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paopuofhearts · 8 years ago

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Alright @hoverboardbandit [and anyone else interested]:

3000 words on my [somewhat lacking] knowledge of Celtic mythos, tied in to Western magic, linking Fae Origins to Harry Potter [and kind of fizzing out with Grindelwald and all this fanon stuff for American Potterland].

Okay so my main idea is that magic comes from Fae.

Now how did Fae get magic? Well, that's a bit of linguistics work. Seelie comes from the term “seleighe” [“happy”], which is derived from the Germanic-ish term “saelig” [“blessing”]. Now what’s interesting is that the Germanic-ish term is incredibly similar to the German term “seele” [which I’m bringing in because it also looks incredible close to the modern term “seelie”]. That term evolved into the term “saiwalo” / “sawol”, which eventually gave way to the word “soul” - a definition that went from “life as existence” to “the substance of a person which thinks, feels, and wills”. So magic becomes an ability to unlock ones life energy and bend it to the way one thinks, feels, and wills. Fae somehow mastered that, and because of that, they can't really be considered human.

But I'm also going to say that there are three main types of Fae - Western and Eastern and African [because Rowling's lack of international school development but acknowledgement of Asian society being "ancient" and the African school apparently just "existing thousand of years before anything" - well, it seems to me to be a divide wherein Potterland is based on Western, and let's not get too into Eastern or African stuff. So fine, I'll go with it, sure].

Anyway, we get into Western Fae - Celtic mythos on Fae. So the basic mythos goes from the Tuatha stuff from Ireland, to the Ulster stuff that was carried from Ireland to Scotland, to Fenian/Ossian stuff [Fenian being the Irish based evolution, Ossian being the Scottish based evolution - as far as I understand it], eventually settling before skipping over to Wales with the Mabinogian, and spreading into England and France with King Arthur.

To start: the Tuatha.

Tuatha dictates that there were demonic beings that inhabited the island, known as Fomorians. They defeated many invaders, but were eventually overrun by Firbolgs. They enslaved the Fomorians, and the Fomorians were stuck until the Dananns came.

These Dananns were magic beings, birthed from the goddess Danu and the god Bel [though Bel can sometimes be wishy washy]. These two had several other magic children - Dagda, Dian, Ogma, Lir, Lugh, and Nuada [there was also Morrigan, but even though Morrigan was the wife of Dagda, I'm under the presumption Morrigan was more on par with Danu and Bel in terms of origin and power]. And then these magic children had magic children - Bridgit, Miach, and Eriu. [I'll refer to them from here on out as Fae].

The Dananns killed off the Firbolgs, and allowed the Fomorians to have a bit of land off to the side. The Fomorians eventually started to intermarry with the Fae children [Fomorian Bres with magic Bridgit being key - sometimes they're said to be the parents of Eriu]. There was lots of war between the Fomorians, and eventually that spread to the Fae.

Then more people came to the island, Milesians. And they ended up conquering the island, giving the Fae a choice. Many Fae chose to retreat Underworld, to another plane / realm. But some decided to stay, hiding among the Milesian humans that took over, alongside the Fomorians. From my understanding, the Fae who stayed became Deities to humans, and the Fomorians became something akin to Prophets [and it evolves into calling them Druids].

Now let's pause a moment and link this to Potterland.

Because bloodlines are marks of high status and importance in wizard society [which kind of mirrors human society, because let's be real, most cultures said that royalty came from the divine, and if Fae are divine, well].

Purebloods could, therefore, derive from the Fae who left the realm. Non-purebloods could be derived from the Fae who stayed and intermingled with humans, and/or the Fomorians who stayed on as helpers. That intermingling would also explain Muggleborns and Squibs - those who have latent magic that skips generations similar to recessive genetics, or whose magic is so intermingled that it lacks fruition.

[Hello, Scourers.]

[And also the Statue Of Secrecy, akin to why Fae left.]

[You could then also “argue” that idea on how Purebloods can harness magic better because their magic tends towards being more powerful (though like most genetic things, while that kind of thing may give greater probability to power, it isn't always guaranteed). And then you could add in that the Hogwarts Founders themselves were descendants of Fae that left to the Underworld, and that's why there's such a hardcore association of personality and aspiration attached to each House. Take Ravenclaw for example, with beyond measure, valuing knowledge - Rowena must be related to Ogma, who was considered by humans (read: Milesians and those who came after) to be a deity of Wisdom.]

But now we're at the Ulster and Fenian / Ossian Cycles.

I feel like I could very well be murdered by people who study this stuff for a living, but I equate both of these epics to being very similar to Homer. To me it was just a bunch of battles and heroics.

To summarize Ulster:

King Conor of Macha, alongside his Red Knights - versus King Ailill and Queen Medb of Connachta. The big Red Knight was Chulainn - son of King Conor's sister Deidre and the Fae Lugh. He tends to be helped out by Fae Morrigan, and the royals on either side are helped out by the Fomorians.

