In Lanval the fairies come to court to testify for Lanval’s innocence (lines 619-628). The fairy rides off with Lanval behind her, which shows that as a fairy woman she has more power than him. She is in charge and has the power in the situation. In Morte D’Arthur King Arthur was mortally wounded and the fairies met him in a boat and they traveled by water. The fairies were in control of the boat in this story and were therefore symbolically and literally controlling the situation. The fairies took Arthur into the vale of Avilion to try to heal his wounds. Though they seem to have failed according to the end of the story it’s still seen as Arthur depending on women, though in fairy form, and shows the fairy as the rescuer.

Both Lanval and Morte D’Arthur show these instances of women in control of situations and as having the power to save the men. These are not lowly men either. Lanval was a knight and Arthur was a king. By men of this prestigious power and rank needing women it shows that even during medieval times women do indeed have some great powers within their sex.

Was the power of the fairy effective as a power of symbolizing women more effective because they had magic to protect them? Would you fear a fairy? If fairies were highly respected and feared in medieval times, how did it become such a diminutive term of today? It’s interesting that though these are both works are written by male authors that they would chose to show that a man, even if he has such a high rank, still needs a woman to save him or to be with him during his times of greatest weakness. It shows that the authors and people at the time believed that women had a great power. They disguised this power by making some of the women in their story be fairies. By making them into fairies and having actual “magic” that was the only way the male audience would like the stories. Men at the time did not want to acknowledge the fact that women were stronger than them and that they actually depended on women. This admission of weakness would give women power and they couldn’t allow their women to have that control, that power, over them.

Spoiler warnings apply.

You know right away that the maker’s rather hope the word ‘Don’t’ is rendered superfluous in this title. The problem is that the film is unlikely to make anyone afraid of turning the lights out at night. This is a cliché riddled by the numbers horror film, with a pretty preposterous premise, which has been used in films before. In fact, the film is a remake of a 1973 TV movie.

Here are the standard stock items you may already be expecting to see – an isolated Gothic house with a history of murders and disoppearances, naïve new owners, a series of ghostly whispers in the darkness, a single occupant believing that something nasty and supernatural is going on when everyone else fails to see anything weird until it is too late.

The mysterious event from the past is spelt out to us in the pre-credit sequence set in the Edwardian era, when a respected Darwinian botanist goes deranged and traps his house-keeper in the cellar, smashing her teeth out with a chisel. His blood soaked mouth reveals that he has already desperately ripped out his own teeth too. He is doing this to feed an unseen group of creatures trapped behind the fire grating. They have kidnapped his son, and seek children’s teeth, which he is supposed to steal for them in the vain hope of them releasing his son. That he offers only adult teeth upsets the entities that drag him into their subterranean lair.

The opening credit animation sequence spoils any sense of surprise we might still have harboured by showing tooth fairies taking teeth in return for coins. Yes, the things in the cellar trap are tooth fairies of a particularly mean nature.

With a time shift to the present day, new owners move in, having apparently not so much as visited the house before hand to look around. They are a struggling book illustrator, (Guy Pierce), his mistress (Katie Holmes) and his pill popping, manic-depressive daughter. The young girl, beautifully played by Bailee Madison, resents the fact hat her Mother cast her out as well as her adulterous husband, and she looks on the girlfriend as a wicked stepmother, though she will ultimately find her willing to make the supreme sacrifice in order to save her from the troubles to come. The adults hope to renovate the house for future sale, though it seems to be in perfect condition already.

The estate agent for the property was undoubtedly a genius, as he has avoided telling the family anything about the murders, disappearances, hauntings or the sinkholes in the woods that have consumed any neighbouring properties.

