Fairy Folk and Samhain

Samhain marks the third and final harvest

Samhain is considered to be one of the four Greater Sabbats, a time to celebrate the lives of those who have passed on, and it often involves paying respect to ancestors, family members, elders of the faith, friends, pets, and other loved ones who have died. In some rituals the spirits of the departed are invited to attend the festivities. It is seen as a festival of darkness, which is balanced at the opposite point of the wheel by the festival of Beltane, which is celebrated as a festival of light and fertility.

Sunset on Samhain is the beginning of the Celtic New Year, a time when it is believed the gates to the otherworld were opened and they could communicate with the dead. The Celts did not have devils or demons in their belief system, nor the concept of heaven and hell until these were introduced by the Christian church. The dead were sometimes believed to be dwelling with the Fairy Folk, who lived in the mounds or sidhe that dotted the country side.
 
The fairies (particularly the Puca or Phooka) were thought to be potentially dangerous and hostile to humans because men had taken over their land. On the night of Samhain, Fairy Folk would be out and about to tricking humans into becoming lost and trapped in the sidhe (fairy mounds), where they could remain forever lost.

When the last of the crops are brought in, anything remaining in the fields is considered “puca,” or fairy-blasted, and hence inedible. In some locales, reapers leave a small share of the crop, the “puca’s share,” to placate the hungry creature.
 
Folklore says that at night when humans are asleep, the fairies would busy themselves under the silver rays of the moon making magickal fairy brews from dandelions and collecting dew from the tubular flowers of primrose, which is the substance that gives them their power of invisibility. An old wives' tale (unknown origin) says that if a mortal man or woman wears the herb thyme, he or she will have the power to see fairies.

To ward off and protect your self and home from mischievous fairies or evil mannered nature spirits of any kind, use or plant any of these herbs: Dill, Morning Glory, Prickly Gorse, Rosemary and Peony.

The peony is reputed to be effective as a natural amulet against evil fairies, to harness its magickal powers wear a necklace or charm of peony root (can also add to consecrated mojo bags).

The Celts devised numerous charms to protect themselves against the Fairy Folk, the ringing of bells (especially church bells) and the hanging of iron horseshoes above doorways were two methods believed to be effective in keeping spiteful fairies at bay. Many people in various parts of the world still believe that iron is a metal that repels and protects against all manners of fairies. It is commonly used in the making of magickal amulets and talismans for protection.