I'm currently seeking more information on Faeries and Dragons.  They need to be as accurate as possible.  My Library of Magic currently consist of three books and one of those books is called...

Druid Power - by Amber Wolfe - Celtic Faerie and Elemental Magic.

I'm not sure if this is the best source of information, but I'm sure it will probably be a good place to start at least.

I find that the Druidic Symbol of the 8 pointed star with the two circles on the outer edge, the circle in the middle with the triangle actually resonates greatly with me.  Also, Dragon magic greatly resonates with me too.  I've loved Dragons as far as I can remember and as far as I know...one of my Familiars is a Blue and White Dragon that breathes Blue Fire.  That would also explain why I have such a huge interest in Dragons.

I know they're real and exist.  Perhaps not in physical form, but in spiritual form.  I know the Fae exist too.  So, if you guys could recommend any reading, I'd greatly appreciate it.  I'll be sure to add them to my baby library or miniature library...which ever you want to call it.  Looking forward to seeing what you guys recommend for me.

May the Moon guide you and a New Beginning always be around the corner.

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I too want more information on Fae and Fairy folklore/practice/tradition. As of late I've been really wanting to incorporate some of my Irish heritage beliefs/traditions into my life with my boyfriend(who also is of Irish decent) but I'm not sure where to start and look for credible information.

Glad that there is someone else who is also looking for information on a similar topic.  I know I have Irish blood within me...which may explain my interest in the Fae and their Magic.  Of course, I may be using that term wrong.  The Fae may be something entirely different than Faery.  It just goes to show you my ignorance when it comes to Fae and Faery type.  lol

Charity said:

I too want more information on Fae and Fairy folklore/practice/tradition. As of late I've been really wanting to incorporate some of my Irish heritage beliefs/traditions into my life with my boyfriend(who also is of Irish decent) but I'm not sure where to start and look for credible information.
Actually, to my understanding, there are a lot of creatures that can fall into the category as a Fae, and then you have fairies which are apart of the Fae family. I recently read an article on Banshees, which are supposed to be a type of Fae. The article kind of startled yet fascinated me at the same time.. but only because the name O'Neil has been passed down into my family for generations(or at least I imagine so, I don't know a whole lot on my dads side of the family. I know my father and Grandad had the name O'Neil and I intend to pass it down to my future children) I'll post the article in my next comment.
The Legends of the Irish Banshee

The first is that she is the ghost of a young woman who was brutally killed and died so horribly that her spirit is left to wander the world watching her family and loved ones warning them when a violent death is imminent.

This particular type of Banshee appears as an old woman in rags with dirty grey hair, long fingernails and sharp pointed rotten teeth. Her eyes are blood red and filled with so much hatred and sorrow that to look into them will cause instant death. The Banshees mouth is permanently open as she emits a long and painful scream to torture the souls of the living.

According to legend there are a few Banshees that relish in taking a life and will stalk their victim wailing and screaming at them to the point that the victim goes insane or die. It has been told that the Banshee has ripped many a brave man to death with her bare hands. This is the type of Banshee portrayed in Hollywood ‘horror’ films.

Here in Ireland we have a much less gory view of the Banshee. She does attach herself to families usually with an O or a Mc in the surname such as O’Brien or McNeill etc, and she does indeed foretell a death in the family.

The Banshee does not ‘bring’ death but warns that death is near and this gives the family a chance to prepare and it is not necessarily a violent death it may be of a family member that has lived to 106 years of age! She is there as an escort to ensure that the loved one passes safely to the other side.

Stories have been passed down through generations of families of ‘O’s and ‘Mc’s of their personal experiences with their own Banshee and my family are no different.

I remember being told of an uncle who was walking home one cold blustery night (probably three sheets to the wind after partaking of a snifter to keep the cold out!) and on arriving home told my grand-mother that he had tried to comfort an old woman, dressed in black with a veil over her face, who was crying and wailing outside the house but every time he went over to her she moved away and kept pointing at the house.

My grand-mother knew straight away what this old lady represented and sent my uncle to bed telling him she would have a look. Needless to say she didn’t dare look herself. Three days later my grand-mothers brother died peacefully in his sleep. As children we used to plague my uncle to recount the story of the night he tried to invite the Banshee in for tea!