The daughter explores the grounds anyway, despite warnings from an old gruff gardener who seems to know something of the troubles affecting the house, but being crippled by the tooth fairies when they attack him with he contents of his toolbox soon silences him. The special effects on the fairies on the rampage are impressive, but under-used and the director seems unsure if they are mischievous gremlin like entities or just plain viscous monsters (settling ultimately on the latter)

As the young girl goes from being blamed for their acts of malice to convincing her step-mom of the truth about the past, step-mum does some library research. This proves to be ridiculously easy as the Librarian hasn’t just got a few dusty archived references to the house and its demonic fairies – he has a whole special room dedicated to the events and he has just waited his entire life for someone to ask to see it.  Step-mom learns what the audience saw from the outset and rushes back to save her family, as the creatures try to take the girl away to their underground domain. Among the fairies, one with the botanist’s face is now clearly visible.

There are fun moments, but they are a rare oasis in a desert of clichéd plot devises and unlikely activity, characters, exposition dumping, etc. Mostly, the fairies come across as rather weak. They attack the young girl while she takes a bath, but seem unable to get past the shower curtains, leaving her watching their shadows on the white material which starts shredding as the current house-staff arrive to see why she is screaming, when the monsters rush off to hide. Their strength in other scenes is much greater so the whole premise of the film disintegrates before your eyes as it unfolds.

With Pan’s Labyrinth director, Guillermo del Toro, heavily involved in the production, this ought to have been great. Instead it is all rather so so. 

Arthur Chappell

Often, on full moon nights we’ll go on what we call a fairy hunt. No, not with guns or sling shots, but just go see them dance in the moonlight. Often I’ll have some friends hide out in the woods with fun lights and things, and we’ll take a walk and enjoy the show.

Well, on this last hunt, we decided to get pretty creative. Here’s a story I wrote based on the account that my 8-year-old gave me upon her arrival home. You see, I was hiding in the woods putting on the show this time. The girls thought that I was in a meeting.

Enjoy!

____

Do you believe in fairies?

The evening was perfect… a late September evening. The air was cool and crisp.

We bundled up to go on our adventure. Daddy had a meeting to go to, so he wasn’t going to be able to come along on this one. But he was the one who started this tradition.

Let me explain, on nights where there is a full moon, you can get glimpses of fairies. It’s true! I’ve seen them. Sometimes they dance and play in the woods. Sometimes they ride on fireflies and dragonflies… but they’re there.

Daddy says that they’re always working. He says they’re God’s helpers; making things grow and bloom in the night. So when we wake up, new things are all around. But I’m telling you, I’ve seen them.

____

September 23rd… and as I was saying, that night was a perfect night for a fairy walk.

The sun had set, cleanup from dinner was done. We were all showered, and bouncing around, anxiously awaiting the moment when Mama would say, “Okay, it’s time to go!” It’s so hard to wait when you’re sooooo excited.

Daddy’s friend Josh came over. He said that he and Josh had an argument at work, and they had to work it out, so they were getting with friends to help them. But as daddy left, he told us that it was time to go get our friend, Luna. She was coming with us.

So off Daddy went, and off we went.

We got back to the house with Luna just in time. It was now very dark out. And I was sure it was time to go. I could hardly stand it.

Mama, me (Aletheia), my sisters, Adaryn and Chasah, and our friends, Luna and Lorien all headed off to the hill leading into the wood.

We skipped and giggled and now and then would get a little dose of fear. You never know what you’re going to see on a fairy walk. I know it’s safe… but still, they’re so unpredictable, and it’s night time. But what is amazing is the silver glow on everything.

The moon was shining so bright. It was just above the tree line, almost like it was looking down on us.

There’s a path up the hill leading to the woods. We call this wood the ‘Enchanted Forest,’ because it’s just an amazing place. When you enter, you always feel like you’ve entered somewhere special… and tonight, it was truly somewhere special.

The path goes straight into the wood, and as we approached, we saw something interesting. Usually, we start seeing the lights as we approach the outside of the woods… but this time, this time there was a flickering light dancing around, back in the center of the woods.

What was it?

