The Origins of Faeries
Where did faeries come from? One theory suggests that they were the Tribes of the Goddess Danu, or Tuatha de Danaan, a seafaring people who lived near the Aegean Sea. The Danaans were a magical race, and adept at blacksmithing. Invaders drove them northward, out of Greece, and eventually they arrived in Ireland.
The legend says that the Danaans came to Ireland on a ship of dark clouds. They brought with them three treasures: the stone of destiny, the spear of Lugh, and the sword of Nuada (Light).
More than two centuries later, when the Milesians invaded, the Danaans retreated into the hills and mounds (sidhe). They made their homes in raths (circular enclosures surrounded by an earthen wall), invisible to human eyes.
Thus, the Danaans became the faery folk of Ireland, also called “aes sidhe” the people of the mounds, or the “grey ones.”
Tangled Magic 