Glastonbury Tor
Famously thought to be the mystical Isle of Avalon from Arthurian legend, Glastonbury Tor (Somerset, UK) is also said to be home to Gwyn ap Nudd, Celtic God of the Underworld Annwfn and later King of the Faeries. The Tor rises enigmatically from an otherwise fairly flat landscape and is surmounted by a tower from the chapel of St Michael dating from the 14th Century.
The legend tells of a Christian monk, St Collen who lived in a cell at the foot of the Tor. Gwyn ap Nudd and his Faerie Court inhabit a magnificent castle at the top of the Tor, and one day invites St Collen to visit him. Collen refuses, stating they are not fairies at all, but demons. Again Gwyn sends an invitation, and again he is refused. At the third invitation however, St Collen accepts and, once he’d secreted a bottle of holy water about his person, climbs to the top of the Tor. He finds himself in the castle, surrounded by the beautiful court of Faerie and the King himself seated on a golden throne. He is offered food, but refuses to eat or drink a thing. When Gwyn asks Collen if he likes his courtiers livery, he replies it was fine enough, but ‘the red is that of flame, the blue that of cold’ (as people then believed Hell consisted of fire and ice). At this, Collen threw his bottle of holy water over he assembled company. All at once, the castle and it’s inhabitants disappeared, leaving St Collen standing alone of the hillside, and confirming to him that they were indeed demons.
Although the Tor is the widely accepted venue this story took place there are some people who believe it has been wrongly ascribed. St Collen was a very obscure Welsh saint, and no mention of him is made in Glastonbury Abbey’s chronicles. The more likely setting for the story is in Llangollen, Wales. Even so, even if the Tor isn’t the true home of the King of the Faeries, there is something undeniably mysterious and faery-touched about the place.
Photo courtesy of Jackie
Filed under Faerylore, Places to Visit | Comment (1)Madi the Magical Fairy
Madi the Magical Fairy and her friends are a new range of play dolls from artists Stephanie Blythe and Linda Mason. Each 13” doll has vinyl features and soft hugable body, and comes with interchangeable ‘wig hats’, removable wings and a set of five activity and knowledge collector cards. There is also a range of costumes (sold separately) for even more fun. Each doll designed to aid a child to connect to nature through their imagination, creativity and education and bring a better understanding and respect for all life. Suitable for children ages 5+.
Shown here is Forest Madi, and Sneekaboo in his Robin costume.
Filed under General | Comment (0)Wild Wings, Fairies and Things Festival
June 3rd is the second Wild Wings, Fairies and Things Festival at the Carrie Murray Nature Centre (Baltimore, Maryland USA). This is a one-day family event with Fairies, dancers, live bands, crafts, vendors, costume contest, and a treasure hunt for children.
Carrie Murray Nature Centre features an insect zoo, a large classroom, live reptile and amphibian displays, and a bird rescue centre. It provides exposure to nature and environmental activities such as animal and wild bird rescue, stream conservation, recycling, and bird and tree identification.
Call 410-396-0808 for more information.
Make Your Own Fairy Garden Workshop
The Rosemary House is hosting a Fairy Garden workshop this June 7th. An 8 x 12” log planter and all supplies will be provided to create the little garden, including the plants faeries love. Let your imagination run wild and create faery houses from found materials like bark and twigs! While you plant the garden, you get to listen to fairy lore and fairy tales.
The Rosemary House is one of America’s oldest herb shops, and it located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
Narborough Hall Fairy Festival
The Fairyland Trust will be holding a two-day family oriented festival held in the grounds of Narborough Hall (Norfolk, UK) on May 28th – 29th. There are many workshops over the two days making everything from magic potions to fairy jewelery to magic lanterns. In addition there is live acoustic music, maypole dancing, story tellers, wandering performers and a fairy market (selling only handmade or fairly traded items). Be sure to attend the attend Cooking for Trolls (mud pie cookery!), the fairy float race and the great dragon parade.
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