THE PATH OF THE SAINTS
The patron saint of Scotland is Saint Andrew, who of course was one of Jesus’ disciples and never set foot in the British Isles. Andrew is associated with Scotland because, according to legend, a ninth-century Scottish king, preparing to go to war against his English rival, received a vision of Saint Andrew’s cross. The king promised to make Andrew the patron of Scotland if he emerged victorious that day, which he did. But if there were to be a Celtic contender for the position of Scoland’s patron, it would likely be Columcille (Columba), an Irish-born missionary who founded the legendary monastery of Iona, a small island in the Hebrides. Columcille came from a prominent Irish family, and had a distinguished career as an Irish monk; but when a conflict over a manuscript that Columcille secretly copied led to violence, the mortified priest chose exile and, following the dictates of his spiritual mentor, dedicated his life to evangelism. Iona became a leading spiritual center in Scotland, and a site where many Scottish kings were buried (including Shakespeare’s Macbeth). True to his Celtic blood, Columcille once said that he feared the sound of an axe in the woods of Derry more than he feared hell itself.
75
THE PATH OF THE SAINTS
So many saints populated the Celtic church in the centuries when it existed independent of Rome: Colman, of Iona and Lindisfarne, who retreated to a remote foundation in Ireland rather than submit to Roman authority; Enda of Inishmore, one of the earliest of Irish monks who mentored Ciaran of Clonmacnoise and advised Brendan the Navigator; Yves Hélory, a Breton lawyer who became canonized because of the kindness he showed to the poor; Maughold, a pirate converted to Christianity who established a great monastery on the Isle of Man; Adomnan, who became a soul friend to Irish kings and the best-known biographer of Columcille. And on the list could go. Every Celtic saint, famous or humble, stands for celebrating the rich tradition of spiritual devotion, and reminds every one of us, ordinary mortals though we might be, to live a life of sanctity and spiritual virtue—yes, even now. Celtic spirituality is the spirituality of intimacy and closeness between the mortal and heavenly worlds. If the spiritual realm is so available to us, then also holiness is within each person’s grasp. You don’t have to be as famous as Patrick or Columcille to manifest the life of devotion. Simply choosing to do it is all it takes to get started on the journey. It’s a long and arduous journey, mind you—but a path that has been trod by many worthy feet before us.
In 1911 a young American scholar named Walter Evans-Wentz published a book developed from his dissertation at Oxford University, called The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries. The book recounts the extensive collection of folklore that the young scholar made throughout the six regions in western Europe where Celtic languages survived until modern times: Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, and the Isle of Man. All the stories and legends and personal experiences that Evans-Wentz documents involve belief not only in the existence of fairies, but also in the many ways in which fairies can interact with the physical world. The author goes on to put forward several dated, but nonetheless fascinating, theories as to why it is scientifically plausible to believe in the fairies.
I don’t know if Evans-Wentz proved his case or not, but he certainly did anchor the link between the Celts and the fairies that seems to go back to the days of myth. Celtic wisdom takes many forms and speaks to us in many different ways. But the fairy faith knits the many strands of Celtic spirituality together. It is an integral part of the Celtic mystical world.
77
THE PATH OF THE FAIRIES
In Welsh they are called Y Tylwyth Teg, which means “the fair folk.” In Irish they are the Daoine Sídhe, or “people of the fairy mounds,” referring to the cairns, raths, and other prehistoric monuments that have been traditionally seen as homes for the fair folk. Euphemisms for these mysterious otherworldly beings abound—they are called the other crowd, the good people, the gentry, and sometimes just “them.” Typical of Celtic wisdom, the fairies are seen as best spoken of in oblique and roundabout ways—so as not to upset them, you see.
But no matter how firmly the fairy-faith may seem to be part of Celtic consciousness, it is not in any way unique to the Celtic world. Many of the popularized notions of the fairies (such as can be found in Shakespeare or Walt Disney) come from English, rather than Celtic, sources. The word “fairy” itself is French in origin, etymologically linked with the concept of fate. So why are the Celts popularly seen as the believers in a much more universal spiritual phenomenon? Not hard to answer—given the Celtic love for spirituality and mysticism, it’s no wonder that the Celts would be among the last to maintain credence in the existence of such inexplicable and mysterious beings as the fairies.
78
THE PATH OF THE FAIRIES
Mind you, the fairies as the Celts have traditionally understood them have hardly anything in common with the fairies as they are typically portrayed in popular culture (or in the modern media). Tinkerbell may be a cute little sprite with some connection to traditional beliefs, but it is a real mistake to see in her diminutive petulancy the sum total of the fairy world. Similarly, the Victorian-era notion of fairies as garden-resident Thumbelinas is charming in its own way (and has spawned a vigorous industry of gift items now available at your local new age shop), but it’s not a very good representation of the good people as the Celts knew them—and, often as not, feared them.
Yes, the fairies have always been known for how little they are. But such spiritual beings could also appear as big as, if not larger than, a typical man or woman. Since so many stories in the tradition talk of fairy lovers, or fairies exchanging their babies for human infants, it’s clear that the little people have not always been the tiny people. But that’s what they’ve become. And in the world of Victorianesque flower fairies and post-modern knickknacks, the fairies just keep getting smaller and smaller. Which is a metaphorical way of saying that our society has taken a belief that has long been trivialized and is making it more marginalized than ever.
79
THE PATH OF THE FAIRIES
Where do the fairies come from? Many stories relate them to tales of angels fallen from heaven. A kind of “Switzerland” of God’s court, the beings who would become the fairies sided neither with God nor with Lucifer when the latter revolted against the Almighty. They didn’t exactly deserve the punishments of hell, but neither were they in a position to remain in heaven—so the Archangel Michael sent them to the earth to live in the twilight state of fairyland.
But a more compelling theory about the origin of the fairies comes from Irish myth. It seems that the Celts, as the first mortals to arrive in Ireland, engaged in battle with the Tuatha Dé Danann (the legendary tribe of gods, goddesses and heroes) when they arrived. The battle left no conclusive winner, so the Celts and the Tuatha Dé Danann struck a deal: the mortals would live above ground, while the magical beings would retreat to a subterranean (subconscious?) world beneath the surface of the land. Hence, they become the Daoine Sídhe, the people of the fairy mounds. So here we see the fairies not as some morally questionable heavenly rejects—but as the ancient ancestors, the shining and divine and immortal beings of the Celtic lands.
80
THE PATH OF THE FAIRIES
Nowadays,