The Banshee may sometimes only be heard keening (an Irish word used to describe the wailing that women used to do over the body of a deceased person to ward off evil spirits) but when the Banshee decides to appear she may take the form of the following:

An old woman dressed in black with long grey hair and covering her face with a veil.

An old woman with long white hair, red eyes and dressed in a green dress.

A deathly pale woman with long red hair dressed in a white dress sometimes a shroud.

A beautiful woman wearing a shroud.

A beautiful woman with silver-white hair wearing a long shimmering silver dress.

A headless woman naked from the waist up and carrying a bowl of blood.

Of course no-one wishes a visit from a Banshee no matter how alluring she is but she does serve a purpose to the family by letting them know that they should start making preparations for a traditional funeral

That's a good start for me.  I'll be reading this for sure.  I did not know there were many types of Fae.  That's certainly an interesting thing to read up on.  I'd like to have some books though in my library if at all possible.  I'm sure I can find some if I looked, but I'm just curious to see what the community has to offer on quality reading.

There is actually one book that I know of, that I have been trying to get my hands on that is supposed to have information on the subject. (Sorry I can't be of help with Dragon related lore/magic.) It's a book by Katherine Briggs called Encyclopedia of fairies, hobgoblins, brownies, bogies, and other supernatural creatures. I'm not entirely sure how credible the information is, seeing as I haven't read it, but maybe some other RP members may know.

I'll definitely look into the book for more information.  Like you said..it's all about credibility and accuracy.

I have had a couple of discussions with Edan who is CR regarding the fae, from a GR perspective they seem to be similar to the Icelandic landvættir and the Anglo Saxon ælf, in that they are connected to the land and fertility of the land. Within Germanic neopaganism these are important beings to whom we make offerings, they are intimately connected to the wellbeing of the land and capable making humans and animals ill.  So if you wish your land to flourish, as I do,  best to maintain a good relationship with regular offerings.

Dragons in the Germanic mytholgy are universally regarded as dangerous creatures who exhibit undesirable personality traits, such as, greed, destruction and malice.

There are some interesting Celtic sources below.

http://sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/cdm/index.htm

http://www.luminarium.org/mythology/ireland/

https://www.academia.edu/300335/Faerie_Folklore_in_Medieval_Tales_a...

Thanks for the resources, I'm definitely going to start reading them in the next day or two.  I wonder though about the Dragons...not all Dragons are bad...just like people.  Also, people can perceive things differently from what they really are.  I can't help but wonder why I have a Dragon Familiar.  I think I know the answer to that though.  Sometimes they make packs with other beings out of a desire to gain treasure in various forms.  That much I'm aware of.  This particular Dragon has apparently been with me for a while and sometimes shares information with me...though at the moment...I have not really connected with my Dragon Familiar, except for once...that was to chase a bunch of hounds out of my Mentors house.  I know their Fire is nothing to mess with too.  That's about all I know at the moment.  Also, because I see them differently than most Humans do...that could very well affect the pact too.  They like equality just as much as the next being does.

Diane said:

I have had a couple of discussions with Edan who is CR regarding the fae, from a GR perspective they seem to be similar to the Icelandic landvættir and the Anglo Saxon ælf, in that they are connected to the land and fertility of the land. Within Germanic neopaganism these are important beings to whom we make offerings, they are intimately connected to the wellbeing of the land and capable making humans and animals ill.  So if you wish your land to flourish, as I do,  best to maintain a good relationship with regular offerings.

Dragons in the Germanic mytholgy are universally regarded as dangerous creatures who exhibit undesirable personality traits, such as, greed, destruction and malice.

There are some interesting Celtic sources below.

http://sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/cdm/index.htm

http://www.luminarium.org/mythology/ireland/

https://www.academia.edu/300335/Faerie_Folklore_in_Medieval_Tales_a...

No, not all Dragons are bad how they are perceived varies from culture to culture, as I am GR I can only speak from the perspective of Germanic mythology. So it would be best to research the mythologies of other cultures to see how dragons are portrayed and what they represent. Dragons are not generic throughout cultures so beware of generalising, as with many things what is appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another. For example, Germanic neopagans would not honour the dragons from our mythology because they represent socially unaceptable values. 

