13 Signs You’re one of the Fae (The Fairies)

“Are you a witch, or are you a fairy?

Or are you the wife of Michael Cleary?” – Irish children’s rhyme

Poor Bridget Cleary, in 1895 she was burned alive by her husband in front of witnesses because they believed she was a ‘changeling’ a fairy substitute for the real Bridget, abducted by the fairies.

Changelings, puca’s, the banshee, the Tuatha de Danann (Irelands mythical race), the fae, I grew up with these, and I write about them now.

My first novel Cailleach~Witch tells the story of a family of women with special abilities or powers, such as healing, second sight, and communication with the other world. In Ireland they would be known traditionally as Bean Feasa meaning Wise Women. It’s a modern gothic story with paranormal elements. Inspired by Irish folklore, mythology, and the landscape I grew up in. 

Fairy trees and forts (Whitethorns, and any circle of trees) are protected by law in Ireland and there’s not many people would feel comfortable with damaging as much as a twig in case it would bring them bad luck. We think we don’t believe these things but superstitions run deep. This wonderful quote illustrates this quite well…

While walking in Sligo in the early 1900s, WB Yeats asked an elderly man he met on the road if he believed in fairies. “I do not,” replied the man, “What do you take me for? What kind of eejit would believe in the little people or in witches and goblins and leprechauns? Don’t be ridiculous. I do not believe in them. Not at all…” There was a pause. “But they’re there,” the man concluded…’

Our rootedness in superstition and folklore is so woven in our collective experience it is largely unconscious. I needed minimal research before writing the book and was pleasantly surprised to find support for every idea I’d included. Even with artistic license of fantasy it would make you wonder. The latent knowledge that lies inside us and might never be brought forth. Where did it come from? 

Among the characters in my novel are otherworld creatures but also humans with close ties to the otherworld. There are people with what you might call ‘the look.‘ Much like some people remind me of birds there are some I would call fairy people, a look, but also a vibe, a ‘way of going on,’ which is a definition of culture in itself is it not? My idea of what they are is almost certainly not mine at all.

Stories, imagination, popular culture and our subconscious all play a part. Check my list below, I’ve adapted it from some of my characters and from the stories of my youth. See if you are or you know a fairy woman or a man. Word to the wise, elf on the shelf it isn’t…

‘The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.’ – W.B. Yeats

13 Signs You’re One of the Fae…

  1. You’re tall and slight of build with sharp features.
  2. You have black, red, or fair hair. 
  3. You have small intense eyes.
  4. You’re ‘different’ in many ways, indefinable, eccentric, aloof.
  5. More still than quiet, with an intense quality/presence.
  6. Your favourite mode of transport is mist and your movements are both awkward and graceful.
  7. You feel more affinity with landscape and elements than people.
  8. You don’t quite fit and it shows.
  9. Lover of art, music, dance, and beauty.
  10. Free spirit.
  11. Both youthful and ancient.
  12. Lover of trees.
  13. Shy, kind, but with a cool/detached streak, possibly playful, and wise…

Does this sound like you or anyone you know?

If this is a subject that speaks to your soul you will enjoy my gothic fantasy novel Cailleach~Witch. It’s available now on Amazon. You can find it HERE And if you’ve read this far, thank you. Perhaps you’d like a FREE story, a re-telling of Rapunzel from the witches point of view. Get it HERE

~ Readers Love Cailleach~Witch (The Cleary Witches Book 1) ~

‘This is genre-bending stuff, that weaves together fantasy, fairy-tale and Gothic to deliver a fast-paced, atmospheric thriller. As with many Irish writers (e.g. John McGahern, who incidentally comes from the same county as Jane) the sense of place and tradition is very strong. The atmosphere is broody and foreboding, while the plot moves quickly, forward and backwards through time, with many unexpected twists and turns. I was reminded more than once of Daphne du Maurier, especially Jamaica Inn: Cailleach too creates a beautiful and desolate setting for love, tragedy and maybe a new beginning.’

‘A tale of magic, forbidden love and a family curse. Reading this book I was swept away to a dark mountain in the west of Ireland where the Cailleach lives. This is a beautifully told story of three sisters who must return to the home of their aunts where they have to break free from the curse of the Cailleach. An enchanting read of forbidden love, family secrets and dark magic. It was hard to put down and come back to the real world. The story had me under it’s spell right until the very end.’

‘Spellbinding, unconventional storyline spread acrossa group of strong women and across generations. Dark, light, complicated. Honestly the most refreshing story I’ve read in ages. If you like something a little different in your pot of fairytales, this is for you.’