[Chulainn, from what I've seen and how I interpret it, is very much like Achilles].

To summarize Fenian / Ossian:

From my understanding, the Red Knights evolve into this group called Fianna [who are also kind of a tribe unto their own - I'm thinking kind of like Teutonic Knights of Prussia?] Their leader Cumhail is murdered, so his son Finn is hidden away. Finn is apparently a direct relation to the Fomorians because he is from a line of important Druids. Eventually Finn returns and takes over as leader of Fianna, but like the saying goes, "you die a hero or live long enough to become the villain".

[I believe the most apt comparison of other mythos would be Odysseus].

Another pause to link this to Potterland.

Especially if you want to get into the modern ideas of Fae Courts.

I think these wars would bring about a questioning to bloodlines and their importance, which explains why there's so much debate as to the power status actually has in Potterland. After all, these heroes are linked to intermingled relations, so neither Chulainn nor Finn are pureblood - and yet they very obviously have incredibly powerful Fae magic with them, and the Fae very obviously step in to help guide them.

I think it would also prompt a debate as to the point of a Statute Of Secrecy, and whether or not leaving to the Underworld [or hiding, whatever the wizard equivalent might be] was a good choice or not - and if coming back [or staying in close relation to humans] is worthwhile. Especially after looking at how Finn rose and fell.

Which will definitely be influenced by the next one, which I think would put Hogwarts and the Founders into a fascinating perspective.

So. The Mabinogion.

This consists of 4 major stories, and has a bunch of supporting stories. But for the sake of keeping this short [and the fact that Celtic mythos was not my strong point (I was more into Greek stuff), well - I'd rather make things general than try to get detailed]. All of them are related to Fae, but they are heavily intermingled with humans. So, mixed bloodline being brought back in again.

Part One:

We get a glimpse at the Underworld, as we are following the story of Pwyll - a shapeshifting Fae who offends Fae King Arawn of Annwfn ["Land of the Fae"]. So to get back into his good graces, Pwyll has to defeat Awarn's enemy Hafgan. In doing so, Pwyll meets Fae Queen Rhiannon of Annwfn, sister of Fae King Arawn [both related all the way back up to the grandchildren of Danu and Bel - but this is Welsh, not Irish or Scottish, hence the name being unmentioned before]. He marries her and they have a son, who disappears and is eventually recovered. His name is Pryderi.

Part Two:

We follow the life of Branwen, daughter of Fae Lir [who, unlike Rhiannon, is mentioned in Irish and Scottish myth]. She is the sister of King Bran of England and marries King Matholwch of Ireland. We leave the life of Branwen because an issue happens in the marriage and war breaks out between King Bran of England and King Matholwch of Ireland [surprise surprise], and eventually there were very few people left. One of the English warriors left is Manawydan, son of Fae Lir - who happens to be a friend of Pryderi.

Part Three:

So now that Pryderi's been brought up again, we're gonna watch how his friendship with Manawydan. Pryderi does some stupid shit, Manawydan saves his ass. Dramu galore.

Part Four:

Some human guy comes and deceives Pryderi, which results in a war wherein Pryderi dies. There are bird metaphors. The rest of the Fae that had stayed with humans disappear to the Underworld after the war ends. Fae no longer exist alongside humans.

Linking this to Potterland again.

Okay so this is where I feel the Founders broke off and formed Hogwarts, because this is the point in literary history where there's some obvious nationalism being developed, and where the Fae finally completely remove themselves from the human plane / realm.

Have you seen that one post going around analyzing the Sorting Hats song about Houses and their ancestral ties?

Gryffindor, Moor, England. Ravenclaw, Glen, Scotland. Hufflepuff, Valley, Wales. Slytherin, Fen, Ireland.

It also gives way to how the Founders would have had such issues with each other. If they were involved in these wars [in the same way (is it canon or fanon?) that Newt is said to have participated in the Great War - Eastern Front with dragons and all that], then it would become very apparent that Slytherin is pretty much fucked over by the other 3 due to his ancestral allegiance.

Which explains him going off and never being seen from again.

And would also give reason for why the others would stay. After all, wizards inherited Fae magic - if the Fae are gone, who will teach them to harness that kind of power?

What about King Arthur?

Okay so this I need to re-research, because I'm pretty sure Arthurian stuff is considered Potter Canon, and I don't remember much on how Arthurian stuff is handled in Potterland. I have ideas, but I want to see if they align with Potterland things already established.

For the most part, I would presume this: the islands are where Fae magic originate, and then spread out to the rest of the world [which is a perspective that makes sense, given Rowling's apparent stance on Empire and Imperialism - that whole White Americans improperly appropriating Native culture and all that jazz being the most prominent example; terrible, but explanatory, and relatively accurate, since that's something that legit happened to the world].

So from King Arthur, the main spread of magic goes out into France, and from France - well, everywhere else. Of course there were bits and pieces here and there throughout history, but I'm going with Hogwarts being the original school of Western Fae magic.

