According to Keightley, the Fae are French, probably Roman/Italian, and only became Celtic through a quirk in (human) language whereby "fae" replaced the Icelandic/Germanic-English "elf" and for a while the two were used interchangeably, so I'd taken syncretism as a given.
Of course, I agree that the lore around the Tuatha de Danann are miles away from Icelandic elves.
There's was nothing that replaced Alfar in Icelandic language except in English translations where Fae has errenously been applied to Alfar, Dvergar, Jotnar, and the like. While there are similarities to the idea of an Alfr and the idea of a Faery, I would not say they are the same. It would be like comparing a Titan, a Jotunn, and a Tartalo simply because of their larger statures.
ahh no, no, no, I meant that according to Keightley, Fae is a newer word to English than Elf and the former replaced the latter in popular usage. So, the way to refer to probably animistic spirits used to be Elf before Fae got into the vocabulary of English. So sorry for the confusion!
While there are similarities to the idea of an Alfr and the idea of a Faery, I would not say they are the same. It would be like comparing a Titan, a Jotunn, and a Tartalo simply because of their larger statures.
I agree, cultural context is very important to consider. However, if you get personal gnosis or metaphysical experiences involving a Very Big Spiritual Creature, then how would you know what to call it (Jotun, Titan, Tartalo, Annuaki, giant?) without knowing which earthly region it's associated with, or even if it's not associated with any earthly region or culture? That's not a rhetorical question, by the way: "cultural appropriation" and "just a language to refer to the same entity in metaphysics" are two ideas that I struggle to balance a lot. The best real-life example I've read was if a German-speaking person refers to a tree as "baum" and an English speaking person calls it a "tree", the thing is still the same.
Search up your sources, and make sure there correct. The fae language is very wise to know, and any language can help gain more knowledge. I agree with what AeonsWing said, good posts overall, and good luck.
The fae language also is a language that was a little easier to learn, so they say.
The Fae Tongue is a Hermetic and Sylvan (Elven) language which is easy to learn, speak and write. From what I have read, it is a language that is say almost poetry like, and is beautifully said, and written.
I do know that glyphs are used in writing, and are easier to translate. Here's an example from a site ''I am glad to no u'' it is usually written in all one combined, not spaces. But I did not want to get a Warning for abiding the rules so I formatted it differently. This translates to '' I am glad I know you''
They usually add syllables, and different formation. I actually do suggest the link to the above post. It is very helpful, and even taught me something I never knew.
Re: The Fae Language By: AwakeTooLong / Knowledgeable
Post # 13 Oct 24, 2014
Hermeticism has next to nothing to do with the Fae. Elfish languages were something created by Tolkein and various fantasy genres. If there is a "fae" language, it is something someone made up in this context, along with any background lore concerning it.
Oh well I'm just the biggest idiot on Earth. I visited a website that is talking about I video game. WHAT KIND OF MORON AM I? thanks for the heads up. I didn't realize it at the time.
