Since ancient times, humans have imagined that the world is teeming with creatures of supernatural powers. These mythical creatures vary by region and their tales are passed down through generations. Among the plethora of such creatures, there’s one that has become so popular you see them in movies, novels, comics, paintings, and just practically anywhere. Let’s have a closer look at these magnificent creatures – the fairies.
What are Fairies?
Fairies are often depicted as small magical creatures resembling human beings. At least, that’s how modern culture describes them. In the old age, fairies were thought of as minor deities, spirits of the dead, or hidden race of humanoid people shunned away by human civilizations.
Have anyone seen actual fairies?
Fairy sighting claims are not rare. A stunning 44% of British people claimed to have seen fairies. Such was the result of a survey conducted by Dr. Simon Young and Dr. Ceri Houlbrook, the writers of Magical folk: British and Irish fairies: 500 AD to the present. The book describes the how and why fairies became the way they are. It’s an interesting book that reads like a historical thesis instead of the work of people obsessed with fairies.
So, fairies are real then?
Whoaaa! Let’s not jump into conclusions here. Despite the large number of people who believe in the existence of fairies, science still hasn’t proved it yet.
Let’s take a look at the meticulous prank two young girls did about a hundred years ago. Elsie Wright and Frances Griffith were only 16 and 9 when these cousins fooled the world with their photographs of fairies.
In 1917, the two girls took five pictures of fairies in the village of Cottingley in West Yorkshire. The first photo out of five showed Frances Griffiths
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author who created the character Sherlock Holmes, was one of the many who were fascinated with the photos. He described them as clear evidence of psychic phenomena.
Six decades later, the cousins confessed that the photos were faked. The fairies were nothing but cardboard cutouts of fairies taken from children’s books.
The reason why they couldn’t bring themselves to confess earlier was that they had Doyle fooled into believing the photos. Doyle’s credibility was at stake. The girls thought the best course of action at the time was to shut their mouths. Interestingly, even after the confession, Frances claimed that the fifth photo, titled Fairies and Their Sun-Bath, was real.
But, what if the fairies ARE real?
Even if they’re real, you may want to stay clear of fairies. Modern stories generally depict fairies as helpful creatures. However, in traditional folklore, fairies are malevolent and not the kind of creatures you want to hang around with.
Centuries ago, parents often told the stories of how fairies will eat children who dare play by the lake or in the forest. Of course, those stories are mostly to scare children so they will avoid dangerous places. Oddly enough, some of the stories from the 44% of people who said they’ve seen fairies confirmed the stories somewhat.
So, are you still interested in going to the woods to find fairies this summer? We suggest you postpone that plan just in case you actually stumble upon real fairies and they turn out to be as hostile as the medieval people told. Play it safe and just listen to some fairies ambient sounds from ambient-mixer.com
