Because I'm stuck!

[rflong]

and I have a headcold. And I don't want to have to trawl the internet anymore and all my books are at home and and and...

If you were going to defend your house against an attack by Dark Sidhe, what would you do?

No, I'm serious. It's a plot point. I know about iron, and apparently straw dipped in holy water, lanterns etc. I'm trying to find any others and ways of deploying them - logically. In a way that would not look silly. One thought I had was iron filings mixed with milk - they like it when you leave out milk. Any other devious ideas folks?

R 

Comments

[clhollandwriter]

Off the top of my head....

Iron objects can be found in antiques shops and ironmongers, like old pots and pans or irons (the sort you heat in a fireplace). Horseshoes are good too - basically enything with iron content, so steel is OK but obviously not as good. This can go at thresholds to keep them out, but it's best if you keep a piece on your person, preferably touching the skin. (Cold iron - that which is hammered into shape without being heated - is best, but I figure that's going to be hard to find these days!)

Turning the clothes inside out is meant to confuse them into thinking you're someone else, but it wouldn't keep them out.

As far as I know, religion only works if you have faith, kind of like crosses for vampires. So crosses in the windows would work, but not if you're an atheist.

The fae are also reputed not to like broom, which I believe is a relative of gorse. Just having it around is supposed to be enough to deter them.

Stones with natural holes in are said to confer protection and can help to keep them from influencing a person, although frankly iron would be better.

How are you wanting to portray the defence? Purely physical measures or magical ones too?

You could steal an idea from Jim Butcher. In one of the Harry Dresden novels Harry throws nails at the feet of a fae to keep her at bay. It later turns out they were made of aluminium. :-D

Also, are you wanting to go for keeping them out, or outwitting them?

I'll consult some of my more esoteric books, since the ones I have about folklore don't go any further than "they don't like iron."

[clhollandwriter]

Thinking about it, burning broom might work. They wouldn't like the smoke.

[rflong.livejournal.com]

Good way to defend the chimney then!

[clhollandwriter]

The smell would carry though. Although anything area-effect you'd have to be careful about not catching the Seelie character in it.

[rflong.livejournal.com]

Great info. Thanks a million. Yeah, the crosses and holy water only work if you yourself are religious - some sort of extension.

I have a couple of books on herbal lore I can dig into with regards to broom.

The defense needs to be a mix of physical and magical. Basically two characters are in a cottage, one is Sidhe (Seelie) and one human. The Sidhe is in a weakened condition. I'm going for keeping them out rather than outwitting. I have another book to dig out this evening which may help.

Ironically a book we had in the library ended up giving me tons of material for Moy Tura Echoes, but not for this one!!!

Must read Jim Butcher!

Thanks
R

[clhollandwriter]

If it were me in that cottage, I'd go for some sort of magical early-warning system, and a barrier to keep them out if that would work using the kind of magic you're using.

Then I'd use physical measures for when the barrier failed. Ringing the place with iron nails might work. And if your character isn't religious enough for holy water, I'd consider water with iron soaking in it. Put nails in your supersoaker or whatever. :-D

How about a nail gun? ;-)

[rflong.livejournal.com]

I'd thought of a nail gun. Apparently roofing nails have a high iron content, so if you happened to be renovating your little cottage that could be a go-er.

My Seelie character might not be present for events afterall. You know the way these things go - you start writing, and they change their minds!!!

[clhollandwriter]

Just imagine the howls of indignation.... :-D

Oh, I know. My personal favourite was when a character, completely out of the blue, decided he was blind. Fortunately I hadn't got to writing him into the narrative by that point.