Episode 16: The Fae Realm: Thin Places and the Other Side

The folklore of thin places and the other side in a nutshell, how I reimagined it for my writing, and various terms related to this translated into Afrikaans.

Written and narrated by Ronel Janse van Vuuren.

Copyright 2021 Ronel Janse van Vuuren — All rights reserved.

Learn more about thin places and the other side here.

Get the transcript here.

Music: Secrets by David Fesliyan (FesliyanStudios.com) and Dramatic Heartbeat by FesliyanStudios.com

Transcript

You’re listening to the Faeries and Folklore podcast by Ronel.

I’m dark fantasy author Ronel Janse van Vuuren. With nearly a decade of digging around in dusty folklore books, researching creatures of imagination that ignited my curiosity, I’m here to share the folklore in a nutshell and how I reimagined it for my writing in an origin of the fae.

This is the Faeries and Folklore podcast.

Hi, I’m your host Ronel Janse van Vuuren. You can just call me Ronel. In today’s episode, we’re continuing our exploration of the fae realm.

This episode is brought to you by my book Once… Tales, Myths and Legends of Faerie available in eBook, paperback and audiobook. Go to ronelthemythmaker.com/my-books for more.

We’re continuing our exploration of the fae realm.

Today’s subject: Thin Places and the Other Side

Folklore in a Nutshell by Ronel

Thin Places are specific sites with a mystical quality, places where the veil between the Realms are thin. There are people who claim to experience enchantment, power, wisdom and alternate realities when dealing with a Thin Place.

Ireland is dotted with Thin Places. From familiar ones like Newgrange, the Hill of Tara, Drombeg stone circle, Carrowmore and Glendalough to less familiar, yet must-see sites, like the Hill of Uisneach where all the lay lines of Ireland meet, Caldragh Cemetery on Boa Island, Coole Park which was the home of Lady Gregory where many others who contributed to Irish literature – like William Butler Yeats and Lady Gregory herself – came to be amazed at the acres of woodland and gardens, Glencolumbkille consecrated by St. Columcille after driving demons from the glen into the ocean, and the stone circles along the Beara Way in County Cork.

The Celts divided the year into two parts: the light (summer) and the dark (winter). Samhain is the division between these halves and also the time when the veil between the worlds is the thinnest. Humans and Fae freely mingle in this time, though most humans wear costumes to fool the Fae about their identities as not to be carried off by them. Because Samhain is a “nowhere” time, between the old year and the new, people generally avoid graveyards and crossroads as not to accidentally cross into the Underworld. Beltane also divides these times, yet it doesn’t have as much of an effect on the Veil as Samhain. The only lore I could find specifically tying Beltane to a thinning in the Veil is Llyn Cwm Llwch lake which holds an invisible island that can only be reached by a door set in rock that opens every Beltane.

In-between times and places give the supernatural (faeries, demons, etc.) the greatest power to influence the lives of mortals. In-between times (“thin times”) include: twilight, dawn, Samhain, Beltane, and midnight. In-between places (“thin places”) include: seashores, mountaintops, bogs, cairns (graveyards), stone circles, cave entrances, crossroads, and forests.

And now for my interpretation of the fae in an origin of the fae:

Origin of the Fae: Thin Places

At crossroads, graveyards and other places of change and choice, the Veil between Realms are extremely thin. (Realms in this context: Land of the Dead and Land of the Living.)

The Living can easily cross over. As long as their bodies stay intact, they can return to their lives.

The dead want to cross over to the Land of the Living and will be hunted down by Grims/Barguest to return to the Other Side.

Thin Places are to be avoided on Samhain.

Origin of the Fae: Other Side

Reference to the to the Realm on the other side of the Veil between the Land of the Living and the Land of the Dead.

Origin of the Fae: Otherworld

Realm of deathfae and the dead. Encompasses Tir fo Thoinn (the Land beneath the Waves, home of Merrows, Sirens, etc.) the Underworld and other grey areas in-between (Valhalla, Hades, Castle of the Keeper of the Veil, etc.).

Origin of the Fae: Underworld

Where souls of mortals and fae go to be judged and find their final rest.

Rulers: Dagda and Hel (respectively).

There are many layers to the Underworld and many denizens of Faerie who happily live in this in-between place in Otherworld.

As a little bonus, let’s look at the translation of…. into Afrikaans:

Thin Places. Dun Plekke.

Other Side. Ander Kant.

Otherworld. Anderwêreld.

Underworld. Onderwêreld.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this episode of the faeries and folklore podcast and that you’ve learned something new about faerie.

Remember that you can get a transcript of this episode in the description. If you’re new to the podcast, why not go and grab your free copy of Unseen, the second book in the Faery Tales series, on my website ronelthemythmaker.com? Loads of folklore, magic and danger await! Take care!

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