Well OK guys this isn't really a life changing issue but I think this might be the right place for this question. If not, do feel free to move it

I am a Pagan and I work for the Pagan Federation in the UK as a local co-ordinator in my area. This involves organising and attending talks and workshops at the local shop. Anyhoo, in my infinite wisdom (), I actually volunteered to do a talk in the Autum about Fairies. My working title is "Do you believe in fairies?".

I am gathering information slowly but surely on the mythology and belief behind fairies and stories or peoples encounters or indeed stories about peoples non-belief (if that's the right term).

So what do you guys think? Do you believe in them? If so, why? If not, why?

Thanks guys.....it's all in the name of Pagan research!

Sam

Wasn't there a big scandaly hoax a looong time ago about two little girls pretending they saw fairies? I'm sure I saw a documentary on that sometime

What are fairies actually then?

Yeah there was. They turned out to be cardboard cut-outs (the fairies thait is, not the girls) but it only got exposed one helluva of lot of years l8er! I don'y believe in them myself, i have ab road mind and imagination, and believe in many things, but fairies ain't one of them. Dunno why really, probably like many other things, there just ain't the substantial proof out there.

I belive in them.. if George Bush can cheat at a national election in America, I belive in anything
Actually check out the stories about the little mummies in Wyoming USA. Some prospectors found a itty bitty mummy, no larger than the palm of your hand sitting in a meditative position sealed up inside a mountian. Since that time they have found several of these things. Some of them can be attributed to mumified premature babies, but some are so well developed it is hard to belive that these creatures didnt live to be 60-70 years old.

Here is one legend,
Pygmy Demons
Indian legends of the Arapahoe, Sioux, Cheyenne, and Crow tell of "tiny people eaters" who stand 20 inches tall. This legend was supported when an actual Pygmy person was found mummified in a local cave. The Pygmy mummy was brought to town and shown to various people. Over the years the pygmy mummy has brought bad luck and omens to those who possessed it. The Indian people still warn others to beware of the "tiny people eater" as they are rumored to still live a hidden life in the mountains and high places of Wyoming. Such a 'pygmy' was found in the Pedro Mountains by two gold miners. They burrowed into a natural pocket in the granite rock and found, on a ledge, a 19 inch mummy. The mine came to be called the 'Little Man', as a result.

Here is a pic and a link. Remember it has been scientificaly proven this is not a fairy or pygmy, but as a wiccian I am not completely convinced.

pedro mountian mummy

I could go on for hours about this but this was the case of The Cottingley Fairies. 2 young girls, Frances and Elsie in Cottingley (Yorkshire) claimed to have seen fairies in a 'beck' (small place with stream) near their house. They took cameras down to the stream and alledgedly photographed fairies in the 1917 (I think). Anyway the hoax was revealed in the 1980's if I remember correctly when both women admitted to 4 out of the 5 pictures being fake (hat pins and cardboard cut outs). Well, neither of them would admit that the 5th picture was a fake and they both claimed to have taken it themselves (i.e. Elsie said it was her and Frances said it was her). It would explain the theory of a double exposure though.

Anyhoo, long story short, the photos aren't real but they never claimed that fairies weren't.

What are fairies? Hmmm, have you got 5 hours? There are many explanations and I think you should believe whatever works for you. They have been claimed to be anything from nature spirits who protect and nurture nature, spirits from the underworld who haven't rested yet, the last of a race of small people in the North (Picts) and finally to figments of peoples imagination. I personally go with the nature theory with a smattering of old souls. Whatever they may be I have seen one and therefore believe in them

Perhaps you'll all think I'm just mad and certifiably insane but who am I hurting my believing in them? No one that's who!

Once I've written my talk I could always post it or email it to those who are interested?

Sam

Ahhhaa, a fellow Witch I wouldn't class myself as Wiccan but do hold to some of the tenants of that 'religion'.

Excellent story which I shalll add to my pile of research

Sam

well technically I am not Wiccian either.. it is just easier to explain that way Mine are a strange mix of teachings. When ya got time I'll tell ya about it one day

Feel free to email me or PM me about them. I'm intrigued. I'd class myself as a Pagan rather than a witch/wiccan/druid. I have an eclectic mix of stuff too!

