Emerald Magic: Great Tales of Irish Fantasy

304 Pages·2004·1.3 MB·English

by  Andrew M. Greeley

Emerald
Magic
Also by Andrew M. Greeley
from Tom Doherty Associates
All About Women
Angel Fire
Angel Light
Contract with an Angel Faithful Attraction
The Final Planet
Furthermore!: Memories of a Parish Priest God Game
The Priestly Sins
Star Bright!
Summer at the Lake
White Smoke
Sacred Visions (editor with Michael Cassutt) The Book of Love (editor with Mary
G. Durkin)
Bishop Blackie Ryan Mysteries
The Bishop and the Missing L Train
The Bishop and the Beggar Girl of St. Germain The Bishop in the West Wing
Nuala Anne McGrail Novels
Irish Gold
Irish Lace
Irish Whiskey
Irish Mist
Irish Eyes
Irish Love
Irish Stew!
The O’Malleys in the Twentieth Century A Midwinter’s Tale
Younger than Springtime A Christmas Wedding September Song
Second Spring
Emerald
Magic
GREAT TALES of
IRISH FANTASY
Edited by Andrew M. Greeley
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in these stories are either fictitious or are
used fictitiously.
E M : G T I F
MERALD AGIC REAT ALES OF RISH ANTASY
Copyright © 2004 by Andrew M. Greeley Enterprises, Ltd., and Tekno Books All rights reserved, including
the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
www.tor.com
®
Tor is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Emerald magic : great tales of Irish fantasy /
edited by Andrew M. Greeley.—1st ed.
p. cm.
“A Tom Doherty Associates book.”
ISBN 0-765-30504-6
1. Fantasy fiction, English—Irish authors. 2. Ireland—Fiction. I. Greeley, Andrew M., 1928–
PR8876.5.F35E44 2004
823'.0876608—dc22
2003061477
First Edition: February 2004
Printed in the United States of America 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Acknowledgments
Introduction, copyright © 2004 by Andrew M. Greeley.
“Herself,” copyright © 2004 by Diane Duane.
“Speir-Bhan,” copyright © 2004 by Tanith Lee.
“Troubles,” copyright © 2004 by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple.
“The Hermit and the Sidhe,” copyright © 2004 by Judith Tarr.
“The Merrow,” copyright © 2004 by Elizabeth Haydon.
“The Butter Spirit’s Tithe,” copyright © 2004 by Charles de Lint.
“Banshee,” copyright © 1986 by Ray Bradbury. First published in Woman’s
Own, February 1986. Reprinted by permission of the author and his agents, the
Don Congdon Agency.
“Peace in Heaven?” copyright © 2004 by Andrew M. Greeley.
“The Lady in Grey,” copyright © 2004 by Jane Lindskold.
“A Drop of Something Special in the Blood,” copyright © 2004 by Fred
Saberhagen.
“For the Blood Is the Life,” copyright © 2004 by Peter Tremayne.
“Long the Clouds Are over Me Tonight,” copyright © 2004 by Cecilia
DartThornton.
“The Swan Pilot,” copyright © 2004 by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
“The Isle of Women,” copyright © 2004 by Jacqueline Carey.
“The Cat with No Name,” copyright © 1989 by Morgan Llywelyn. First
published in The Irish Times. Reprinted by permission of the author.
For Colm O’Muircheartaigh,
Up Kerry!
Contents
I Andrew M. Greeley
NTRODUCTION
The Little People
H Diane Duane
ERSELF
S -B Tanith Lee
PEIR HAN
T Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple
ROUBLES
T H S Judith Tarr
HE ERMIT ANDTHE IDHE
T M Elizabeth Haydon
HE ERROW
T B S ’ T Charles de Lint
HE UTTER PIRIT S ITHE
B Ray Bradbury
ANSHEE
P H ? Andrew M. Greeley
EACE IN EAVEN
Literar y Fantastics
T L G Jane Lindskold
HE ADY IN REY
A D S S B Fred Saberhagen
ROP OF OMETHING PECIAL IN THE LOOD
F B I T L Peter Tremayne
OR THE LOOD S HE IFE
L C A M T Cecilia Dart-Thornton
ONG THE LOUDS RE OVER E ONIGHT
T S P L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
HE WAN ILOT
T I W Jacqueline Carey
HE SLEOF OMEN
T C N N Morgan Llywelyn
HE AT WITH O AME
About The Auther
Introduction
W
hen I was a small one,my mother told me stories about “the little people” in
Ireland, stories she had heard from her own mother. I don’t think she believed
the stories, at least not that much. Her mother before may have told them at least
half in fun. Even if they were not altogether true, they were good stories. So I
learned early on in life about the characters that swirl around Dublin’s fair city in
Diane Duane’s first story in this collection—leprechauns and pookas and silkie
and banshee and the rest of them. I was surprised that they had all moved to
Dublin, but so, it seems, has everyone else. Indeed the largest number of those
who speak The Irish as their first language now live in Dublin. The “little
people,” as my mother called them, go wherever the Irish speakers go.
My mom also explained where the faerie came from. They were the moderate
middle angels in the time of the great war in heaven between Michael and his
angels and Satan and his angels.When the matter was settled, and the “bad
angels” went off to hell, there was some discussion as to where the
“independents” should be sent. They had not fought against the Lord God, so
they didn’t deserve hell, but they hadn’t been on His side either, so they couldn’t
stay in heaven. The decision was they would be sent to earth, to a place of their
own choosing. They opted for Ireland: it was, after all, the place on earth most
like heaven! They had the Emerald Isle all to themselves until the Celts came, a
variety of humans for whom they didn’t have much affection, so they retreated to
the west of the island and to their caves and forts and hills and islands in the
river and other hangouts. Their situation was made worse when the monks came
and replaced the druids. The latter were properly afraid of them, but the Catholic
clergy vigorously denied their existence and denounced them from the altars.
The Sidhe (whom I call the Shee because few can be expected to cope with the
mysteries of Irish spelling) decided that it was not prudent to take on the priests
directly and withdrew farther into the ground and into mystery and magic.
In my own story in this collection I try to make peace between the two angelic
hosts, an exercise of fantasy, I hasten to add, not theology (lest I be delated to the
Holy Office!).