Baccara Moon said:

Thanks for the resources, I'm definitely going to start reading them in the next day or two.  I wonder though about the Dragons...not all Dragons are bad...just like people.  Also, people can perceive things differently from what they really are.  I can't help but wonder why I have a Dragon Familiar.  I think I know the answer to that though.  Sometimes they make packs with other beings out of a desire to gain treasure in various forms.  That much I'm aware of.  This particular Dragon has apparently been with me for a while and sometimes shares information with me...though at the moment...I have not really connected with my Dragon Familiar, except for once...that was to chase a bunch of hounds out of my Mentors house.  I know their Fire is nothing to mess with too.  That's about all I know at the moment.  Also, because I see them differently than most Humans do...that could very well affect the pact too.  They like equality just as much as the next being does.

Diane said:

I have had a couple of discussions with Edan who is CR regarding the fae, from a GR perspective they seem to be similar to the Icelandic landvættir and the Anglo Saxon ælf, in that they are connected to the land and fertility of the land. Within Germanic neopaganism these are important beings to whom we make offerings, they are intimately connected to the wellbeing of the land and capable making humans and animals ill.  So if you wish your land to flourish, as I do,  best to maintain a good relationship with regular offerings.

Dragons in the Germanic mytholgy are universally regarded as dangerous creatures who exhibit undesirable personality traits, such as, greed, destruction and malice.

There are some interesting Celtic sources below.

http://sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/cdm/index.htm

http://www.luminarium.org/mythology/ireland/

https://www.academia.edu/300335/Faerie_Folklore_in_Medieval_Tales_a...

That is true, I'll have to do more research I guess on how different cultures see them.  All I know is that ever since I was little, I've had a strong interest in Dragons.  Most of my family does actually.  So, it could be that my Family is decendant of a King some where and that Royal Family had Dragon Familiars.  Why though I'd have one now, I have no idea, I just know that sometimes they make pacts.  Often times, those pacts include half of what you make in treasure within each realm you happen to be.  So, half the money I make from here on out...would have to go to my Familiar in a storage area some where.  I do know that because of these pacts, depending on how you treat your Dragon Familiar, they may provide you with information and even ways/methods of making money to kind of...speed up the process.  Though in this  life time...I'm looking for legit ways to harness that wealth...such as writing novels, information ebooks, and a Minecraft Magazine.  We'll see how that goes.  It'll be an interesting journey here on out.

As a GR I have a very jaundiced view of dragons in the Germanic languages (Old Norse, Old Saxon, Gothic, Old German etc) they were classified as worms (Old English wyrm, Old Norse ormr) along with many other creatures and insects such as serpents and maggots. In Germanic (Scandinavian, German and English) mythology and folklore they are related to greed, putrefaction and disease so I can't help thinking that modern Dragonoph must be related to the dragons of Asia rather than those of the mythologic Germanic world.

The royal Chinese dynasties had a dragon emblem but no European royalty would have had a dragon familiar? Are you conflating familiar with European dragon heraldry which, as with all heradry had its origins in the Christian medieval period? Are all dragons interested in treasure? I know this is specific to Germanic mythology, where they are gold hoarders which was considered socially unacceptable as Kings were expected to gift gold to maintain ties of loyalty. Another good reason to research other cultures is that you don't want to be giving your hard earned gold away only to realise that your dragon is not interested in gold, for example I think food may be the traditional offering to Chinese's dragons. You should research types of dragons as there are many different types, they may have different areas of influence.

When you say familiar what exactly do you mean? I am not a witch so my only understanding of this word is from its origins in the 'witch trials' of the 16-17th century where a familiar was a part animal and part demon which required the blood from the witch it was attached to/had a pact with; it left the so called witches mark that the witchfinders would look for. As far as I know it is of medieval Christian origin and was not used or known as a concept prior to the period in history known as the witch hunts, which of course killed thousands likely none of whom where witches.

So I would be interested in what the word familiar means now and if it is accepted by modern witches or if it is related to or the same as several other words and phrases that pop up from time to time such as animal spirits, power animal and the baffling use of totem animal by neopagans? 

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