Sam

Okay get comfortable... lol jj
I was raised in a family of root (pronounced rut) workers.. also known as country witches. My grandmother was one of these strange birds that farmers would come to when crops where dying, it wasn’t raining, all the cattle where sick, family members where dying off strangely... etc... well she would work out a root nip for them, different herbs, roots, secret stuff, etc... she would 'talk' to the earth and convince it to rain.. she would work there soil and there crops would produce etc. She would also call up storms if someone crossed her. This was passed down to my mother and myself from my grandmother. They where also influenced by southern Baptist culture as well, being good god fearing Christian women... I did not inherit that though
After spending a couple of months tracing our family tree I found that my mothers side originated in central Europe, most likely traveling people. Hence there knowledge of natural workings.
I started to be obsessed with the pagan ways when I was about 7-8. I was forced to go to a Christian church but had no desire to go. I read all of my mothers and grandmothers shadow books by the time I was 11, and I had started my own as well. My mom was friends with a fortune teller lady who taught me the fine art of tarot and palms, along with encouragement from my mom I became quite good at it. When I was 13 I cast my first spell, the scary thing is that it worked. My cousin married this girl and they now have 3 kids. He had no desire to even go out with her before the spell.. But I learned from that these gifts are nothing to play with, she turned out to be a scum bag but he is blindly in love with her. Of course I blame myself for this. So that brings me to today, I practice solitary now. With only a few friends I help and practice with. I am having issues working out the religion side of things. I have always looked at my gift as just that, a gift from my family and mother earth.

I'm not a Pagan. No no. Or a Wiccan. Nuh-uh. Or much of anything really except probably a laid-back agnostic.

But I love faeries. I probably am a faerie with invisible wings.

Are faeries real? I am not sure. Probably not. In the real sense anyway. The legend of faeries is so comforting and charming though, it does make me believe that each of us does have a little spiritual entity helping us along through our tough times. Could these be faeries? Maybe. I sure hope so.

That was a vague and obscure explanation of my stand on the matter. Sorry about that.

But...do you get what I am saying?

Fairies ... I'm not sure... o_0.. I've never really thought about it. I do believe, though, that there ARE elves that are real... *coughmecough*... It's... just... a feeling... o_0

this is interesting.... For some reason, I have never even considered the possibility of fairies being real.... ghosts, angels, etc.... but not fairies. I just always thought they were cute in pictures and stories... and blew them off as nothing more than a myth.

We have the Tylwyth Teg in Wales - literally meaning 'little' or 'fair' people they are a race of faeries who live near in or near lakes, streams and hollows in the hills. There are a lot of legends about them in Wales, and I guess I've always believed them to be real - it's more a question of not doubting that they exist - we've got faery rings all over the place, and plenty of strange goings-on. Wonder if that's of any use?

I don't believe in faeries. I really like the thought of faeries, but since I tend not to actually believe in entities or mystical creatures without proof, then I don't really believe in them. My response is most closely aligned with that of Sarah the Spider's. She pretty much said everything I think about it.

Thanks for everyone's input. I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner but I didn't realise there were any responses as they weren't showing on my 'puter

Thanks for your explanation ravein! VERY interesting.

Whether fairies exist of not is a toughey and I am always interested in people's views on the matter.

As with a lot of things in life it's all subjective

Spam

I reckon fairies probably did exist (and probably do). I don't mean as in cute winged chicks who cast spells but some kind of pygmy race who probably played tricks on humans, hence the legends. England used to completely covered in forest so that would of been a good enviroment for a small race who rely on being sneaky. Remember that homosapiens have only relatively recently been the only subspecies of human left (as far as we know. I also believe that a few other sub species survived, hence bigfoot and yetis and stuff.

i dunno.....i don't claim to know that anything does or doesn't exist, but like others, fairies seem a charming thing that i would like to exist, but i doubt they do. i always loved fairy tales as a kid, and wished that something magical would happen to me..lol. no luck with that as of yet.

I belive in them...but then again I belive in alot of things most dont.

