madly in love with. But, I don't know as I've added anyone to my list more recently than Darien and Aeryn. I've got but haven't yet read Tad William's The War of the Flowers, and I've been thinking about purchasing Violette Malan's The Mirror Prince. But, I guess being content with Darien and Aeryn I haven't been on a relentless search.
If there's some faerie you think there's a chance I haven't met, and might enjoy please feel free to mention him to me. Even if it's one I know and love I'll be happy for a reminder that he exists. ;)
I've talked about how long I've loved vampires, and made a top ten list of them over here. It's only fair I talk about a love at least as old and deep for the beings variously referred to as faerie, elf, and sidhe.
Where they come from and how they're defined varies. Some of my favorites in fiction are called by two of those names at once either "faerie" and "sidhe," or "sidhe" and "elf" mostly. Similar to my love of vampires, I'm sure it all started with a movie I might have seen new or some time later in syndication. Only this one was animated, and I no longer remember enough about it to find its name for you. As I recall the art style was similar to that of the Rankin/Bass features The Hobbit, The Flight of Dragons, and The Last Unicorn. It however was a classic fairy tale were the young hero chased a white deer into Faerie. I remember it had red caps, and a shadow creature he had to defeat. (I tracked it down. Its no fairy tale movie, and the deer isn't white. I was 6 when it was new. It was a half hour special run on CBS in 1981 called Faeries, and based on a Brian Froud book.) I was enchanted. There was something about the faeries in it that caught me even more than the elves in my father's beloved Tolkien. While with vampires I sought out Dracula and found Bunnicula--with the faeries--I sought out the myths and legends. One of my favorite series of books, one that I've loved since childhood, is Lloyd Alexander's The Prydain Chronicles. Though, even when I first read them, I knew he'd unfairly made Arawn the villain and Gwydion the hero. They're more complicated characters than that.
So, I made my list for vampires, and I've finally decided to try and tackle the question of, "Who are some of my most favorite faeries of all time?" Unlike the vampire list where I refused to even begin to try to pick one version of Dracula as my favorite out of the many that have been done since Bram Stoker first wrote that book, here I won't shy away from characters for whom there's more than one version. Some of them were worshiped as gods once, and all of them are characters I love. One thing I failed to do when I first made my vampire list, but I won't do with my Faerie one, is to include the original character of mine that formed when I was young enough so he was more fully an imaginary friend then a writer's muse. While I've since placed Seaghdh mac Ionmhuinn on the vampire list his nature is such it would not be amiss to place him here. He is a creature of Faerie with a darker nature. This list however will be full enough without him standing among it's number. ;)
[Update 10/21/17]
The List
1. Kildarien Shadowbane (Oceans of Time)
2. Aethaeryn ap Ailil (Oceans of Time)
3. Deiniol ap Don (OMC)
4. Terenil (Bedlam's Bard)
5. Doyle (Merry Gentry)
6. Skywise (Elfquest)
7. Rhys (Merry Gentry)
8. Cutter (Elfquest)
9. Gwydion (The Chronicles of Prydain)
10. Nuada (David Sullivan)
Like any list of mine this one is subject to change at anytime. Unlike my vampire list I didn't even try to think about making a Top Twenty rather than a Top Ten. I knew from trying it with the vampires it would be too painful. There certainly are other faeries I care very much about. But, I'm not certain they come from as wide a range of mediums as the vampires I love. I do appreciate finding new faeries to fall madly in love with. But, I don't know as I've added anyone to my list more recently than Darien and Aeryn. I've got but haven't yet read Tad William's The War of the Flowers, and I've been thinking about purchasing Violette Malan's The Mirror Prince. But, I guess being content with Darien and Aeryn I haven't been on a relentless search.
If there's some faerie you think there's a chance I haven't met, and might enjoy please feel free to mention him to me. Even if it's one I know and love I'll be happy for a reminder that he exists. ;)