I wanted so badly to run and see, but I couldn’t. I was too excited, and scared at the same time. What if it was the fairies themselves? We didn’t want to scare them away. So we crept, closer and closer… trying to see what this might be.

When we got within sight, we were so surprised at what we found.

There, on the floor beneath the canopy of trees was a ring of candles, 5 of them… the same as us. Outside the ring, next to each candle was a hand-made crown. They had made us a gift.

We all carefully chose one of the five, and put them on. And out, to our right and left, we saw their lights in the distance, happily dancing for us. It was amazing.

Luna and Lorien left their crowns as a return gift to the fairies, but I had to keep mine. I just couldn’t let it go. Fairies, real fairies had made me something…

I couldn’t wait to rush home and tell Daddy. He was so disappointed that he missed the best fairy walk ever. But I’m sure he’ll be at the next one. We’ll see what they do then.

It is believed the Banshee brings the warning in a form of either a repetitive knock on the window or a deadly screeching cry. But the frightening sounds are only audible to certain families, families bearing the surnames: O’Neill, O’Brien, O’Connor, O’Grady and Kavanaghs. 

The Banshee is seen to wear either a grey, hooded cloak or a long winding sheet, guises representing either, a young woman or an old hag.

But it isn’t always how she looks which distinguishes the Banshee from other fairies and witches. The Banshee is probably more feared for her deathly screech in the dead of night than her mystical visions.

If you speak to any older member of the Irish community (from which I have heard many a tale) they will be quick to tell you, The Banshee is not an experience one would ever like to encounter. And many a tale can be told of imminent death’s after the cry of the Banshee has been heard. You have been warned.  

Facts about Leprechauns

Do you believe in the wee people? Well here are some facts about leprechauns to ponder over as you decide to believe or not!

1.       Leprechauns are male fairies that come to our attention from ancient Gaelic oral and written tradition. They are seen by humans as old men who enjoy making mischief, but have an edgy personality… many accounts report leprechauns, as ill-natured and mischievous, with cunning mental acuity. They take great pride in outwitting humans.

2.       Some sources believe they were an ancient race of elves descended from the Tuatha De Danann race of mystical ‘god-like’ people who could heal and perform magical feats.

3.       They are guardians of a hidden treasure which they hide in underground locations. Their magical powers allow them to ‘pop in and out’ of sight through magical entrances to their vast underground network of safe places.  Many folks believe these creatures are very rich with not just pots of gold, but caverns full of the precious commodity.

4.      Leprechauns are creatures of Irish mythology associated with “faerie rings” and other sites of ancient Irish (Celtic or pre-Celtic) drumlins.

5.       They are seen by humans as old men who enjoy making mischief, but have an edgy personality… many accounts report leprechauns, as ill-natured and mischievous, with cunning mental acuity. They take great pride in outwitting humans.

6.       Their trade is that of a cobbler or shoemaker. They are said to be very rich.

7.       Most stories, where leprechauns are depicted, show them as harmless pint-sized beings that enjoy life in remote locations.

8.       Before the 20th century, it was generally agreed that the leprechaun wore red and not green.

The Poet Yates described leprechauns in his 1888 book “Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry” as follows:

“He is something of a dandy, and dresses in a red coat with seven rows of buttons, seven buttons on each row, and wears a cocked-hat, upon who’s pointed…”

9.      Numerous Western World multi-media venues (American mostly)
have popularized an image of leprechauns which bears very little resemblance to any references found in the annals of Irish mythology. Movies, television cartoons and advertising have popularized the little guys and made them into something other than their original oral and written traditions have divulged. [Lucky Charms cereal type image]

10.  If you catch a leprechaun [fat chance] he must grant you 3 wishes.

Last bit of trivia…The Fighting Irish Football Team of the famed University of Notre Dame has a leprechaun as their mascot!!!! Hmmmmm wonder if they believe in________?