Ya...finally a topic that my av actually goes with..I dont think faries r real but if they were,i would want one.. i wouldnt keep it in a cage or anything because it deserves to be free..but i think it would be cool if they did exsist...my friend marieas mother said that one day she was sitting outside and looked up in the tree and saw a pincone fAiry.it told her not to be afraid.she was sure it was her son joey talking to her from the other side.. maybe we all have fairys,like a good luck charm...i want to find out more about those lil ppl so im going to go to the site...just thot i would say that..but fairys totally rock...real or not

wow...so u r saying u can make ppl fall in love with eachother?thats cool...ppl think witches r evil but i dont think they r.ppl call them evil because they r different and quite frankly they r just jealous i think.my mom forbids me of anything to do with magic and spirits and al lthat...but as a child,a man visited me as well as a woman..they werent like ppl but spirits..i was 1 and i told my mom about it and she got kinda freaked out...ive never seen them again but i kinda would like them to come back..wuts wierd tho is that im totally afraid of ghosts..and i have a photographic memory...its wierd because i seem to forget everything but i can remember the scenery of a road that i went down like 7 years ago,my mom thinks i mite have a gift but i dont know...

ooo slightly off-topic but also related as they are also mythical creatures...i also would like mermaids to exist. that'd just be really cool. i always wanted to be one when i was little lol. i realize i'm probably being silly, but i think they're neat.

*goes to search for mermaid avs..and changes custom al bhed title to "candice the mermaid"*

tee hee

my personal belief is that there are some strange things in this world, so it is possable that anything could exist. but i also cant believe in anything until it is explained/proven in a way that can make me believe that the said thing is real. (confused yet?). to put it more clearly, i like the idea of faerie folk excisting, but i cant believe that they are real.

I could when I was younger.. I dont now cause I chose not to. I was to young to understand that choices made of free will are happy choices. But there is nothing wrong with nudging someone in the right direction I belive that there is nothing to magical about magic.. I belive that everything is energy, and just as with a TV you can pick up energy and you can transmit energy. These are the forces behind spell work, ghosts, etc... you are finding ways to channel you natural energy toward other people to -insert desired effect here-.

ya...my mom still thinks its evil,which is kinda dumb because in a way everything is a bit evil...i think we have all strayed from the topic tho./..
as for fairys being real or not...i have reasonable doubt that they are but i dont entirely not believe in them...sorry bout the spam..

Actually you're not off topic at all! Mermaids are considered within the same bracket as fairies, elves, goblins, etc., etc. So don't worry I also would like them to be real.

Personally I believe in fairies as I believe I have seen one in Cornwall while I was on holiday in a tiny little cottage. It was a weird experience and not like you'd think.

Fairies are not like Disney make them out to be (except maybe Tinkerbell who was rebellious). Personally I think they should be respected and to a certain extent feared. I agree with a previous persons comments (sorry I've forgotten your name) about them being a pigmy race as this is one theory put forward to explain fairies.

It's interesting to get everyone's views

If you want to PM me with your stories about them real or not then please do. All research is gratefully received right now!

Sam

i suppose their existence is possible

I don't know about the Disney version of fairies being real. But I do believe that there is something out there that gave rise to all the legends. Maybe not something concrete, exactly, but something. I can feel it whenever I go out into the woods or the mountains. Maybe nature spirits would be the term for what I sense, I don't know.

Glad I'm not the only Witch on the board! I'm solitary eclectic Wiccan, although I'd LOVE to be part of a coven! Too bad I live in the boonies in the south.....::pouts::

you should start an online coven feylila, for all of the people like you and i who live in areas that are *ahem* less open to ideas that differ from their own...lol

i kinda know what you mean about nature spirits too. whenever someone asks my mom why she doesn't go to church, she tells them that her church is by a lake or in the woods......i've sort of always felt that way, though lol i feel strange talking about it!

there has to be something that caused all these legends to form in such different areas of the world. though what it is, i don't pretend to know.

i definitely believe in fairies, mermaids, gnomes, dwarves, etc. i just think that the picture everyone has when they hear those words is a highly romanticized version, and the actual creatures are quite different. i imagine fairies are similar to bugs in that they can camoflauge themselves, or hide so well or only go out at night or something. about mermaids, maybe they just live so far out in the ocean that no one has ever seen them. the only time anyone ever sees giant squids are when they die, and maybe mermaids are sophisticated enough not to leave a dead body floating around.

