FAIRY SIGHTINGS Throughout the World by Rev. Carol A. Ingle (Raven)

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

FAIRY SIGHTINGS Throughout the World

 

Fairies are tricky little creatures. They slip in and out of shadows, hide behind flower buds, and sneak through twilight. Though fairy lore goes back generations, actual proof of their existence is limited. On very rare occasions, a human is blessed with just a small glimpse of the very magical fairy.

 

When we first opened, we at FairyGarden's put out a call for any experiences people may have had with the little people. Almost a year later, the reports have started to appear. Everyday folk have spotted them just at the edges of their vision, heard them whisper in the night and spotted evidence of their visits.

 

We have reprinted, with permission, the stories of these lucky people. If you have a story of your own, we would love to hear it!

 

At this point all of the stories you read will not be edited. We have so many letters coming in and it takes too much time to correct spelling, order of words, and punctuation.

 

http://www.fairygardens.com/sightings

 

The First Photographic Evidence?

In the summer of 1917, two young girls - Elsie Wright and her cousin, Frances Griffiths - claimed to have spotted and photographed a group of fairies by Cottingley beck, a small brook in rural England. The photos, one shown to the right, captured the nations imagination. It baffled the experts and seemed to be absolute proof in the existence of little people. Even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, was convinced.

It wasn't until decades later that Elsie admitted that the photos had been faked - with images cut out of magazines. Her cousin, Frances, also admitted to faking some of the images, but contended until her death in 1986 that one of the photographs was indeed genuine. It appears that, in the end, the matter is not so cut and dry as the skeptics would like you to believe!

The incident continues to inspire modern folklore and story telling. LADY COTTINGLEY'S PRESSED FAIRY BOOK, a whimsical book by Terry Jones and illustrated by Brian Froud, acknowledges the significance this event still has on our collective imagination.

For more information about this event and the role Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had in it's fame, please visit the Aurthur Conan Doyle Society Site. For more information about Cottingley Village, visit Cottingley Connect

To learn more about different kinds of fairies and the folk lore surrounding them, visit Enchanted Encounters!