So what does this mean for American magic?

Well, given American history and what seems to have developed as fanon stuff - wizards came to America to start anew [just like them pilgrims!], fucked up Native American magic [just like White people!], and then decided to be all high and mighty and pull a Fae Underworld type thing while still existing alongside humans [gosh that privilege structure!].

Scourers and Salemers and what have you being ones who want to bring that system down. And Grindelwald, who I would say is one of those Purebloods as a direct descendant of Fae, considerably as close to Fae as you can get by this point - well, I'd see him as one of the Unseelie. Winter or Autumn, I'm not too sure [I guess it depends on if you'd want to make him a sympathetic character or a cruel character].

Which, oh snap, I did not add, so let's rewind.

Alright. I really do like the modern ideas of Fae Courts, even if they aren't necessarily based in actual mythos.

Fae Courts, gosh golly.

Modern literature doesn't actually align them to Seasons, but rather tends to go between Good / Light and Evil / Dark - which is where we get the Seelie and Unseelie dichotomy. But, given the background of Fae and magic, none of it can possibly be clean cut binary, no matter how authors want to spin it.

[Though, to be fair, plenty of them acknowledge that gray area - and then turn it into a metaphor for humanity, go figure].

Anyway, Season symbolism gives a good structure for allowing the generic Yay Nay binary alongside some grayscale in between, so let's go with it.

You've got the Spring Court, the Summer Court, the Autumn Court, and the Winter Court.

If we're tying this back into Celtic mythos and focusing on Western Fae magic [which of course we are, because Potterland is Western]:

I would say the Winter Court are Fae who left to the Underworld in the very beginning during the Tuatha period. They wanted nothing to do with humans. As such, they tend more toward the Evil / Dark aspect. Winter is all about Death, which ties into leaving the human realm / plane - killing off any potential relationship with humans. And as in the Tuatha, these are the Fae who kind of kept others as pets [after all, the Fomorians were treated well, but they were not free - that's why they became Prophets, and later Druids: people tied down to the Fae].

Spring Court, I think, are Fae who eventually filtered out during the Ulster and Fenian / Ossian Cycles. They saw how their offspring with humans became, and how magic was not pure with wizards. It needed to be heavily supported, and even then, it tended to lead to ruin. It was not solely life giving, but could be manipulated. So the Spring Court left, because Spring is about renewal - and life and death are something humans [their wizards] are good at, the constant betterment of magic for a positive use? Not so much [because humans are creatures of their own desires, and desires are not always good, and the wizards that came from such intermarriages were cursed with that same soul - because like I said at the beginning, magic is about harnessing life energy, a la ones soul].

Summer and Autumn Courts would be the ones that lasted the longest - and the two main sides that fought against each other throughout the Mabinogion Cycle. Summer is all about Life, and living to the fullest, and enjoying every opportunity - whereas Autumn is all about Balance, and realizing that good things do not last, and suffering will come but overcoming it will better oneself [because spring is right after winter]. While those two points may not seem absolutely at odds, they do absolutely clash with each other.

And seeing that clash lead to nothing but disaster and stalemate, Summer and Autumn Courts fade away.

But are the Courts usable for Modern Magic in Potterland?

I would go with yes, but it requires a lot. All Fae, no matter where they lie on the spectrum, follow the rule of Fairness: there is a price for power. Refining ones magic to be more like the Fae, to ask to be guided by the Fae when they purposely left to the Underworld - you have to be willing to make sacrifices for that.

I would presume Seelie Courts [Spring/Autumn] would require self sacrifice, because they are more aligned with benevolence and balance towards humans [and, therefore, wizards]. But Unseelie Courts [Summer/Winter] would probably require sacrifice of determination, because they are more aligned with goals and all-encompassing plans [pushing for greatness - and as explored in the Potter series, greatness is neither good nor evil, but power that is manipulated and used as a person dictates].

And like plenty of fic mention, to get back to that Fae magic, you have to go back to Pagan things - rituals, festivals, you name it [Walpurgis Night and The Hunt are always fan favorites to mention, it seems]. The more you let go of the support your magic has, the more wild your magic becomes, and the more Fae styled it becomes [and the style of Fae magic, how it's manipulated and used, tends to be a major boost to magic power, because it's raw instead of filtered].

But back to America.

So Grindelwald comes and uses that repression and oppression that builds, for his own Dark purposes [which is to either rule over humans a la Winter Court, or balance out Fae power by allowing magic to run free a la Autumn Court - cruel vs. sympathetic character development].

And then you have Obscuri, though that seemed to be discussed in decent enough detail with our back and forth thing, so I'll leave this here at that. If some of my ideas have gaps, let me know [because typing it out when I'm thinking of it, my mind might fill in those gaps automatically - so feedback or ideas or "but wait what about this" is awesome].

#potterland #putting all my skimmed interests to use i suppose

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