The Faerieland, sometimes referred to as Faerie, the land under the hill, or the Undying Lands, is the underground abode, palace or city dwelling of the faeries.
Description[]
The Faerie is massive, described as a realm and one can travel in it like in a country, and its corridors almost maze-like if traversed without a guide. It does not have a consistent layout and, thus, seems to change often. Though it does not tolerate being surveyed, thus no map of the land has ever been produced.[1] It is divided into Seelie and Unseelie territories,[2] and between these two exist a neutral space called the Borderlands, which is neither part of Faerie nor of the mortal world.[3]
Time flows at a different rate in the realm, sometimes slower, sometimes faster.[4] Seasons can change in the blink of an eye, mountains and caverns can appear where minutes before no such things were visible, and its rivers change their courses at the whim of some unknown force.[1]
Food or drinks from the land are known to have hallucinogenic and euphoric properties, particularly faerie narcotics and alcoholic beverages. When ingested, these may trap people, mundanes and Shadowhunters, in the Faerie until dismissed by the ruler of the Court. It is possible to convince or bargain with a faerie, to guarantee the protection and one's freedom; however, these deals are often subject to the usual faerie trickery and duplicity.
Entrances[]
Ley lines are used by Downworlders to create entrances to Faerie.[5]
There are several entrances to the land, most of which tend to be hidden and unguarded and are normally found in natural surroundings rather than in man-made areas; they are often given away by some aspect of their natural appearance that is "wrong" or "off"—like a reflection in water that does not match the world above the reflection. One known entrance is through Central Park, accessed by stepping backwards into the reflection of the moon on Turtle Pond; this path leads to the Seelie Court.[6]
Although commonly located in a single, permanent place, these entrances may be closed or moved when it becomes dangerous or unworkable. In the rare case when wars break out between fey courts, entrances are closed or guarded.[1]
Another way into Faerie is past the Gate of Lir, reached through the path, which only those with faerie blood can access. It is guarded by a phouka who collects a toll from those who wish to enter it.[2]
While there are presumably more passageways leading to different places, there are two known tunnels in Seelie Lands: one leads to the mundane world, and another goes to Hell, particularly Edom, though this one was supposedly destroyed by Sebastian Morgenstern.[4] In Unseelie Lands, there was briefly a Portal overlooking the world of Thule.[3] Otherwise, throughout Faerie, there are a number of hidden doors and passageways leading to other parts of Faerie. There are several in Unseelie territory leading into Seelie; handy for escapes.[2]
There is a faerie gate made of twisted branches deep in the woods of Brocelind Forest which leads into a glade that Horace Dearborn and later Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorn know of.[3]
History[]
The kiss[]
Late in 2007, the Seelie Queen requested an audience with the young Shadowhunters of the New York Institute. She had a knight, Meliorn, pass on a message to Isabelle Lightwood and her friends. They went to the Faerie, using the entrance at Central Park. They arrived at a tunnel filled with vines and were met by Meliorn, who escorted them to the throne room of the Queen, who wanted to discuss the recent death of one of her subjects. In particular, he wanted to meet with Clary and Jace.
Even before they arrived, the Queen already had a plan for them. During the meeting, a pixie offered Clary a drink with rose petals floating on top. Clary squeezed the petal and got some juice on her fingers, so when, after a sprite pricked her finger and drew blood, Clary sucked on it, she also unintentionally drank some of the juice, forcing Clary to stay in the Faerie unless she followed the advice of the Queen —to have the kiss she desired the most, which just happened to be with her 'brother', Jace. Though the Queen had already known that they were not actually siblings, she let them go on, playing on their conflicted feelings. When they finally kissed, she let them go.[7]
Faerie rings[]
At one point, Clary rung the bell that the Queen gave to her, if ever she finally decided that she needed help, in exchange for a favor to the Queen. With a group, they were brought back to the Faerie after the bell was rung. They asked for aid in the search for Jace, and the Queen promised to help them if Clary stole the faerie rings from the New York Institute's gallery.[8]
Road to Hell[]
In the Seelie Court, Sebastian Morgenstern became a frequent guest, particularly in the Queen's bedchamber.
While the Queen was speaking to Gwyn ap Nudd in the throne room, Clary, Jace, Alec, Isabelle, and Simon Portaled into the corridor just outside of the throne room; because of their undetected presence, the group overheard and learned of the Fair Folk's betrayal of the Nephilim. It was only after Meliorn came and told the Queen that the group revealed themselves. The confrontation led to Meliorn's death, and when other faeries came to help, Clary drew a rune on her doorway that blocked their way.
Making a deal with the Queen, she agreed to lead them to Hell, believing that they will not survive. The Queen swore, carefully worded, to not tell Jonathan that they "came" to the Faerie, and later told him that they had left for Hell.
Believing that Clary had agreed to be his queen, Jonathan sealed the borders and permanently closed the gates between Edom and the Faerie.[4]
Unseelie trial[]
Some time after the Cold Peace, the Unseelie King had Malcolm Fade cast a blight over parts of his land to render Shadowhunter magic useless.
In 2012, a group of Shadowhunters from Los Angeles entered Faerie through the Gate of Lir, using a faerie charm belonging to Cristina Rosales that bypassed the magic preventing those without faerie blood from accessing the moon's road. After paying the toll requested by the guardian, the group successfully made their way into Unseelie Lands. Along the way, they discovered the blight and found that they were unable to use their runes and weapons.
Despite this, they managed to save Kieran from execution and escape the Unseelie Court. They were saved from the King's forces by the faerie Nene and let into the Seelie Court where Kieran's wounds were treated. The group later had an audience with a gaunt-looking Seelie Queen, who bargained with them to retrieve the Black Volume of the Dead so she could rescue a stolen member of her Court. She then sent them home with the Wild Hunt.[2]
Trivia[]
- The land of Faerie is known by various names, such as: The Delightful Plain; The Place Beneath the Wave; The Lands of the Ever-Young.[2]
- There are a number of artifacts that can prevent the slippage of time in Faerie from affecting mortals. One of which is in the possession of the Rosales family—currently Cristina Rosales—and three with the Clave.
- Because of their extra angel blood, Clary Fairchild and Jace Herondale are also protected.[3]
- It's speculated that Faerieland is a dimension apart from the known world.[1]
- According to Mark, there are no STDs in Faerie.[5]