However, the relationship between fairy lore and UFO narratives is quite evident, and many UFO encounters contain folkloric elements derived from various traditions. The dichotomy between UFOs and Fairies has very vague and diffuse frontiers, and certainly some extended common ground. Raymond Fowler wrote in 1979 the book “The Andreasson Affair”, where, under hypnosis, Betty Andreasson recalls how humanoid creatures abducted her, examined her aboard their craft, and then took her to an otherworldly place.

Already in her childhood, when playing in the woods, Betty remembered being approached by a little strange-suited being: “He’s coming out [of a hole in the ground] and just standing there. He looks strange, has a funny color, and has big eyes and a funny suit on.” Fowler then says: “By this point, my rather objective and logical way of reasoning was being sorely tried. Betty’s reliving of her experience with the being in the woods seemed like a space-age version of the brothers Grimm.”

Later, Betty visited a realm most similar with underground Fairyland. After traveling through a tunnel, she says: “It’s beautiful here…And we’re like on a narrow, narrow passage of land and we’re gliding across it. And off to the side, I see-I don’t know if they are fish or what. It looks like a combination of fish and bird. And it seems like it’s haze all over, and fog, and yet it’s light so I can see it… It’s getting brighter green and beautiful. Oh, it’s so beautiful… It’s just unusual and different. Plants are different. It’s like, uh-long stems that come out in loops and the different colors. But they are green!”

Asked if there was anything up in the sky, namely a sun, Betty said no, although the place, with no visible horizon, had plentiful light.

On another session, Betty described another underground trip, this time to a beautiful crystalline forest: “Oh, everything is just like it’s clear glass, like a forest of clear glass. There’s leaves and trees and grass and everything, everything. And the birds, they’re like thin, thin, thin glass.”

As we already know, Fairyland is often underground, entered through caverns, tunnels or portals. Although with no sunlight, the place has some kind of perpetual and intense light. Robert Kirk wrote in “The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns & Fairies” (1690) that “their houses (that is, the fairies’) are called large and fair, and, unless at some odd occasions, unperceivable by vulgar eyes, like Rachland and other Enchanted Islands; having for light continual lamps, and fires, often seen [burning] without fuel to sustain them.”

Also in witch trials, descriptions of Fairyland mentioned this unusual feature. During the trial of Donald McIlmichall in Scotland, he said he was “attracted by light emanating from a hill, approached to discover “a great number of men and women within the hill quhair he entered having many candles lighted.” He was doubtless impressed by the extravagant illumination since at this period humble domestic dwellings were ill-lit, if at all, after dark. At first the inhabitants seem to have been in two minds whether they should allow the intruder to stay or not: “sum of them desired to shutt him out and others to have him drawine in”. However, Donald was eventually admitted.”

Aliens, UFOs and Fairies seem to be associated to a temporal and spatial specific geography. This supernatural landscape exists at a boundary between this world and other “magic” realm. Crossing it can prove to be a deep challenging physical, spiritual, and mental event.

References:

- Fowler, Raymond, The Andreasson Affair, New York, Bantam Books, 1988.

- Fowler, Raymond, The Andreasson Affair, Phase Two, New Jersey, Prentice-Hall, 1982.

- Kirk, Robert, “The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns & Fairies”, in Stewart, R.J., Robert Kirk: Walker Between Worlds, Dorset, Element Books, 1990.

- Henderson, Lizanne & Cowan, Edward, Scottish Fairy Belief, East Linton, Tuckwell Press, 2001.

In the warm, summer nights, sitting in my apartment’s balcony, with the soothing sound of the crickets as a background music, I would stare at the starry sky and try to find the Pegasus, Andromeda, Cassiopeia or other constellations and play in my mind, as a movie, their adventures. Sometimes, when you have the least, you have the most. I guess, if I had had expensive toys or things to fill my time, I would have never come to know  all the magical worlds. Have you noticed how things that used to make you happy as a child, get a sweet corner, a place of honour in your heart and you save them there as you grow old. They provide a cozy shelter to go back to, when you need some warm, beautiful shelter from the busy and boring days.

