#mythfolk

Announcing the sixth annual Shining Hearth, a free online gathering of Elves, Fae, Sidhe, and adjacent folk! It will be held on March 27-29, 2026, the fourth weekend in March, on our Discord server. (If you are unfamiliar with Discord, we have a guide for newcomers here.) (PDF, 3.37 MB) As always, we plan to have workshops and discussions, games and watch parties, music, and of course plenty of time just to hang out and chat. You can get all the details and sign up for our newsletter on our website.

As with last year, we're starting out with an expanded schedule framework, hoping to have more offerings at times of the day that are more accessible to those attending from the eastern hemisphere. To do so we will need to have presenters willing to present at suitable times, staff to do presenter check-in duties and moderate chat, and streamers to host video watch parties or run games! If you are a member of any otherkind spaces that are focused on those regions (or just have a high population of non-North-Americans) where you could assist with outreach, or have any other brainstorms, we welcome any suggestions and advice. If you're in Europe/Africa/Asia/Australia/wherever yourself, we encourage you to consider applying to present or be staff, or volunteering to stream a movie (or similar item) or host a game session.

Please note that the event and server are 18+ only. For more information about our policies, see the FAQ.

Important dates: Presenter sign-ups: November 14, 2025 - January 16, 2025 General registration: January 1 - March 26, 2026 Staff sign-ups: January 31 - March 2, 2026 Schedule posted: mid-February 2026 The gathering: March 27-29, 2026

And that's one part where fictionfolk and mythfolk can converge, is it not? Where we can empathise with each other?

people tell stories about faeries and other mythfolk , and that is part of what make up folklore . even still , for various reasons faerie was not necessarily word of choice , even in english . these stories might come from particular regions , but also share aspects with neighbours , and sometimes even strangers farther away - to point that faerie can be unclear designation for those who study folklore .

as well , not all faerie kith have folkloric counterparts - whether because these folk stay hidden from humans through history , particular stories end up lost to time , humans observe but never find any way to categorise more specifically , only seem to emerge long after storytellers die down , or otherwise . 

sometimes , someone is mythfolk that could easily categorise as faerie , but that individual reject place among faeries . sometimes , whether someone fall under category is just unclear , especially as words might refer to several different ideas and stories . other times , faerie might have form that resemble some other mythfolk , but those creatures largely not faeries . is aos sí faerie ? sure , until god . is mermaid faerie ? yes , and no , and sometimes in between . is dryad faerie ? probably not , until yes . 

also , faeries not really geographically bound . even different otherworlds and underworlds that associate with particular earthly regions could potentially have entrances anywhere , especially as humans of those regions move around world and bring echoes of history along . even so , that is not to say that other regions simply " misidentify " faeries to be something else , or that faerie is correct universal term - those creatures and mythical peoples still very much separate . 

faeries can be born - though that word choice can sometimes be can of worms too - in these worlds beneath earth , or , up on surface . as kossai experience and observe , but still would not say universal , such earth-surface faeries can form core connections to aspects from environment of birth . that is not to say inherently protector or guardian , but that might consider such to be important part of selfhood , and reflect this aspect bodily in some way . 

Sorry for throwing so much at you at once! I’m very curious and have wanted to follow up for a while now.

Thank you for your time! <3

Mythology & Folklore (Philippine Edition): Genderless Deity

General registration for Shining Hearth is open! Register to attend here. If you are already a member of the server, you do not need to register again.

"What's Shining Hearth?" It's a free online gathering of Elves, Fae, Sidhe, and adjacent folk, held on Discord on the fourth weekend in March (March 27-29, 2026). The server and event are 18+ only. (If you are completely new to Discord, we have a newcomers' guide here. (PDF, 3.37 MB) There are workshops and discussions, games and watch parties, music, and plenty of time just to hang out and chat. For more information, see our website.

"Do I have to be Elf/Fae/Sidhe/Tuatha?" No; others are welcome. However, those kinds are our target audience, and we stick to that theme as much as possible.

"When will the schedule be posted?" We aim for mid-February. So far we've received proposals about fairy genealogy, alterhuman LARPing, fairy glamour, soundscapes for meditation and other 'kin-related purposes, intuitive faery art, and color magic. We will likely see the return of the perennially popular Realm of Refuge, and possibly have a ritual working on Bringing Home the Balefire.

"What's Shining Hearth?" It's a free online gathering of Elves, Fae, Sidhe, and adjacent folk, held on Discord on the fourth weekend in March (March 27-29, 2026). The server and event are 18+ only. There are workshops and discussions, games and watch parties, music, and plenty of time just to hang out and chat. For more information, see our website.

We're now about halfway through the sign-up period to present at Shining Hearth. About 40% of the timeslots aimed at the Americas have been taken and we've had one signup from Australasia so far (yay!), so there's plenty more still available, especially in the Europe block. Applications will be accepted through January 16th (one more month), or while space is available. Presenter application form