Thereās a certain kind of stillness today. Not empty, just the sense of something being out there. Of hearing the magic of the world and nature better. There are glimmering and sunshiny presences, beings made of fairy dust and light. š§š»
Beltane hasnāt arrived yet. Itās waiting. And something in the world feels loosened, like the edges arenāt holding as tightly as they usually do. The air is softer, but sharper too. As if itās paying attention back.
They say this is when the veil thins. Not tomorrow: now. In this in-between.
You donāt suddenly see anything. Itās quieter than that. A flicker where there shouldnāt be one. The sense that something moved just outside your focus.
The old stories call them the Fae. Not gentle, not kind, just there. Drawn to sweetness, to gardens, to edges. To places where things are just beginning to grow wild.
I was reading about willow today. How it bends, how it belongs to water and the moon. Thereās that idea that if you shape a small circle from it and look through, you might catch a glimpse of something you usually miss. Not because it appears, but because you finally notice! This is called a Willow Faerie Eye.
Days and nights like this change the way you see.
If you step outside at dusk, to the edge of somethingāgarden, forest, waterāand just stand there for a momentā¦ the world feels slightly off-balance. Alive in a way that doesnāt belong entirely to us. That is... the presence of the Fae.
I was inspired in part by Anjou Kiernanās beautiful book, The Ultimate Guide to the Witchās Wheel of the Year
Burn your Beltane fires high! Even if it's a candle, like for me it will be this year.
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The True Story Behind The Cottingley Fairies And The 5 REAL Fairy Sightings You Have To Hear About
Itās a simple story.
Two young girls in a quiet corner of West Yorkshire happened to be playing by a small brook at the bottom of a garden, and claimed they saw some fairies.
So convinced they were by what they saw that they took a camera and photographed their new friends.
This is where things get complicated.
They took 5 pictures. 4 were debunked. The final picture to this day has not been proven fraudulent.
The Cottingley Fairies sent the spiritualist world - and the non-believers surrounding it - into disarray, confirming that these mythical creatures detailed for centuries across the globe did in fact exist.
Or did they?
Whether you believe in these Bradford-based fae folk or not, the numerous sightings from around the UK might justĀ make you think again.
What Are Fairies?
Gone are the innocent, winged creatures, sprinkling fairy dust over sleeping children and taking selfies with Northerners.
Fairies are actually a**holes.
Fae Folk, as they are also known, are mythical creatures native to Europe, with the epicentre apparently being here, in the UK. The thing is, just like the tale of the Cottingley Fairies, fae folklore is quite complex.
We havenāt even decided on the form they supposedly take according to lore. Some say they are demoted angels or demons for those of the Christian fate, others say they are minor pagan deities, a couple say they are spirits of the dead, and a few even claim they are prehistoric beings that existed before humans did.
And thatās if you believe if theyāre not metaphysical.
Yet despite this theoretical divergence, if it often believed that they are humanoid figures with magical powers and a tw*tty disposition. Basically, they like to stir sh*t up.
Itās for this reason that most historic folklore regarding fairies doesnāt resemble the helpful Tinkerbell in the slightest, but rather focuses on how to get rid of 'em.
Whether youāre ringing church bells, wearing clothing inside-out, whipping out four-lead clovers, or using alternative charms to that effect, warding off these creatures is pretty important if you want to stay alive.
When theyāre not featuring on lovable Disney Channel movies inspiring young girls that women are in fact amazing, theyāre leading travellers down dangerous paths, causing TB and a variety of infant deformities - or kidnapping the young children instead.
And itās that latter bit, you know, the whole stealing babies bit, which should be given waaay more attention.
Ever wondered if your baby brother had been knicked by fairies and replaced by an alternative fairy child? Me too. Your brother, according to lore, would be known as a changeling. That being said, this was popularised in medieval times as a way to explain medical problems that couldnāt be treated or provided for.
Despite the wide berth of folklore not quite covered in Peter Panās movies, we do need to consider one last bit of theory: like witches, they can often take the guise of an animal. The most common example of this is in Scotland where the fairies often take the form of deer.