‘This book is a spell – a spell cast with a deep understanding of humanity, its relationship to nature and to women who embody the power of difference. It is not a singular story, it is a multiple of lives woven together to compose a larger story and the author has done this weaving with great dexterity.

……………………………………..

What people are saying about Cailleach~Witch on Amazon…

One thought on “13 Signs You’re one of the Fae (The Fairies)

    1. Can relate to 6 out of 13. According to the internet i was born a white witch or natural witch. However i want to know more about myself.

      1. That’s wonderful! Where did you find the information that told you so? I’m curious about myself as well.

    2. I meet all but one of these, my girlfreind is a green witch but I don’t know if I believe this stuff as I’ve never seen anything paranormal even when my sister and my girlfreind could. Does this stuff mean anything I should know?

  1. Yes,,,I do believe I am,,, 🙂 I am obsessed with fairies,,have so many photos of fairies on my computer as well. And I so want to make a fairy garden. One night my husband and I were arriving home,,and it was not lightning bug season yet,,which is summer. A light whisked across my yard,,right before we turned into the drive,,small and only one. But I just know it to be our Fairy. :)Fun and good to believe!

    1. It’s spelt faerie. And no, it’s not just how someone wants to spell it. I am the faerie of wind from Crystoria and I can assure you that we faeries take great offense in the wrong spelling of faerie.

      1. I’m curious to know how i would be able to find out if I’m of faerie origins or not? i had an incident where i got upset one day and i caught my eyes in the mirror for a split second and they glowed a bright neon yellow and turned to neon green… but it literally freaked me out because I’ve never seen that before but then again I’m not usually in front of a mirror when I’m pissed off but i do clear a room once I’m upset and i finally stand up and open my mouth… I’ve also had incidents of incredible strength when I’m in protective mode or when i get startled and get scared. also when i get upset i can feel the power within me and that really scares me because its so strong and I’m afraid of what i may do to someone…my little brother is the same way as i am, we both tend to try to run away from the issue so we don’t harm anyone because we both feel like we can’t control ourselves once we go into “Berserk/Frenzy Mode” maybe you can help me with me finding myself???

    2. My family has long history with fairy gardens. My dad had a beautiful and majestic fairy forest.. When my mother moved out, she also made a fairy garden. And, once I own a house with a yard, the first thing I’ll do, will be a fairy garden.

  2. I so love this, Jane!
    (I have all but 1, 2, and half of #3, hehe. So perhaps there is something else for those of us without “the Look”… 😉 )

  3. I fit only 7 of those boxes, so alas although I think of wild nature as my religion and am at my happiest in a forest or in the bush collecting and finding inspiration for my art or decoration for our home, sadly I guess I am not. 🙁

    1. Strange I would have said you had that look across the eyes but what do I know! It’s just a thought, an impression, a story like any other.

  4. Jane, I really enjoyed reading this ! I definitely have traces of the Fae running through my veins ! I look forward to reading your book! I am hooked already! Love and light and faery hugs to birthing it soon xx

  5. I am a CHANGLING. Glory Be. I finally found the reasons I am the way I am. Although I don’t have blue or green eyes I am Irish. Very fair skinned and a loner was most say. When the weather is warm you will find me in anyone of my three gardens. Will be adding a forth this summer. I am at my happiest outside walking my dogs, going to the mountains or a lake. Hopefully moving to northern CA where I find the most relief from my MS and arthritis. There I can enjoy the outside more.
    I really enjoyed your article. I try to live green as much as possible.
    Fairy Kisses to You

    1. I can’t believe it I have blue eyes pale skin and crooked small eyes My features aren’t really sharp. I never seem to fit in I love the sun and I go to bed at 9 wake up at 7 I walk my dog a lot and I love tree there like my best friends nd my skin kinda reflects in the sunlight, ad my room is filled with shiny objects! I can’t believe it I feel so happy I finally realize that I might be somewhat fairy-ish yay! 😀😁🤗

  6. Hi All,

    I have all the signs and it spooks me, i was told yesterday that i was half human half fairy, i met this person and 30 minutes later he could read me entirely by the sound of my voice and my eyes. He’s an angel half Demon but totally nice. he asked me to read tarot cards to him, which ive never before btw! and i was able to read or more so to feel what the cards were telling me.. he was so happy, he was expecting me in a way.. i always knew i was different since a small child, my nan was a witche and she did practice white spells before you freak out lol I always new i had something extra and that i didnt belong to this realm or even my family i couldnt relate to them. I am now practicing as a healer using crystals and also going into reikei.. i hope i will finally meet my calling.

