“. . . the idea of seasonal courts of Faerie are associated with the idea of the Holly King and the Oak King who are said to rule over Winter and Summer, respectively, in various folklore and myths. . . . it occurs to us that since these are seasonal courts and since when it is Winter in the North Hemisphere then it is Summer in the Southern regions, that the seasonal courts are not actually in conflict with each other but are rather the same, in their way, as Trooping Faeries. . . “
Usually, the idea of seasonal courts of Faerie are associated with the idea of the Holly King and the Oak King who are said to rule over Winter and Summer, respectively, in various folklore and myths. There is said to be a continual battle between them as each seeks to gain power over the Earth during the year. And this, of course, reflects the cycles of the seasons and are accordingly associated with the planting of crops, their growth and their eventual harvest.
At Midsummer the Oak King is at the peak of his power but yields to the Holly King when the Autumn equinox occurs with the beginning of Fall but he then slowly starts to lose his power when Midwinter arrives and the Oak King is reborn. Then the Oak King begins to ascend again toward his great power at the Spring equinox. This idea as it is expressed in terms of we Faerie folk can be found as a theme in many modern novels.
While this idea is, as we noted, mostly represented as a conflict between the Winter and Summer Courts of the Fae, this idea is sometimes extended to there being four seasonal courts. Not just Winter and Summer but also Autumn and Spring. You can find this in the Fairy Tarot Cards by Radleigh Valentine, with illustrations by Howard David Johnson, in which the Spring Court represents Wands, the Summer would be Cups, the Winter are the Swords, and Autumn as the time of Harvest to be the Pentacles or Coins.
Interestingly to we Silver Elves, there is also a regular playing card deck by Bicycle who are famous for their playing cards, that is called The Fae, but it is divided into Seelie and Unseelie Courts rather than Summer and Winter Courts, with the Seelie being the Hearts and Diamonds and the Unseelie being the Spades and Clubs. Traditionally, the Summer Court would represent the Seelie and the Winter Court the Unseelie.
Now, this whole idea of seasonal courts of Faerie in conflict is not one to which we Silver Elves personally subscribe, for we see them more as variations for all elfae to enjoy. However, since we are not at all fond of cold, although we think snow can be quite lovely to look upon from a window in a cozy room with a fire going, and since we dwell in Hawaii, it would be fair to say that we would be of the Summer Court or even better the Spring Court, because we are not all that fond of the heat and humidity either. Although Hawaii can get cold for a couple of weeks in the year getting down to 70 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit, burr! And it can get hot for a while in the summer (rise from its moderate climate weather to as high as about 90 degrees Fahrenheit), unless you are outside walking along the beach catching the balmy sea breezes or swimming in the ocean.
However, it occurs to us that since these are seasonal courts and since when it is Winter in the North Hemisphere then it is Summer in the Southern regions, that the seasonal courts are not actually in conflict with each other but are rather the same, in their way, as Trooping Faeries. We have people who own apartments or condos in Hawaii who only come to stay here in the Winter when it is cold elsewhere. Here these individuals are referred as Snow Birds. Perhaps, the Seasonal Courts of Faerie are like that. Not fighting each other for supremacy but ever traveling to stay in the climate and weather conditions they love. Going from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern and back again regularly. Sort of like modern home swapping as some people do or a Faerie Air B&B.
The whole idea that we need to be in perpetual conflict with each other is an expression of the dominator culture of Man that believes that war is inevitable and that Survival of the Fittest means the strong dominate or eliminate the weak. We elfae folk are of an older culture, however, that thrived and still thrives on a partnership model (see Sacred Pleasureby Riane Eisler for more on the dominator vs. partnership cultures). We are and were the Golden Race that the Greek poet Hesiod wrote about who lived in peace and prosperity until “lesser races” brought their god of war and dominion over our world. Yet, we still go on, often moving like the Faerie Courts to find a more conducive place to be or failing that, create our Elfin paradise upon Earth once again where all can live in harmony.
Kyela,
The Silver Elves
http://silverelves.angelfire.com
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If you enjoyed the articles above, then you may well also enjoy:
https://silverelves.wordpress.com/2019/04/06/what-are-the-dark-elfae
why-are-the-unseelie-elves-and-dark-elves-often-confused
And if you enjoyed the article above, we think you may very much enjoy reading our most popularly read book on the wisdom teachings of the ancient Elven titled Through the Mists of Faerie:
Through The Mists of Faerie:
A Magical Guide to the Wisdom Teachings of the Ancient Elven
. . . And to learn more about the Elven Way and magical path of the elves,
you may enjoy reading:The Elven Way: The Magical Path of The Shining Ones
“The Elven Way passes beyond the fields of the known
into the forest of the unknown
illuminated by the glow of the elves.”
(From the cover below)
Please, do come to our website and enjoy reading sample pages and reader’s reviews of our 45 books (published prior to March 2019) on magic and enchantment and the elven way at: http://silverelves.angelfire.com/HAelfbooks.html.
And our newest Silver Elves books (beginning March 2019) may be found on this blog site at https://silverelves.wordpress.com/2019/03/20/magical-books-by-the-silver-elves-on-the-elven-way-magic-and-enchantment-elven-oracles-and-elven-lifestyle.
We also invite you to come enjoy viewing this an hour long YouTube video of The Silver Elves in a conversational presentation on The Modern Elven Movement and The Elven Way at Phoenix and Dragon Bookstore in Atlanta, GA, at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0sv3OHkjRw
“We Fae think of ours’elves as bringing color to a gray world.”
— The Silver Elves
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Elven Life and Magic —
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Elvish Magical Chat —
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The Faerie Circle —
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Faerie Craft —
https://www.facebook.com/groups/395403367195312 — This is a group to share your elven and fae creations.
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The Elven Way and Friends —
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Nature & the Unseen Realms with the Elves & otherkin. A spiritual journey —
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“You may not remember us, though we will not forget,
you came to us in Faerie land and there your soul was lit,
and now it burns with longing great though hidden it may be,
to once again come to that realm where every spirit’s free.”
— The Silver Elves
“Stand strong you kin of Elfin breed,
the ancient legends we do heed,
and legends new we now do seed,
for kindred yet to come.”
— The Silver Elves
Tags: Elfin Courts, Elven Courts, Faerie, Faerie Courts, Holly King, Oak King, Seasonal Courts of Faerie, Seelie Court, seelie elves, Summer Court, Unseelie Court, unseelie elves, Winter Court
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