What Was The Real Story Behind The Cottingley Fairies?
Letās be real.
Iām a paranormal blogger - I know Iām gullible.
But I also know that the Cottingley Fairies was a hoax. Well, just about anyway.
The Cottingley Fairies were the creatures captured in five photographs taken by cousins Elise Wright and Frances Griffiths in 1917 (both 9 and 16 years of age). But it was only in the 1980s - after they have been at the centre of a media storm - that Elise and Francis admitted the photographs did not depict real fairies.
Instead, they used the Eva Carriere method of cardboard cutouts to pretend they had indeed met fae folk.
Despite this, there are 2 things that still cast doubt over the āthis-is-utter-BSā verdict:
First, Elsie maintained that she believed the camera hadnāt captured fairies, but rather the thoughts of a 9 year old girl up until her death. Frances furthered the claims of a supernatural occurrence when she confirmed that the final picture - the one below - was in fact real.
No cardboard cutouts, no doctoring via exposure or Spirit Photography methodsā¦
All we know is something happened down there at Cottingley Beck.
5 Cray-Cray Sightings Of Fairies
Do you want to see a fairy? Want to capture evidence of a demoted demon on a midnight stroll? Itās, like, super easy, trust me.
First, go to a public place. Yeah, anywhere you want.
Then, start having sex with someone. Yep, right there, in a public place. Go ahead.
Oh, thatās not for you? Huh.
Well, it worked for these guys.
#1 - A Cornish Couple Have A, Ahem, Intimate Moment
This Essex couple were probably looking for rural, wild adventures often found in the rustic lifestyle of the West Country, and itās safe to say they got what they bargained for.
So - theyāre getting down to business in a forest.
They then get so into the moment that they notice small fairy lights glowing around them, and ālittle peopleā watching them. No, I donāt think they meant people with dwarfism - but the small, gnome-sized beings often mentioned in such stories.
The thing is, this isnāt the only erotic (*c-e-ringe*) encounter involving fairies.
A pair of three foot tall fairies have also been seen having similar relations of their own, but given the estimated heights of these entities, it is more likely that they were actually humansā¦
That being said, the heights of fairies - as with all components of their appearance - is often contested. Some say they can be the heights of leaves, or even stretch to 15 feet.
#2 - The Beastly Duo
A couple of friends were enjoying a breath of fresh air when they saw something rather peculiar on the ground.
It was grey, and it was lumpy - āamorphousā as they described it. They approached slowly, convinced it was some dog or a deer perhaps. But then it changed.
It shifted into a branch, and then reformed again into two female figures. With long flowing dresses and wings on their backs, they began to laugh. And it was their laughter that was the oddest thing about this situation:
āTheir laughter was felt in my whole being, [it was] like a babbling brook or rustling leaves.ā
This wood-based experience is actually vital to fairy folklore - no less than 27% of modern sightings took place in the woods.
#3 - The Fairy Rave
Whilst no one - no humans, nor fairies - were having sex in this sighting, this was definitely an erotic moment, to say the least.
So, from what I can tell, some female fairies were dancing in a sexy fashion, laughing and smiling. Then, there was this odd drumming noise. It grew louder, and faster, and the dancing too grew more intense.
Then, this small āmudmanā (an entity made of mud, I guess) rocked up, and the fairies got really excited and were squealingā¦
Yeah, me neither.
#4 - The Fiery Fairies of Lanarkshire
Flaming fairies are often reported by those that claim to have witnessed the mythical creatures. In Scotland - where fairy folklore is pretty specific to the kinds of fairies they have, such as Asharays which dwell near water sources - fairies in small red dresses have been sighted. On top of this, in Mull, another area of Scotland, giant figures topping out at 12 feet tall with a burning fiery aura were seen.
This brings us to an important point about fae folk: the sightings tend to collect around specific hotspots in the UK, just like how the Scottish have their own regional types of fairies.
