Read on Twitter
My take on the fae/faer pronoun discourse, as a half Scottish/half Irish Hellenic and Celtic pagan:
A Thread
A Thread
This thread isn response to a thread that is going around, saying that the fae/faer pronoun set is disrespectful to the fae.
please note that this is just my take on the situation as someone who uses fae/faer pronouns and is from the culture in question. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
I'm also not trying to direct hate at OP at all, in other threads they have made a LOT of good points that need to be said.
I am just giving my own opinion on the topic as someone who is Celtic and is a practitioner of Celtic paganism.
I am just giving my own opinion on the topic as someone who is Celtic and is a practitioner of Celtic paganism.
To start off, what are the fae/faer pronouns? Fae/faer pronouns are a set of neo-pronouns that is themed around the idea of the Fair Folk (the fae).
The biggest thing that I feel needs to be cleared up, is that Celtic pagans do not worship the Fair Folk (the fae). They are nature beings, and many of us choose to work with them, but they are not gods.
Gods are on a different level from the Fair Folk. To put it into prospective, a Celtic pagan worshipping the Fair Folk would be like a Hellenic pagan worshiping the satyrs or the gorgons. It just doesn't make sense.
That's not to say that the Fair Folk shouldn't be treated with deep respect, because they should be. They are very powerful beings and they can fuck your life over if you are not careful.
HOWEVER
Using a neopronoun set that is themed around the fae is not disrespecting them. It is not saying that you are on the same level as the fae, it is more like saying that you draw inspiration from them, like thousands of artists before.
Using a neopronoun set that is themed around the fae is not disrespecting them. It is not saying that you are on the same level as the fae, it is more like saying that you draw inspiration from them, like thousands of artists before.
Remember, they are not gods, they are nature beings, so treatment for the fae is different than it is for gods.
The fae is also a blanket term for THOUSANDS of different Celtic nature beings, so it's not directly disrespecting individual fae, nor is it invading the Fair Folk's space.
If one was trying to say that they were one of the fae, or saying that by using the pronouns they are the fae, then that would be HIGHLY disrespectful and they better prepare for their life to take a shit turn.
Also, fae do not have gender.
There are fae that are male presenting, fae that are female presenting, fae that have no gender presentation at all, are similar to animals, or somewhere in between.
But they do not have gender.
There are fae that are male presenting, fae that are female presenting, fae that have no gender presentation at all, are similar to animals, or somewhere in between.
But they do not have gender.
So using a pronoun set that pulls inspiration from a group of beings that are of all gender presentations while not having the same concept of gender can be extremely validating for those on the non-binary spectrum.
Using the argument that using pronouns that draw inspiration from the fae is stupid as fuck anyway, because artists and musicians have been drawing inspiration from them for centuries. its not disrespectful to the fae, because the fae are creatures of creativity.
Personally, using a pronoun set that is themed around the fae helps me not only lower my dysphoria, but also helps me feel more connected to my craft, my beliefs, and my culture.
It is NOT me trying to say that I am ~one with the fae~ or any of that stuff. It's me trying to cope with my ever-shifting dysphoria in a way that is separate from the gender binary/ gender trinary.
It's just an added bonus that it also gives me a way to feel closer to my culture.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask in the comments, I'm happy to help!!!
In conclusion, there's nothing wrong with using fae/faer pronouns, the fae don't have genders in the first place, don't invalidate others identities, let's be respectful to every religion, an most of all, don't talk over others beliefs.
A close moot made a TL:DR thread going over the gist of what i said https://twitter.com/littlebearjoon/status/1279536341349523458?s=20
A few things I would like to add:
please only use them if you have not had a negative experience with the fae, as to continue using them after possibly offending them is mockery of them.
be respectful and conscious of the fae if you use these pronouns, because the fae+
please only use them if you have not had a negative experience with the fae, as to continue using them after possibly offending them is mockery of them.
be respectful and conscious of the fae if you use these pronouns, because the fae+
do not appreciate being disrespected
