Celtic Folklore

The Faerie Doctor

Regular readers of Dalriada will be familiar with the extent of folklore that exists concerning the Sidhe. Even their names are many - the Daoine Math, the Good Folk, the People of Peace. I have outlined their origins which are to be found in the ancient mythological cycles of the Celtic nations. They are the children of the Goddess Danu who were referred to in an ancient manuscript as "gods and not gods", in other words they contain something of both, standing mid way between Man and his creator. The Lordly Ones who dwell in the Hollow Hills, the people of the mounds, who took refuge underground after their defeat, but were still to be encountered on lonely moors, and dark woody glades, and along the shore at twilight.

Not all of these Fair Folk retreated below the earth. Some journeyed West across the wide seas to the Blessed Isles, the Otherworld lands of joy and youth, without sickness, sorrow or death.

If you have been following this series of articles since its inception, you will by now have realised the wide ranging influence that these strange, intangible beings can manifest in our world. They can weave enchantments on us, abduct our children, inspire both poets and musicians, or lead us astray from our path in the countryside. In this article I would like to explore another area of influence that the Sidhe were believed to wield over mortals - that of fairy sickness.

These days, if we get sick, it is relatively easy to go to the doctor, who will prescribe us with the necessary medication and treatment to make us well again. Yet it is easy to forget just how different life was for our ancestors, even the not so distant ones! In rural Ireland and Scotland, as late as the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, trained medical doctors were a rare breed. So, the communities had to look elsewhere for assistance when sickness and disease reared their ugly heads. One individual to which the community would turn to for help was the fairy doctor. Such people were thought to have been granted special healing powers and knowledge of herbal remedies by the Sidhe, usually after being 'taken away' for a while to their realms. Healers and physicians were held in awe from ancient times, as practitioners of one of the hereditary crafts of the Druid priesthood.

There was a deeply held belief among the rural folk that sickness was caused by supernatural forces, by the workings of the unseen world and its hidden children. Wherever disease erupted, there was sure to be some fairy mischief or malevolence as the cause. Of course, this belief was rarely admitted to 'strangers', but rather, the tale would begin as: "well, I don't believe in fairies myself, of course, but all the people of the township do...."

The 'Establishment', especially the Protestant Church in Ireland, frowned upon all such ideas and superstitions, denouncing fairy doctors as charlatans, or worse, as witches. There were, of course, exceptions, one being Sir William Wilde, the son of a medical doctor from Co. Roscommon, who, together with his wife, Lady Wilde, recorded much of the fairy lore and belief of the nineteenth century.

Among the rural folk, the fairy doctor commanded much respect and was held in high esteem. The healing gifts that he or she possessed could be harnessed for great good within the community. How far these 'supernatural powers' existed in reality is open to speculation. However, there is no doubt that they were extremely clever psychologists who utilised the powers of suggestion in their patients. The elaborate rituals and unintelligible mutterings of charms no doubt added greatly to the atmosphere of awe and mystery. Nevertheless, these people sincerely believed they were helping their patients.

Another factor which was very much to the advantage of the fairy doctor was that they were usually native Irish speakers and everyone in the district was known to them, and known very well at that. The same could not be said for the urban trained doctors.

There is no doubt that these people did have a considerable amount of knowledge of traditional herbal remedies, based on sound medical principles. This knowledge was closely guarded and only passed on to another member of the family, or a chosen apprentice, once again enhancing the air of mystery surrounding this rural craft skill. In folk tales this apprenticeship is portrayed as a sojourn in the Otherworld to be taught the healing arts by the Sidhe. Such a tale is recited about Morough O'Lee, whose family, Mac an Leagh, practised medicine in Co. Sligo for at least two hundred years.

Lady Wilde in her book "Ancient Legends of Ireland" describes a typical visit to a fairy doctor, who would inevitably have known of your coming for some time:

"He takes three rods of witch hazel, each three inches long, and marks them separately, 'for the stroke', 'for the wind' and 'for the Evil Eye' ...after prayer he takes a dish of pure water and sets it by the fire, then kneeling down he puts the three hazel rods he had marked into the fire, and leaves them there till they are burned black as charcoal... After this he draws a circle on the floor with the end of one of the burned sticks, within which circle he stands, the dish of pure water beside him. Into this he flings the three hazel rods...the moment one sinks he addresses a prayer to the sun, and taking the rod out of the water he declares by what agency the patient is afflicted."

If all of the three sticks float, the fairy doctor will use herbs, over which secret words are uttered. Herbal potions are paid for in silver, but charms must never be paid for or they would lose their power. For this reason most fairy doctors accepted no payment for their services, but only gifts.

So let us take a look at the first two of these three afflictions - the fairy stroke or dart, and the fairy blast. The Evil Eye forms such an important part of fairy lore that I shall leave my discussion of that for another article.