Cornwall, Devon, and Essex are the most popular regions for fairy sightings, but the accounts are actually spread quite evenly across the country. Hereās a map to show this diversity across the UK:
#5 - The Murder of Bridget Cleary
This is a tragic tale that we shouldnāt pin on rumours of fairies. But back in the late 19th century Ireland, many of the legal figures presiding over this case were not so sure.
In 1895, Bridget Cleary was killed by her husband. It was a clear cut case - this was murder. But what was being murdered put a question mark over the tragedy.
He claimed she had been abducted by fairies, and a changeling had been left in her place. To rid himself of this cursed being, he set his wife on fire and let her burn to death. It is believed she was alive when she was set alight.
The thing is, he wasnāt the only one convinced fairy-based mischief had taken place.
On the 13th March 1895, a physician attended her home as she was gravely ill with what was believed to be bronchitis. A priest attended to give her last rites, and visits from family and friends soon followed. A variety of home remedies were applied in attempt to either ease her suffering or change the course of events to prevent her death, but her father did something odd.
He threw urine on her, and then carries her to the fireplace. This ritual was attempted to cast a fairy he and her husband accused her of being:
They both thought a fairy had taken her place.
3 days later she went missing. The husband - having killed her at this point - claimed she had been taken by fairies. On the 22nd March her body was found in a shallow grave.
Whatās interesting about this case, however, isnāt the claim that she was a fairy. It is that to this day we consider her the last witch burned in Ireland.
āAre you a witch, or are you a fairy/Or are you the wife of Michael Cleary?ā
Tinkerbell might not be the best representation of women in a feminist world, but clearly sheās even worse at representing a fairy.
Dammit, Tinkerbell.
And, you know, itās not like the rest of Peter Pan was totally not offensive to anyoneā¦
(Iām being sarcastic, itās terrible.)
Are you a hoā for horror and the haunted? Be sure to check out my other articles on horror films and the paranormal, and donāt forget to follow to see a new real ghost story everyday!
I feel I am about to start a new life cycle, and before I begin another magical quest, I want to speak about my personal experiences with the Faeries and how āFaery Folkloreā came about. Itās probably been 2 years since my life took a different turn altogether and it led me to my purpose. š I feel Iām now ready to share with you - my world of faeries in the upcoming video on my #youtubechannel šš
Thereās so much to share and Iām really excited! š
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
ā Live Streamingā Interactive Chatā Private Showsā HD Qualityā Free Actions
Free to watch ā¢ No registration required ā¢ HD streaming
Hawthorn blooms now, all at once, as if itās crossed some invisible threshold overnight... Pale flowers across dark, thorned branches, soft from a distance, but not something you reach for without thinking.
The old trees, especially the ones standing alone, were never touched. People left them exactly where they were, even when everything else was cleared. Roads bent around them.
Because they werenāt just trees... They marked something. A place where the boundary held a little differently. With flowers that some say smell of death... Hawthorn is a plant edged with danger, it was considered bad luck to bring the flowers in the house outside of Beltane.
And Beltane has the same feeling as hawthorn. Everything is opening with growth, scent, warmth. And with it, there is a sense that the world is slightly less fixed than usual.
This is when the Fae are said to move closer. Not appearing, not announcing themselves loudly. Justā¦ nearer. Drawn to the edges, to the places where things are already in between. Hawthorn stands right in that space!
If you pass one, especially a solitary tree, standing a little apart from everything else, you might feel it.
Like youāve stepped just slightly into a world, into something that isnāt entirely yours...
Faery glamour magic is about remaining intact, not about being adored.
It is the magic of being visible without being available.
Glamour does not exist to make the fae beautiful.
Beauty is a side-effect, not the function.
Glamour makes the fae legible to human perception without revealing what they truly are.
Humans cannot easily perceive non-human consciousness, liminal beings, or things that do not follow human causality.
So the mind fills in the gaps.
And when faced with the incomprehensible,
the human mind reaches for beauty.
