Fantastical Zoology

Did you know their was such a thing as a Goblin Shark? Neither did I, until I was shown this rather unsettling picture. Goblinish indeed! To be fair, this is not the most flattering of photos, if you click here you can watch a short video of the shark in action, and as you can see it is actually quite cute (in a sharky kind of way).
This has got me thinking about which other animals have names borrowed from the Faerie world? I know about Fairy Penguins and Fairy Wrens, Pixie-bob Cats, and that Dragonfly larvae are called Nymphs. Anything else?

Fairyland Trust

The Fairyland Trust is a UK-based charity dedicated to inspiring children to reconnect with the beauty and magic of nature. Their aim is to create Fairylands, recreating habitats and making the land fit for fairies, places where children can experience real nature. They take their workshops, which include wing and wand making, fairy banquets, fairy books, and many more, to events around the country, allowing children to play creatively while learning about wildflowers, trees, faeries and nature. They also organise a hugely popular annual Fairy Fair in Norfolk.
But here’s the thing – the Fairyland Trust is run on very little money, and the future of these wonderful workshops and events is in danger. It would be extremely sad, both for the fairies and the thousands of children who experience their magic, were the Trust to cease their work. So now the Trust is inviting people to become Supporters. For a small monthly donation, Supporters will in return receive a workshop kit to make at home, a quarterly e-magazine for children and families, and advance notice and booking priority for all events.
For more information, and to download a Supporter form, please visit the Fairyland Trust website.

Nature’s Spirits Revealed

Leon Stam is a instrumental transcommunication investigator (contact with spirits through devices like radios and televisions) with some 20 years experience. In 2003, after purchasing a digital camera he began noticing mysterious shapes, figures and faces appearing in the photos he had taken. Different Nature collects together these and many photos taken by Leon since which appear to show some sort of visual Otherworldly communication. It is interesting stuff… What can you see?

Fairy Castles on the Moon?

An interesting article on the NASA website talks about the behaviour of shadows on the moon. One phenomenon astronauts observed is a glowing halo around the shadows cast by their helmets. This is the ‘Opposition Effect’ – caused by tiny grains of moondust sticking together to make fluffy tower-like structures, which researchers have christened ‘Fairy Castles’. Intriguing stuff – you can read the full article here.

Faerie Folks Are In Old Oaks

There is an old rhyme that runs ‘Turn your cloakes for Faerie Folks are in old Oakes’, and oak is also one of the ‘Fairy Tree Triad’ of Great Britain.
Oak is known to be ‘King of the Forest’ – a single tree can live to be incredibly ancient and grow to a tremendous girth. One hollow oak was 20 metres round at the base – ample enough in fact for it to contain an alehouse!
The Greenman is more often than not depicted wreathed in Oak leaves, and acorns with a face drawn on them are considered lucky as they contain his spirit and the seed of potential. It was believed Oakmen lived in saplings sprouted from felled Oaks. They are unpleasant creatures who take delight in offering seemingly delicious food to travellers which is actually glamoured poisonous fungi.
There are several well known ‘Fairy Oaks’, individual trees with their own stories relating to the Fae. One such is found in Flintshire (Wales) – in the 18th Century a couple left their baby under its boughs believing the child to be a changeling. The next morning however they found the baby still there, thus it couldn’t be a changeling otherwise its Faerie parents would have taken it away.

Fairyland Trust Fundraiser

The Fairyland Trust has been given an opportunity to create a permanent Fairyland at a former wild flower nursery in north Norfolk. The 10 acre site includes a river, woods and gardens and would allow the Trust to run workshops and events all year round, enrich the existing wildlife habitats and train new volunteers, as well as continuing the sale of local wildflowers for people to create their own bit of Fairyland. They are looking for people to become ‘Founders of Fairyland’ – by donating a few pounds each month to help raise the deposit and improve the facilities.The Trust is a unique organisation combining environmental education with the wonder and magic of Faerie. As mentioned in an earlier post, you can also raise money by becoming a Fairy Queen.

Trees Have Rhythm Too!

No really! This is the sound of a cottonwood tree, captured by composer and bio-acoustician Bernie Krause. While out recording the sounds of bats he picked up a peculiar signal, which got stronger nearer a cottonwood tree. After drilling a small hole and inserting a microphone Krause managed to record the high frequency signal. What you can hear has been slowed down to get it within human hearing range. Apparently the noise occurs when cells in the tree pop while trying to maintain pressure during a drought. However, I can’t get the image of tap dancing wood nymphs out of my head! I’ll leave you to decide which explanation you prefer…

via: eMusician.com

Hawthorn, Fairy Thorn

Hawthorn is one of the ‘Faerie Tree Triad’ of Britain, along with Oak and Ash. Solitary hawthorns are considered in Britain to be faery meeting places, while in Ireland when they grow near burial mounds it is thought to be where the fae gather, as is a ring of three or more trees. One of the folk names is ‘Fairy Thorn’ – the tree is sacred to the Fae and you should never take anything from it without first asking permission. It is also particularly unwise to sit under a thorn on May Day, Midsummer or Halloween as the power of the Little Folk is at its strongest and you risk falling under their enchantment.
Hawthorns have traditionally been used as a boundary marker and has strong associations with May Day festivities. Young people would go ‘A-Maying’ and collect sprigs of flowering hawthorn to decorate their homes to welcome Spring. It was unlucky however to bring the blossoms in doors, as this would herald a death in the family. Later in the year hawthorns bear small red berries called Haws, which also have the folk name ‘Pixie-Pear’.

If You Go Down to the Woods Today…

It is said bluebell woods are places of potent faery enchantment – to wander unprotected into a glade meant you risked kidnap or worse by malicious faeries. One folk name for bluebells is ‘dead man’s bells’, for to hear them chime foretold of the hearers death. Their ringing also summons faeries to their gatherings.
But despite the apparent danger, Bluebells are still considered one of Britain’s favourite flowers. These wonderful flowers are under threat however, with more and more woodland being lost and non-native varieties gaining a hold in the wild. They are protected by law so as tempting as it is, never pick them from the wild. And besides you wouldn’t want to risk attracting the wrath of the Fae!