Of Elves and Fae?

[Elf Seeker]

Is there a notable difference between Elves and Fae? I have a few faery books and they lump elves, Fae, mermaids, undines, gnomes, trolls and dwarves under the same category. I think I have had past lives as Tuatha de Danann. According to mythology, after the Fomorians defeated the Tuatha, they went underground and became the Sidhe. Last I checked the Sidhe are faeries.What thoughts do you have about this? Feel free to share. :)

[Arethinn aTinderel]

It is possible all these peoples are members of the same "root race"... certainly there are times when I read accounts of alfar, sidhe, faery people etc. and think "these are all just culturally different names for substantially the same thing." But on the other hand, think how different various breeds of dogs are, even though they are all the same species; in a sense they are the same, but in other very important senses they are not.

[Morell Sunweaver]

Possible... I guess that it depends. All breeds on earth came from the same root race too, yet they are very differend and in certain ways incompatible.

[Ruriha]

I always thought Fae was kind of an umbrella term for different types of nature spirits.

So the elves and Tuatha would be Fae, but not all Fae are necessarily elves or Tuatha. I kind of imagine that the Sidhe are a higher court of Fae and they may or may not be elves or Tuatha.

From the Encyclopedia of Spirits:

"The word fairy has become a catch-all for all kinds of tenuously related spirits. In general, what they share in common are associations with wild nature and an interest in human life cycles, especially birth. Fairy is also the standard word to translate amorphous, volatile, sexy nature spirits from around the world..."

[Ruriha]

"For many people, Fairy means the Sidhe of Ireland and the Scottish Highlands. The word is commonly used in Ireland as the English translation for Sidhe."

"Elves are mysterious Northern spirits, sometimes equated with Fairies."

"The Tuatha De Danaan evolved into Sidhe. They are the prototypical magical Fairies."

All from the same book.

[Shiori]

I am in terms Fairy I am an Earth Fairy.. much went on in my life recently that made me really open up. And awaken much more.

[Tara]

Beautiful

[Wallace Macgregor]

The word 'elf ' came from the word ' alp' , which in turn came from the proto Germanic word ' alb ' , or more accurately, albiz . No wonder we have the likes of King Aelfred , meaning , council of the Elves , or king Alpin , sometimes spelt ' Alphin ' .
Scotland was once called Alba and there's no prizes as to what that might be interpreted as ' The land of Elves ' ?
This is why in Scotland we have the fairy flag of the Mcleods. It's real.
Fairy is a derivative of the word ' Fay' , which were also called the fates.
The Fates were folk that appointed ones destiny , with magic .
In those days the vulgar , or the common folk were not allowed to read or write , and that it was only allowed for those privileged souls to have .
And back then , this language was known as ' Grammarye ' magic , enchantment, skill in grammar , hence magic.
The Tuatha de Dannan were a very influential people, educated , creative , sophisticated, and dare I say, many a destinies were allotted by these magical folk .
Later , the women were betrothed to the Cruthne, who became known as the picts .
This race too mysteriously disappeared as did the Tuatha De Dannan .
The Picts too were known for their magic , who change babies with each other , and sometimes the enemy , as did the changlings . Their name has often been tied with the pixies , whose name originated in Cornwall.
Hence perhaps , the interconnection between the Fay and the Elves came to be .
The offspring of angels and humans who were graced with all sorts of technologies and art perhaps

[Wallace Macgregor]

Sorry lost a heap , will try again .probably will be sent in small pieces so I don't lose them

[Wallace Macgregor]

Evidence to suggest the De Dannan went with the Cruthne to become the Picts

[Wallace Macgregor]

The Cruthne were purportedly Welsh or Cornish . They spoke P Celtic.
The Tuatha were Irish and they spoke Q Celtic .
The Picts spoke a form of P Celtic as the Welsh missionaries did not need an interpreter, but Saint Columbus from Ireland did .
It could of been possibly a hybrid mix between Q & P Celtic .
What is interesting is that the Picts wrote in Q Celtic .
Now , did t hey get that from the Tuatha De Dannan , or the Dal Raitian Gaels who came over later?
The Picts also lived underground in caves and man made hill huts , not unlike what the Tuatha did after their defeat.
They disappeared into fairy hills , or is it elfhames?
There is evidence of this via it's name .
Let us remember that both people's, the Cruthne and the Dannan were in effect fugitives of war , on the run so to speak .

[Wallace Macgregor]

The Cleeves, or Cleaves Cove (Scots) cave system is situated in the lower beds of Carboniferous limestone. It has a total passage length of around 500 feet (150 m)

The site was previously known as the 'Elfhouse' or 'Elfhame'[6] the locals at that time believed that these magical creatures had made this their abode.[7] Ness[8] calls the site Glen O'Dusk or the Elf-hame, the caves being the Elf-house.[9]

Historians make claim that fugitives used to hide there , and anyone going in there would suffer a terrible death .
The fugitives if caught would themselve be tortured and killed by the authorities.
Could it be that pictish authority, being the Dannan and Cruthne , hid in those caves or the like to escape their enemies?

[Wallace Macgregor]

What makes this more feasable is the Icelandic name for elf
Huldufólk[a] or hidden people are elves in Icelandic and Faroese
 folklore.[1
In Faroese folk tales,[5] hidden people are said to be "large in build, their clothes are all grey, and their hair black. Their dwellings are in mounds, and they are also called Elves."[6]
Let it be said that 60% believe in fairies and elve , to the point of redirecting their roads around believed elf homes .
Far less is about 200 mls off Scotland and halfway between Norway and Iceland.
Living in mounds , hiding , no different to the Tuatha De Dannan I'd say .