Chapter Four. Monotheistic To A Certain Extent The ‘Good Neighbours’ Of God In Ireland

Abstract

From an emic point of view, Christianity is a monotheistic religion-a religion which acknowledges only one God. This chapter offers some of medieval and modern descriptions and evaluations of specific class of supernaturals known as aes side , or, popularly, fairies. It briefly looks at different evaluations of supernaturals in medieval Irish literature. It is important to note that aes side means the people of sid(e). This designation obviously suits inclusive monotheism very well, and reflects idea that they are neighbours of Irish. These neighbours, appearing as human beings, could be met on this earth; yet, they were believed to be essentially different from human beings-in this sense, they are neighbours of God of Christians. 'Good neighbours' is their euphemistic designation, which hints at their sinister characteristics. Keywords: aes side ; Christianity; God; medieval Irish literature; monotheistic religion

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