    Thanks Jane lovely blog

    1. Only in one sense Livy. While the word does mean ‘from’ in Scottish that’s not the meaning in this instance. I’m talking about ‘THE FAE’ as a group/elemental beings/a mythical race. Not about someone being fae/from. Here’s more if you’re interested.
      ‘The English fairy derives from Old French form faierie, a derivation from faie (from Vulgar Latin fata) with the abstract noun suffix -erie. In Old French romance, a faie or fee was a woman skilled in magic, and who knew the power and virtue of words, of stones, and of herbs.

      “Fairy” was used to represent: an illusion or enchantment; the land of the Faes; collectively the inhabitants thereof; an individual such as a fairy knight. Faie became Modern English fay, while faierie became fairy, but this spelling almost exclusively refers to one individual (the same meaning as fay). In the sense of “land where fairies dwell”, archaic spellings faery and faerie are still in use.’ Or Fae in the case of Ireland, and Scotland too I’ve no doubt. Considering how close the two are in every way.

  7. I have been drawn to faeries since Tinkerbell from Peter Pan when I was little. I find Faeries and what they are just so beautiful! When I was a teen I had faery statues everywhere in my room. I truly believed in faeries and wanted to see them so badly. All my life I’ve felt different, I never quite fit in with others. I’m known for being really shy, kind, sweet, bubbly, goofy, naive, very child-like and I have such a youth about me. I have had so many people tell me “you’re the kindest person I’ve ever met” and “I’ve never met anyone like you” and that there is something about me but can’t quite place their finger on it.. and tell me that I’m unique and rare and that I have his innocence/ sweetness about me, I also have a very wild imagination and constantly live in another world in my own head where anything is possible and always seen life through rose colored glasses, I love Celtic music and faery music and faery gardens and nature and animals and children! To me nothing is more beautiful than making a child laugh, just bringing joy. And I’m 27 and look like a teenager still to most people. I truly believe I’m something out of this world, I’m very spiritual and believe there is so much beauty in this universe than meets the eye. The more I meditate and call for other realms to show themselves to me the more I feel awaken. I defiantly think I either have faery dna in me or I was once a faery in another realm. I never understood this world like maybe I was never meant to be apart of it.

    1. That’s very slithering of you pardon the Harry Potter but mug blood is still blood or blood and brethren by all accounts and should be regarded the same much as a half siblings after all family is family and blood is thicker than water my friend. Could it be your pure blood makes you of royal lineage and therefore should be setting an example with our kin. Was always curious why 13 was my lucky number. Myself I’m looking for a guide to learn about myself what I am the things I’ve seen an done recently, met knight Templar,, I see the ether every time I close my eyes, I take many form there, healed, fought great battles(though untrained I’m more dangerous to my friends), I feel connected to a vast number of people some I know some famous and a huge number still. I couldn’t describe any of these things in detail outside of a fantasy novel which believe you me I feel qualified to write 1 now reading this thread has given me a new prospective to recent events in life circumstances and those I have come to call family. Learning to understand new cultures ways and a whole other realm is difficult when your only teacher is a fairy/s in my head and their emotions, make of my post what you will but if there’s anybody out there that reads this and feels they are able and capable to teach me of these thins I would welcome the contact and a mentor whom I could discuss matters in a form I do understand. A good question is do the Fay have a special voice because to the family mine seems important,,,, I may seem arrogant ignorant definitely detached from the group I feel more an outsider and I’m probably quite offensive though most of the time I mean no affront diegesting information and working out the details is a slow process when you don’t know what your looking for, basically there’s a very willing pupil here ….. I’d love to grant all the wolves their wishes signed with love the fair y godfather

  8. I have always know about my family’s fae bloodline, I am a fae wilder, as is my daughter and we both score 13/13.

  9. Write about us and we turn up.
    Try not to use Yeats too much though.
    He had a strong case of affection or hatred for the Byron’s
    It dredges up really old emotions and to be honest it hurts my heart so consider this Fae PTSD.
    The family we failed and regret not being able to protect.
    Thank you for speaking of our world, you will receive a reward in the coming week though I know not what.
    Someone is looking for you that is not I.
    So consider this a calling card to welcome you into the fold, whichever fold you choose, may your path be fruitful and loving and may you find recognition among those who transgress against you for they are now more open to hear what you say.
    I’ll not be back and make sure you don’t use my email unethically, I’m showing you trust and this is your test.