If you are curious to know some of the beautiful creatures I have read about throughout the years, let me introduce them to you below.

1.      Pegasus

A winged horse in Greek mythology, Pegasus was supposedly the offspring of the sea god Poseidon and the Gorgon Medusa. According to legend, Pegasus was born from the blood that spurted from Medusa’s neck when the hero Perseus killed her. Pegasus served Perseus until his death and afterward went to the home of the Muses. The water that gave the Muses their inspiration had dried up, so Pegasus stamped his hoof and created a spring.

2.      Fairies

There are many descriptions of fairies. They vary from young, sometimes winged, humanoids of small stature to tall, radiant, angelic beings or short, wizened trolls being some of the commonly mentioned. They appear to be both good and bad, but my favorite ones were of course the first type. Among the numerous theories on where the fairies come from, my favorite is the one explained in  a chapter about Peter Pan in J. M. Barrie’s 1902 novel The Little White Bird, which was incorporated also into his later works. Barrie wrote, “When the first baby laughed for the first time, his laugh broke into a million pieces, and they all went skipping about. That was the beginning of fairies.”

3.      Nymphs

In Greek mythology, nymphs were female minor nature deities, typically associated with a particular location or land form. Different from gods, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful, young nubile maidens who love to dance and sing; their amorous freedom sets them apart from the restricted and chaste wives and daughters of the Greek polis. They dwell in mountains and groves, by springs and rivers, and also in trees and in valleys and cool grottoes. Though they would never die of old age nor illness, and could give birth to fully immortal children if mated to a god; they themselves were not necessarily immortal, and could be beholden to death in various forms.

4.      The Phoenix

The phoenix is a mythical fire bird from Ancient Egypt which is portrayed as a bird that dies in fire and is reborn of it. It is normally portrayed as having gold and red feathers. At the end of its life, a phoenix is said to build a nest of cinnamon twigs which it then ignites. The bird is destroyed in the fire but a new young phoenix is born from the same fire. It was believed to have a life span of 500 – 1461 years (depending on who you ask). Its tears were thought to heal wounds.

5.      The Unicorn

The unicorn is usually shown as a horse with a long single horn on its head, but it originally had a billy-goat beard, lion’s tail, and cloven hooves. The unicorn is virtually the only creature in legend which did not come from human fears and was, in fact, a rather gentle creature. It was considered impossible to capture a unicorn except by using unfair methods. The horn was said to be able to neutralize poison. The unicorn first came to be known during the Indus Valley Civilization (3300–1700 BC).

Sources:        Pegasus,  Myth Encyclopedia – Greek Mythology

                       Pegasus Image from Mythical Creatures Guide

                       Wikipedia

                       Nymphs’ image by John William Waterhouse

                       Phoenix image from ecademy.com

Although they are considerably variable, they can be classified as primary, secondary, and residues effects. According to Ted Phillips the following description applies:

“Primary Effects: 1. Rings – circular traces, burned, depressed, or dehydrated. The outer perimeter shows damage or change while the central area is unchanged. 2. Nests – oval traces, generally depressed, swirling effect noted. 3. Circular sites – circular traces with damage over the entire area – burned, depressed, or dehydrated. 4. Irregular sites – burned, depressed, or dehydrated areas with no particular pattern.”

The secondary effects include: imprints, damage to trees and other flora, craters, footprints and plants or soil removed, while the residues might be solids, powder, liquids and occasionally artifacts. Here is an example given by Phillips:

“June 25, 1974, St, Cyrille, Canada: Three witnesses saw occupants and a disc with a dome, red and white lights at the top of the dome. An orange rim with oval white lights around it. Yellow beams of light were seen beneath the object. Mr. and Mrs. Langlois saw the object and humanoids after their dog barked. At the site, three rings, each 19 feet in diameter with a ring width of 2 feet were found. The grass at the center of the rings was not disturbed.”