The fairy dart was always considered to be due to fairy malevolence. They would shoot darts at the hands and feet of their victims, causing pain and swelling. This is obviously rheumatism. However, it was believed that the 'dart' had to be extracted in order to remove the cause of the trouble. The fairy doctor would work with a fine needle until finally producing the 'dart' (a small piece of flax, perhaps) which had been placed under the skin by the fairies. In addition, herbs were crushed and mixed with unsalted butter to be given as a salve, and a strong infusion of willow bark was also given for the patient to drink.

The fairy blast was encountered when the sluagh sidhe, the fairy host, went travelling from place to place, leaving a whirlpool of leaves, hay and dust in their tracks. There are several names given to the fairy blast, including Sidhe Gaoithe (fairy wind), Seidean Sidhe (fairy blast) and Sidhe Chora (fairy whirl). When the hosts were on the move in this way, especially around the times of the four quarter days, they might strike down anyone that obstructed their passage. Victims would fall down suddenly in a faint, but would usually recover quite quickly. A more logical explanation for this phenomenon might be that of sun stroke. Lady Wilde gives us a moving description of a young woman struck down by the fairy blast:

"...a fairy blast had passed over the field carrying a cloud of dust and stones with it, and there could be no doubt but that the fairies had rushed by in the cloud and struck the woman dead as they passed. Then her people sent for the great wise poet of the tribe who was reputed to have the power by his song to break the strongest fairy spells, and he chanted low music over her and uttered mystic incantations, the words of which no man heard, but after a while the woman unclosed her eyes and rose up restored to life."

When a person was observed to become suddenly low and depressed, as if all their own strength had been taken from them, it was said that they had suffered the fairy blast. Lady Wilde records that "blast-water" must be poured over the victim by the hands of a fairy doctor while saying: "In the name of the saint with the sword, who has strength before God and stands at his right hand." After this has been done, whatever water is left over must be carefully poured on the fire. Charms such as this are most certainly very ancient in origin, but have been Christianised by the speaker for the sake of 'respectability' in the eyes of the Catholic Church.

The use of herbs for healing has long been practised by the Gaelic Celts. Much of the folklore of herbs, the rural folk remedies that were practised with good effect by the fairy doctors, have come down to us from the tradition of hereditary physicians. The fairy doctors made use of herbs both as an integral part of the treatment, and also to resist the power of malevolence - in other words, as a protective charm. The common plantain (gopog Phadraig) was hung around the neck of a child for protection. Ivy (athair lus) was also used to protect people who were in danger of being abducted. The foxglove (lus nam ban sidhe - herb of the fairy woman) and the dandelion (bearnan Bride) were both used a great deal in folk medicine for strengthening the heart. Other herbs that were used most effectively were yarrow, eyebright, vervain, elder bark, hawthorn and groundsel. A different charm had to be recited when pulling each type of herb.

All herbs that were gathered on May Day Eve were invested with a very sacred power. Moreover, in order for the maximum healing properties of the herbs to be harnessed, there were certain times of the day, week and month that should be observed. Herbs should be gathered in the noon day sun, near to the full phase of the moon (presumably it was believed the combined energies of sun and moon would have beneficial influence). However, there are some differences of opinion where the best days of the week are concerned. Some say the best day is Sunday, others say it is Monday. Monday and Thursday are often claimed to be the two best days for cures.

There is, however, one day of the week that is considered to be the most dangerous, when the fairies are prone to cause the most mischief. That day is Friday. Possibly this is a later Christianised influence on a much older belief. Therefore it comes as no surprise that there are few references to healing charms being carried out on a Friday. Yet there is one, which was practised in Scotland, and which in order to be effective, must be carried out on a Friday. It is known as the 'Eolas nam Mam', the Charm of the Swellings (recorded by Alexander Carmichael in the Carmina Gadelica).

The word mam refers to a mountain shaped like a woman's breasts; the term is also applied to swellings of the body such as in the glands. The charm is a kind of sympathetic magic, whereby the swelling is transferred by means of an iron implement from the patient's body to the mountain. The mountain must be known to the healer and it must be a place over which both the living and the dead have passed. (In other words, a place that is in regular contact with both worlds). On the island of Mull, there are said to be twelve hills called mam.

The healer needed to have a steel implement such as a knife, which he held close to the mouth as the charm words were spoken. (The Sidhe have no power over iron or steel). After this the blade is applied repeatedly to the sore place, with the sign of the cross being made over it, as though dividing the swelling into nine parts. After each crossing the blade is pointed to a different mountain, each time naming the mountain and assigning a different part of the swelling to it. This is known as "aireamh nam mam", the counting of the swellings. When this has finished, the healer finally says:

"A ghoimh san lar, 'S a chradh san talamh"

(Its sting in the ground, its pain in the Earth).

If all this talk of herbal potions and magic charms has whetted your appetite, let me assure you that the Gaels can lay claim to many more!

[(c) Dalriada Celtic Heritage Trust]

[Author: L. MacDonald, 1994]

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