  10. I’ m mixed blood english irish scottish wales norse. I meet all check marks, because of my blood i believe im in danger, s.o.s.

  11. Alright Cleary cousins, which one of you blabbed outside the clann to Ms. Jane Gilheany-Barry? As the soul of discretion, despite being an historian and story teller, would never give that much information out to Jane. And it’s mostly accurate! I rarely get that even in family meetings. NOTICE TO ALL CLEARYS: do not give out interviews without a press agent present. That’s how Clearys in California handle things.
    the ever sphinx like Guire John Cleary

  12. I can’t believe it I have blue eyes pale skin and crooked small eyes My features aren’t really sharp. I never seem to fit in I love the sun and I go to bed at 9 wake up at 7 I walk my dog a lot and I love tree there like my best friends nd my skin kinda reflects in the sunlight, ad my room is filled with shiny objects! I can’t believe it I feel so happy I finally realize that I might be somewhat fairy-ish yay! 😀😁🤗

  13. I have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome with Marfanoid habitus. I’m also on the Autism spectrum and the “13 signs,…” describe me spookily well! Especially No. 6, “… and your movements, walking, or in repose, are both awkward and graceful.”, as I’ve been told that, even though I fall over, A LOT, I often do it quite elegantly!
    When I was small, before I got my diagno,… sis,… ess,… diagnosees,… ers,… before I was diagnosed with anything, I did research to try to work out what was “wrong” with me, why I was the way I am. The only answer I could ever come up with was that I’m a Changeling! So maybe my self-diagnosis was right all along?
    Thank you for this. I needed cheering up.

    Fluffy x

    1. Hello! I too have EDS (diagnosed at 26 in 2016). I’m already diagnosed with ADHD but I also highly suspect I am autistic as well. Most of these fit me except for the looks. I have round face but I do have fair skin and I have green eyes. It’s fun and nice to feel a connection with faeries. There is a theory that what people called changelings were actually autistics. I see several ND traits here.
      (Never give a faerie your real name)

  14. Wow! I feel like I’ve found my tribe. I relate to all your comments. My mom called me Puca because she said I looked & acted like a a little faery. I played in the forest. I never fit in. I was sensitive, creative , playful & shy… I have had many magical moments. If I feel strong emotions. It’s like focusing energies to make things happen. Very weird. I am 70 now & still collect faeries, have a faery garden & believe in magic😁

  15. Never thought of being fae, but there’s always been something weird about me and it would be cool to be fae. When I was little I use to think I could fly if I concentrated hard enough. My brother told me that he really believed I could for a second as a little girl and I would jump off of play grounds over and over practicing. Needless to say my parents were called to the school and I never did that again. In another instance and I was hanging out at the bottom of a pool for a really long time. I guess no one explained to me all the laws of the physical world because I clearly remember breathing under water. I got in trouble because I was under the water so long, no one could find me. I was told to never do that again, and i never did nor could I once I was told it was impossible. When I was 8 I drew 200 faeries in an art book they all had warrior powers and names. I don’t know why I did it. When I was traveling the world I met a friend while in Hawaii and we were in a group of friends and she told everyone I was a wish faerie and that if they told me their wishes they would come true. I laughed and thought she was ridiculous, and she told me it worked for her, she told me all her deepest desires and it all come true. My friends lined up and wished on me, and their wishes came true… when they told me their wishes I had to clear my mind and purely want it for them, with out any other intention behind it. I had an imaginary friend as a child, for some reason, he was very real to me, I was blown away when my mom told me that he was imaginary, because I can remember his face in my mind, but he wasn’t normal, I called him Pinocchio as a child, maybe because he wanted to be real too. I also have been told I have glowy skin by tons of people, or that I look like a porcelain doll. When I was in Hawaii once I called to the dolphins, not really on purpose I was just talking to the ocean in my mind and was trying to share my feelings of gratitude to it for letting me visit and 26 wild spinner dolphins swam all around me and we swam together for a long time my friend was about 40 feet away but was able to get some pictures. I remember feeling overjoyed by them, but suddenly overwhelmed with fear because there were so many and they were jumping out of the water at great speeds and when the fear kicked in the swam away from me. When I was a little girl I walked in the creeks by my house collecting frogs and snakes in buckets to play with and I got warts all over my feet. The doctors said they would have to be surgically removed, and there were so many that it may cause scarring and even deformities. My mom said she would buy them from me and they would come to her as freckles. She gave me a nickel for each one and they disappeared with in days. The dr said he had never seen anything like that in his life and wished he had documented it, because he wouldn’t even have believed it if he wasn’t a first hand witness. My last weird other worldly experience I feel like sharing is once I left my body on accident. I forgot who I was and then realized I had the great privilege of existing as the girl I am in this life, and in order to return I had to convince myself to forget what I knew and try to remember the fundementals of what made up my human life, my parents names, where I was born… there tons of stuff that has been weird in my life like this. My mom and dad use to tell me not to use my magic because it’s dangerous and can cause harm, and told me to never speak of these things… but they happened, it was real and I have whitnesses and pictures… I don’t know. I just don’t understand any of it, but this made me feel good reading that there are other strange things in the world

