Iron-containing stuff and faeries :@

Thisica · Sat May 09, 2020 4:18 am

I was wondering whether stainless steel poses problems for connecting with faeries (living or in spirit), as it contains iron. The reason I ask this is that I do have some stainless steel items about in the house. Also of interest is why they're repelled by iron?

Flux · Sun May 10, 2020 1:06 am

I'm curious about this topic as well.

The things I have read that worn against iron also mentioned steel as a no-no as well.

I would love to hear more information about why it is that faeries and iron do not get along.

Lewk · Sun May 10, 2020 2:19 am

I'd love to hear from someone who has initiated insight into this.

I just googled a few articles, which are interesting but inconclusive. Some conjecture that it was human folklore that came to see iron as magically powerful - because metal-making would have seemed magical thousands of years ago. Even iron's properties re using it as a compass and to attract lightning were not understood scientifically only a few centuries ago.

If you think about it, CH sells copper balls that protect against malicious influences and spirits plus copper has other folk uses eg for health. And iron seems at some point in the past to have been virtually a universal remedy for protecting against any kind of spirit, ghost or being. So there's something going on with use of metals here. Probably the intention behind the useage has always been the key thing.

Other things get used magically too: salt, alchohol, mothballs - virtually anything seems to find itself a magical useage after a while. But I'd thought there might be something going on with the fact that iron appears in nature as iron ore, or falls from the sky as a meteorite - and iron objects are man made. Could the fact that iron is kind of less natural make it unpleasant for faeries?

But - reality check - I have quite a few fae in my spirit family and I haven't yet seen any advice from CH to never put anything made of iron anywhere near their vessels.

And there's this article, which suggests iron might have been used by faeries themselves to break connections. And that may be what its power is in relation them when used by humans. And that seems to fit the fact that the modern technological world is widely seen as having broken the connections between humans and the spiritual side of nature. Perhaps that connection started to weaken as metal making became more widespread?

Maybe iron has an intrinsic use for breaking connections and that isn't confined to just fae?

https://witchesandpagans.com/sagewoman- ... -iron.html

Maybe the spirit binding provides a protected, unbreakable connection with a conjured and bound fae spirit that iron cannot affect?

Flux · Sun May 10, 2020 4:07 pm

Thanks for posting that information! That's an interesting take on it.

Alys-RaccoonReadings · Mon May 11, 2020 4:17 pm

I always try to find a Morgan Daimler piece when it comes to questions about the Good Neighbors. This fits the bill: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/agora/201 ... t-fairies/

Why Does Iron Affect Fairies?

Ultimately there’s no solid answer to this, but there’re many theories. A couple things to remember as we step into this discussion though: iron doesn’t protect against all types of fairies and never has, and iron protects against (many) fairies as well as ghosts and demons.

One possible reason given for the effectiveness of iron is the process that goes into its working, that is that there is some inherent apotropaic magic in turning iron ore into iron products. Another is that iron is simply protective against some spirits by its nature; the word for iron is rooted ultimately in words meaning holy, powerful, and strong*. A third is that iron is effective because it is the least electrically conductive metal next to lead and that it therefore grounds magical energy as well**; fairies as more magically in tune or natured beings would therefore be averse to a grounding element or one which disrupts their magic....

What Folklore Says

Based on folklore and living cultural belief iron is the most ubiquitous protection against fairies. It isn’t because iron is ‘unnatural’ but because some fairies can’t seem to stand the metal itself in any form, which is why steel also works. We can find references across written and oral folklore to fairies being averse to iron and steel, in multiple cultures, up through today.

The why of this often isn’t discussed in depth among people who believe in it just as the effectiveness of turning clothes inside out to break being pixy-led isn’t, because people care more that it works rather than why exactly it works. When it is discussed it’s more theoretical guesses by people because no one really does know for certain. What we can say for certain is that it’s a well-documented belief and one with history to it.

