SíDHE

(Redirected from Shee)

'Sídhe' (IPA , ''shee'', modern Irish: ''sí''; Scottish Gaelic: ''sìth'') is a Gaelic word for ''peace'', possibly used as a safely euphemistic reference to (pre-orthographic reform) Scottish Gaelic ''siodhe'', referring first to earthen mounds that were thought to be home to a supernatural race related to the fey and elves of other traditions, and later to these inhabitants themselves. The Daoine Sídhe or Daoine Sìth are variously believed to be the ancestors, the spirits of nature, or the goddesses and gods themselves.
Many see the Daoine Sídhe as later, literary versions of the Tuatha Dé Danann (the gods and deified heroes of Irish mythology). In folk belief and practice, the Daoine Sídhe are often propitiated with offerings, and care is taken not to anger them, or to name them directly. They are often spoken of with euphemisms such as "The Good Neighbors", "The Fair Folk", "The Gentry", or simply "The Folk", in the hope that if humans consider them to be kind, they are more likely to be so. In this vein, the most common names for them, ''Aes Sídhe'', ''Aos Sí'', ''Daoine Sídhe'' (singular ''Duine Sídhe'') and ''Daoine Sìth'' mean, literally, "People of Peace"
Banshee or ''bean sídhe'', simply means "woman of the Sídhe", however the term has come to specifically indicate the supernatural women of Ireland who announce an oncoming death by their wailing and keening. Her counterpart in Scottish mythology is the ''Bean Nighe'' - the washerwoman who is seen washing the bloody clothing or armour of the person who is doomed to die. Other common names are "''Leanan sídhe''" - the "fairy lover"; the Cait Sidhe - a fairy cat; and the Cu Sith - fairy dog. The "sluagh sídhe - "the fairy host" are sometimes depicted in Irish and Scottish lore as airborne spirits of an unpleasant nature, and perhaps the cursed, evil or restless dead.
Sídhe are sometimes seen as fierce guardians of their abodes - whether that be a fairy hill, a fairy ring, a special tree (often a hawthorn), or perhaps a particular loch or wood. The Gaelic Other World is seen as being closer at the times of dusk and dawn, therefore this is seen as a time special to the Daoine Sídhe, as are some of the festivals such as Samhain and Midsummer. The Sídhe are generally described as stunningly beautiful, though they can also be terrible and hideous.
Some sources describe the Daoine Sídhe as the remnants of the Tuatha Dé Danann ("people of the Goddess Danu"), who left Ireland to live in the Otherworld after they were defeated by the Milesians. According to the ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' (''The Book of Invasions''), the Tuatha Dé Danann (also "Daoine Sídhe"), were defeated in battle by the mortal Sons of Míl Espáine. As part of the surrender terms the Tuatha Dé Danann agreed to dwell underground in the ''síde'' (singular síd), the hills or mounds that dot the Irish landscape. Each leader of one of the tribes of the Tuatha De Danaan was given one mound. Later, due to a corruption of the meaning, both the mounds and the supernatural entities became known by the same word: ''síd'', then as the language changed over time, ''sídhe'', ''sìth'' and ''sí''.
The Tuatha Dé Danann are part of a larger picture of waves of immigration (or, variously, invasion or migration) into the area, including them, the Fir Bolg preceding them, and the Milesians after them.

Contents

See also

References

See also

★ Daoine maite

★ Fairy riding

★ Otherworld

★ Strontian

★ Fir Bolg

★ Tuatha Dé Danann

★ Milesians

References

★ Briggs, Katharine (1978). ''The Vanishing People: Fairy Lore and Legends''. New York, Pantheon

★ Carmichael, Alexander (1992). ''Carmina Gadelica: Hymns and Incantations''. Hudson, NY Lindisfarne ISBN 0-940262-50-9

★ Evans-Wentz, W. Y. (1966, 1990) ''The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries''. New York, Citadel

★ MacKillop, James (1998). ''Dictionary of Celtic Mythology''. London: Oxford. ISBN 0-19-860967-1