    1. hello all. i have know all along. my mom told me so many stories of when i was a baby how amazing i was the things i told her. i have always dreamed the future, i dream of every new friend i meet tho i think i meet them in dreams before i see them in person when i meet them there is usually a knowing stare a big smile and then we start to talk like old friends. i find 4 leaf clovers constantly and people say the sprout in front of me lol. tho when someone is about to die i will find a 5 leaf clover. it will give me time to say good by. when i was a kid i played in a forest constantly with friends but mostly with the animals as well as on the beach. i have healed people by touch and soothed long time traumatic damage from bad experiences. i have told women about there babies before they where pregnant usually by having a dream and meeting them and they tell me to talk to there mothers to say hi. we have always been here and we will be here long after this world has passed the other places are our true homes most of us have just forgot but we will be guided back. now the other realms there is more than one this i have seen when i was born i remember coming to this plain and flying above mountains there was a group of us we where all so excited to be coming here we where as air is or mist as some would call it i could not see the others but yet i could see. we where so happy playing in the sky then i said good by with joy. i was born then. i have met one of the them a few years back. i dreamed of her weeks before and i was so excited because i knew i would meet her. then i met her and my hart caught in my chest she was my dream girl and the same happened to her she gasped and stared at me. then we smiled and giggled. for a moment i was brought back to that moment when she was beside me in the sky. at the time i was still with my ex wife and she had a boyfriend for a long time. we would hang out every day on our lunch brake and i would tell her about my dreams and about the future i let her ask me any questions and i would tell her anything future past anything. she could ask a question i could not ask my self for i only new things from dreams and signs but when she asked it was automatic everything i told her. it was all true as well years down the road i see the things she asked me. happening all the time. well she began to ask if i would hang out after work but i would tell her no every time. i loved my wife even tho she did not love me she loved the idea of me. that is another story tho. so after she asked me to hang out more often and i told her now she started to get up set and we grew distant until one day she got supper angry with me after i told her no. and that was the last time i talked to her. i think she thought that when i told her about her baby she would have she had thought i would have been the father i knew i was not and i thought she knew i was not. so 1 year latter her friend tells me she was having a baby boy. that’s when i let go of her maybe the next life my deer maybe the next life. so now for me i am playing in the forest again making fairy circled and castles all over the world signs for other fey to know they are not by them self in this world. just like when i look down and see a 4 leaf clover i no longer pick them i just smile and giggle a little some times i will pet the leaf to smell it on my finger tip. my goal now tho is to find where i come from where in Ireland my family is from. i was born in victoria canada the other side of the world i want to know there stories. so as i told you before the other realms the ones i have see are all on the edge of night bright and yet dark there is the blood red sands and a black sea. you may not think it but it was so very beautiful running along that beach. well others as well but mostly indescribable. i would suggest you find them for your self and know this twin flames are real. if you let the flame die it will brake your hart to the day you die.
      love all of you fey born Quin

  16. i have 12 out of 13. and i have always been attracted to the idea that i was a faerie. maybe it’s incorrect but who knows, right?!

  17. omg ive been feeling this my whole life!!! now im reallly sure of my true self 🙂 i think hunters are coming after me oh no!!!!!

  18. I got 12 and a half, so I think I might be a faerie😁; all my friends think I’m crazy because I believe in faeries except one who goes to another school, sadly. I’m actually part Irish and I like listening to Celtic music and songs in Gaelic. I also like being outside in nature and practicing my ocarina (after checking on my faerie house that I built).

  19. I decided know some things. I would like to learn a lot more. Sending love, hugs and happiness 😊 🧚‍♀️🧚
    Princess Rowan

  20. My whole life i believed i was something different, and now I know! The fairy description matches me perfectly!

  21. All of these fit me, and I took a quiz on another website and learned i am half fairy, half human!

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