History of ~Sidhean an Airgid~ (Fairy Hill of the Silver)

JRR Tolkien - 'On Fairy Stories'
"The realm of fairy-story is wide and deep and high and filled with many things: all manner of beasts and birds are found there; shoreless seas and stars uncounted; beauty that is an enchantment, and an ever-present peril; both joy and sorrow as sharp as swords. In that realm a man may, perhaps, count himself fortunate to have wandered, but its very richness and strangeness tie the tongue of a traveller who would report them. And while he is there it is dangerous for him to ask too many questions, lest the gates should be shut and the keys be lost."

*Let that be your warning, dear Reader!*

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History of ~Sidhean an Airgid~ (Fairy Hill of the Silver)

Woven from powerful Magic and ancient Myth, ~Sidhean an Airgid~, is the refuge of the descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann, once guardians over numerous beauteous Lands.

~Sidhean an Airgid~, or Sidh-A (shee-a) as its inhabitants call their home, is a place where old age, sickness, death, decay, and falsehood is not known. It is the famed Otherworld of lore.
A magical realm, wondrous sights at every turn, secret and only breachable by invitation or hidden doorways that allow entry on only rare festive occasions during the year.

Following the defeat of the Tuatha Dé Danann by the combined forces of rogue Unseelie tribes from the West, their children fled their home on the Blessed Isles, until they were in safety and began recreating their ancestral sanctuary.
The treasures of their race, powerful artefacts laced with magic were lost or left behind: the Lia Fail or “Stone of Destiny” that helped select rulers and kings; the spear of Lugh, King of the Tuatha, famed for never missing its mark and always returning to the wielder; the sword of Nuada, first High King, impossible to resist and unbeatable once unsheathed and the cauldron of the Dagda, ensuring no company ever parted unsatisfied from feasting from it.
The Silver Fae search for them yet...

The Silver Branch remains as their greatest treasure and last connection with the past glory of the Tuatha. Their ancestor, Manaanan mac Lir, Druid and Keeper of magical items, Guardian of the seas, had led the surviving Fae to another Blessed Island called Emhain Abhlach, the Isle of Apple Trees, primal home of the Tuatha Dé Danann.
Here he entrusted them with a Silver Branch from the oldest tree, "...in it the power to be without grief, without sorrow, without death, without any sickness, without weakness; that is the sign of Emhain... another chance to recreate a Faerie Realm where there are riches, there are treasures of every colour in a new Gentle Land, the Bountiful Land..."

It is said that in their new sanctuary only iron weapons could injure them, yet by touching the Silver Branch, or eating from one of the three Golden Apples that grow from it, their vitality would be restored.

Thus, the descendants of Manannan and the Tuatha Dé Danann rebuilt their realm, guided by the Seelie Court with goodness and benevolence, each Fae, Pixie or Sprite equal to the next. They dance, sing, play, hunt and generally spend much time in revelries.

Time glides by differently in ~Sidhean an Airgid~ ... a moment for the Fae is often a century to a human visitor. They have little interest in the goings on of other races, yet humans evoke a curiosity within all Fae and oftentimes their mischievous nature will take them to human settlements, to practice trickery and steal sweet foods, the main human "claim to fame" among Fae folk.

By glamouring other races or sprinkling Fae Dust, they remain invisible to the majority of folk... only the most worthy, or simply those with a good portion of Luck are able to see the Silver Branch Fae... very few actually receive an invitation to visit their realm.

Presently, the Fairy Area is being built and will soon be ready for occupancy. Huzzah and thank you Ame for writing the wonderful history of our fairies and Kathena for creating the environment.