Hmmm....an internet coven......ideas ideas!

i believe in faeries......in a mixture of ways...my religion is also all screwy, b/c of the church i grew up in, we have our set of christians, pagans, wiccans, hindu, buddhists, etc. its b/c we are all religion accepting....the only place that has ever discriminated me is my school, where my nickname is "witch" (although i technicaly am not, i really wish i was) i watched the documantary on the two girls and thought it was interesting, but not entirely satisfactory to discredit or prove....however, i do believe there is something out there (i even think i had a sighting or two when i was little, but not anymore ) oh well...

i never really thought about it untill now

i would...i unno...i'm too lazy to look anything up or think about it...thinking hurts...ow

anything's possible...well, not anything...but y'know








Narf

I definately believe in fairies! The idea of "mythical/magical creatures" has been around for centuries and lets face it most humans dont have the sort of imagination it takes to come up with these creatures without at least some degree of truth to it. Im fairly sure I've seen ghosts so im gonna give these things the benifit of the doubt until someone finda a way to prove me wrong.

Btw another witch for the list if anyones counting

everything she said,


cept im not wiccan.

Lol did I say I was a wiccan? I dont believe i did Witch yes, Wiccan no

eek sorry!

Hehe s'kay

Theres kinda a fundamental difference between wiccan and what i do: Wiccan is purely for white magic (dont get angry yet, hear me out im not evil)

Everything in the universe has to balance out, therefore being a purely white witch means that somewhere there must be a purely dark witch. If you can use dark magic but choose not to, that means that you "balance yourself out" so no dark or light witch has to exist so you dont upset things.

Ofc it does mean you hve to have some element of self control, but most people have that anyway.

sorry i just assumed u were wiccan cause...... um i dont know why, i just assume alot of the time .

hehe np at all

most people do

This has kinda gone a bit off topic but that's OK. Do any of you witches or Wiccans out there use fairy magic at all? I've never done it but I have read about it. It's something I would only use with extreme caution as fairies/fae/fay can be a bit mischevious (sp?)

Sam
x

Ill try anything once. Would be interesting to see what happens.

I'm still learning about fairies but looking back at what I wrote in my previous posts I actually have quite a bit of knowledge stored up now. I think, having seen what I considered to be a fairy, it would be wonderful to do some magick with them but I don't think I am 'magickally' ready. If that makes sense?

Sam
x

Kinda.

Well I don't have much experience with magick and fae magick is quite advanced as they can be trouble if you don't treat them with reverance or respect. It'd be like learning to swim by throwing myself in at the deep end of a swimming pool! Not a good idea

Sam
x

Hehe I'd say the most dangerous magic is the spells that deal with emotions particularly hate and love. The fact that the subject of the spell is unperedictable makes the spell unpredictable, i dont think anyone could get a love spell totally right.

I don't like to deal with love and hate magick. Although I'm not strictly a Wiccan I don't like dealing with other people's will. I get that you can do love magick without actually affecting a persons free will but there is such a fine line I'd be worried about crossing it Plus the person involved is always gonna blame you when their life doesn't run to plan even if you explain that spells work as you need them to not as you want them to

This is another reason for not working with fae....the unpredictabiltiy of it all. It's something only a practised witch should attempt from what I've read anyway.

Sam
x

I'd try it if someone wanted me to do it with them, and id probably try it anyway if it seemed to be safe/ok, but i wouldnt mess around with fae magic, and i definately wouldnt undertake it lightly so to speak. How do you know if your spell will be answered by good or bad fae?

I don't think there are 'good' and 'bad' like you have good and evil things. They are a bit of both just like humans. Some are more nasty than others. You can't guarantee you'll get the wrong 'type' unfortunately and that is why you should just be careful with fae, and indeed all, magick. We can't understand it all and we should have respect for that

Sam
x

Ok lets not get into the good versus evil debate here i didnt mean it that way . I just mean you have no idea what the fae who answers ill be like and how spiteful/mischevious they could be.