Overview: This book looks at the question of whether Celtic cultural fairies can be found in North America by exploring folklore across the last four hundred years through today.

Stories of belief and personal encounters from Canada, the US, and Mexico show the flexibility of fairy belief and the way that these beings and ideas adapt to new places and times as they are carried along with the people who believe in them.

Verdict: Simply put, Pagan Portals - Celtic Fairies in North America from prolific author Morgan Daimler is just perfect for anyone who ever wondered if Celtic fairies can be found outside of Europe, what those appearances may be like, and what people have believed and do believe about fairies in diasporic communities.

Fairy beliefs survived thousands of years of attempted suppression by religious groups. Celtic Fairies in North America shows that they survived and adapted to emigration, immigration, and the influences of popular culture.

When most people think of fairies, they imagine the Hollywood version – adorable, winged creatures living in woodlands among pretty flowers, waving tiny magic wands. But this is a far cry from the Celtic version of a fairy, trust me.

In Celtic folklore, the Tuatha de Danann were the one of the original inhabitants of Ireland – that is, until a warrior tribe, the Milesians (or Celts) arrived. The Milesians attacked and won a war against the Tuatha de Danann, eventually driving them underground. The Tuatha de Danann used their innate magic to become the Sidhe (pronounced Shee) – today known as the “fairies”, “little people” or the “wee folk”.

Like most folkloric events, the fairies and their magical, mysterious ways are often used to make sense of the indescribable or incomprehensible; Pre-Christian monuments are said to have been built by fairy folk, bad luck and illness a result of offending the fairies and people who disappear have been kidnapped by the little people.

Even natural (and supernatural) phenomena can be explained by fairies. In general, it’s best to avoid angering the fairies, because who knows what they might do?

Personally, I was brought up to believe that The Fair Folk (as it was spelled to me back then) are a diminutization of the Áes Sídhe and a lot of the folklore and fear surrounding them are post-pagan era beliefs. Rather than flitting, cutesy Tinkerbelle figures, the Áes Sídhe were the old Gods (and non-Gods) of Ireland who dwelled in síd mounds (and other places). The síd mounds were places of access to the Otherworld, which is always something that presents danger.

All that said, and moreover, what Morgan brings forth here is a dedicated, impassioned and heartfelt prose chock full of folklore and fairylore, creating an insightful journey into the transatlantic migration of fairy lore.

Through meticulous research, and plenty of historical background abounding throughout, whilst highlighting the impact of the mythology, Morgan manages to also paint adorning image of the diaspora of the fae folk, and their many long journeys to get settled in America.

About the Author - Morgan Daimler is a blogger, poet, teacher of esoteric subjects, witch, and priestess of the Daoine Maithe. Morgan is a prolific pagan writer, having published more than a dozen books under Moon Books alone, and she is one of the world’s foremost experts on all things Fairy. She lives in Connecticut, US.

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