Fae in Your Family Tree?

[Fae Oonagh]

Do you have fae ancestry? I mean really fae ancestry, the kind that can be written on your family tree?

If you have Irish ancestry, the answer is probably yes! Most people with Irish roots also have faerie ancestors.

Here’s a short version of the history.

The Irish fae world includes the Tuatha De Danann, who were the “gods and not-gods” (in Irish: de agus ande) of early Ireland.

The Tuatha De Danann were–and are–real people, or perhaps “beings” is a better word.

And, they married the (very human) Milesians and had children, when the Milesians conquered Ireland.

(This history is documented in many ancient sources, including The Annals of the Four Masters, one of Ireland’s earliest written histories, transcribed by monks.

The Milesians were the people who populated modern Ireland. Their surnames are the ones that start with O’ and Mac.

However, in recent times, those O’ and Mac prefixes were often dropped. For example, O’Baoighill became O’Boyle and then simply Boyle.

(Murphy was O’Murchadha and Sullivan was O’Suileabhain, and the list goes on…)

So, if you have Irish ancestry (and over 50% of people in the United States do), then you probably have Milesian blood in your veins.

That means you probably have faerie ancestors, too.

If you could trace your heritage back far enough, you’d get to the Irish ancestor who married one of the Tuatha De Danann, and you’d actually have the name of your faerie ancestor.

(If you’re a FitzGerald from the Limerick area, the process may be a lot easier, since Lord Desmond, the third Earl of Desmond, married the Tuatha De Danann goddess, Aine. Their son, Gerald, fourth Earl of Desmond, is still seen riding from Lough Gur every seven years when the lake is dry.)

However, many cultures have similar traditions, from Scandinavian to Indian to Arab to African.

Research your family tree and learn your faerie connections.

You may find some wonderful surprises!