My Thoughts On All Of This

Of course not all fairies are warded off by iron because nothing applies equally to all fairies. Some are warded off by salt, or rowan, or Christian prayers and symbols. The Good People are a diverse lot. And perhaps there are those that are averse to plastic just as there are those that we might categorize as nature spirits, even though it doesn’t apply to the majority. I also believe that fairies and fairy beliefs evolve which must always be taken into account, but every new idea that floats out there shouldn’t be jumped on and accepted. Critical thinking is important even about something as simple as how this would actually, practically function.

So. Yes. Steel could be disfavored. As always, check with a specific companion to get the specific answer. I imagine that the individual type of faerie would matter, how their relationship with iron or steel has changed between having been an entity and having become a spirit, and their individual preferences as a unique personality.

Whyme · Tue May 12, 2020 3:13 am

I'd like to say, from my limited experience, that depending on the Fae they will have a different response to iron. Not all Fae are repulsed by iron as previously mentioned in this thread. For example, I have unbound Fae and one group (Fae of the Ring) say that they're neutral (meaning that they neither like nor dislike iron) and I have another unbound Fae that possessed my sword which is made of stainless steel. That particular Fae mentioned that he likes swords and has possessed swords before throughout history.

Stainless steel pots and pans don't seem to have any effect, as far as I know, towards the Fae. To be on the safe side, I wouldn't use stainless steel for a vessel unless a specific Fae makes it clear that it's okay to use stainless steel.

JaycubL · Fri Jun 19, 2020 3:41 am

I suspect it is a symbolic relation to the developement of human use of iron and how it is metaphorically and physically related to our almost wanton "harvesting" of entire forests and that sort of thing. Iron sort of symbolizes human technological power and separation from the living world that loved us into existence. My experience has been that it makes no difference with faeries (maybe ask the ones you interact with?). If you have a phone, a belt buckle, shoes with steel eyes for the string, blood in your veins... iron is almost inescapable really. The core of the Earth is largely iron!

Note:
In the comment above that references the Morgan Daimler article, the quote from the article:
"...iron is effective because it is the least electrically conductive metal next to lead..."
that is blatantly incorrect.

Alys-RaccoonReadings · Fri Jun 19, 2020 9:46 pm

JaycubL wrote: ↑Fri Jun 19, 2020 3:41 am I suspect it is a symbolic relation to the developement of human use of iron and how it is metaphorically and physically related to our almost wanton "harvesting" of entire forests and that sort of thing. Iron sort of symbolizes human technological power and separation from the living world that loved us into existence. My experience has been that it makes no difference with faeries (maybe ask the ones you interact with?). If you have a phone, a belt buckle, shoes with steel eyes for the string, blood in your veins... iron is almost inescapable really. The core of the Earth is largely iron!

Note:
In the comment above that references the Morgan Daimler article, the quote from the article:
"...iron is effective because it is the least electrically conductive metal next to lead..."
that is blatantly incorrect.

She chose an odd source to cite that back to in her footnote and then further seems to misread that source. It’s a rare misstep for her.

JaycubL · Sun Jun 21, 2020 8:18 pm

Alys-RaccoonReadings wrote: ↑Fri Jun 19, 2020 9:46 pm She chose an odd source to cite that back to in her footnote and then further seems to misread that source. It’s a rare misstep for her.

Yes I mean nothing bad against her for producing that text. I just feel an impulse to stop such information from altering people's thoughts when I see it potentially happening, because it's hard enough as it is for us little animals to get a grip on what is actually going on in what we perceive as existence. Maybe I should have left it alone.

Alys-RaccoonReadings · Sun Jun 21, 2020 10:39 pm

JaycubL wrote: ↑Sun Jun 21, 2020 8:18 pm
Alys-RaccoonReadings wrote: ↑Fri Jun 19, 2020 9:46 pm She chose an odd source to cite that back to in her footnote and then further seems to misread that source. It’s a rare misstep for her.
Yes I mean nothing bad against her for producing that text. I just feel an impulse to stop such information from altering people's thoughts when I see it potentially happening, because it's hard enough as it is for us little animals to get a grip on what is actually going on in what we perceive as existence. Maybe I should have left it alone.

I don’t think you should feel bad for correcting a factual inaccuracy.

Iron-containing stuff and faeries :@

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