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There are too many types of sidhe (pronounced ‘shee’) to name, and every group exists in his or her own way, though in accordance to the rules set down by the trooping faeries. One of these rules is to avoid being seen by humans. Thus, the sidhe have several methods of avoiding our detection: They can grow smaller than normal, or glamour themselves to look like mice or bugs (the more vain ones tend to disguise themselves as butterflies or dragonflies) or even people! And of course, they can become invisible! However, the simplest method of avoiding humans is just to hide.

The sidhe have many favorite hiding spots… such as under roots, inside of seashells (from which they sometimes whisper things to the humans who pick their shells up and hold them to their ears, expecting to hear the ocean), they are found curled up in leaves, or, inside of nutshells. Oftentimes, sidhe like to take long, deep naps, and on occasion, a human will pick one up. Faeries in such a deep sleep are terribly difficult to rouse, and they may sleep peacefully for days. Over the years, more and more people discovered fae folk inside the nuts they had stored, so it is only natural for some people to think that fairies came directly from the trees themselves, and that sometimes ordinary nuts were in fact Faerie Eggs. Truth be told, very little is known of sidhe reproduction, save for the fact that many apparently can procreate with humans, so, perhaps some fae young do grow in the nuts produced by trees. But more likely, the sidhe simply choose to curl up in the shells of nuts for protection while they take a nap.
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Well, now that 'Seamus' is done… I’ll say that while I don’t talk of them that much, the fae and I have a long history. I remember when I was a little girl, my father took my sister and I out to the hill on my family’s property, and showed us a ring of grass that was greener and taller than all of the rest. He told us that it was a fairie ring, and that a green fairie ring on a hill meant an entrance to Tir na Nog, the fairyland, was near. He said that to stand inside of a green fairy ring was to bring good fortune and blessings from the faeries, but that one should never step on the ring, or sleep inside of it, lest the fae folk enchant you. And of course, one should never, ever step inside of a fairy ring at the full moon, or the faeries may take you away. These things, as it turned out, he learned from my grandfather, who was… an interesting man, to say the least. He had a deep love for Irish folklore, and I’m sorry that I never met him.

The Fairie Ring became a favorite place of mine, and I spent countless hours out there, reading, or doing homework, or drawing, or watching clouds pass by. As time passed, things changed, and the Ring began to falter. Some years it appears, others, it doesn’t. But with or without the ring the fae has always been, and always will be, a major part of my life: a source of curiosity, an bringer and inspiration, something that keeps my nose in books of myth and folklore.

This is a quickly done prototype, which will likely be sold at Marcon while I make a better one for myself. It was made with polymer clay, acrylic paint, plastic, and a walnut shell.