As we have discussed elsewhere, Fairyland is a place with very peculiar and extraordinary characteristics. One can access this realm through caves, rocks and underground passages, lakes and even mist. More interesting to our present discussion is the fact that it is also possible to enter the abode of fairies through fairy circles or rings. The following testimony was given in 1970 by Gretta Jones from Wales, UK to Folklorist Robin Gwyndaf:

“Where there any fairy circles [rings] in the district?-Yes, there were circles here and there in the district. Where exactly do you remember seeing these rings?-Well, I remember seeing a circle on Ty Du’s land… It was marshland, but round. It was very strange. A round circle. What was the size of the circle?–Well, I would say about ten yards… Was it of a particular color?–It was more green than the rest. No rushes or anything grew on it, only moss or fine grass…Would you go to this circle to play?–Goodness me! No! We would be too afraid in case the fairies would find us and take us away to their place…

“You never saw the fairies in the circle?–Well, no, I didn’t see them, but I heard about a boy who entered the circle … He had gone some distance from the house and he entered into this circle. And, indeed! The fairies came to dance and the boy stood in the center looking at them. He wasn’t realizing that time was passing, but one of the fairies came to him.

“Would you like to come with us to our country?”

“Dear me, yes,” the boy replied.

“Well, come down these steps here this way.”

“And he hadn’t noticed before that there were any steps there. But he goes down these steps, down and down. After walking for a while he came to a certain country, the most beautiful he had ever seen…He was taken to a large room and was given a feast. He had been like that for a while and the boy thought:”I haven’t been here long.” And one of them said: “you may sleep here tonight, if you like” “Oh no, it’s no use, my father and mother won’t know where I am.” “Oh, we’ll escort you,” they said, “we’ll take you to the top of the steps, you’ll be able to find your way then. And they took him. And after he returned to the circle he makes way for home.” But, as we already know, the boy had been in Fairyland for over one hundred years.

So, regarding an apparent similitude between fairy circles and certain types of UFO physical traces, Vallee says “that fairy “rings” and saucer nests… deserve more than passing attention and should be considered in the light of specific traditional beliefs about the meaning of the “magic circles” that for centuries farmers have found in their fields.”

References:

- Phillips, Ted, “UFOs: The Emerging Evidence”, MUFON Proceedings, 1975.

- Gwyndaf, Robin, “Fairylore: Memorates and Legends from Welsh Oral Tradition” in Narváez, Peter (Ed.), The Good People, Lexington, University Press of Kentucky, 1997.

- Vallee, Jacques, Passport to Magonia: on UFOs, Folklore and Parallel Worlds, Chicago, Contemporary Books, 1993

- Caligari2000, UFOs and Fairy Abductions, socyberty.com/paranormal/ufos-and-fairy-abductions/.

Kathie remembers the encounter with the following words: “And then… a little girl came into the room… escorted by two more of them. And she stood in front of the doorway… She looked to be about four… she didn’t look like us… she looked like an elf, or an… angel. She had really big blue eyes and a little teeny-weeny nose, just so perfect. And her mouth was just so perfect and tiny, and she was pale, except her lips were pink and her eyes were blue. And her hair was white and wispy and thin… fine… real thin and fine. Her head was a little larger then normal, ‘specially in the forehead and back here… The forehead was a little bit bigger… but she was just a doll.”

Reflecting on this case and others that he also came across, Hopkins raises the question of the purpose and meaning of it all: “And what is the ultimate purpose of these abductions, these examinations and implants, these genetic attempts to produce hybrids, which have inevitably created emotional havoc among many innocent people? Do the UFO occupants want to lessen the distance between our race and theirs in order to land, eventually, and join us in this planet? And if so, would this be an operation conducted in the open, or in a more sinister, covert manner? Or do these aliens merely wish to enrich their own stock and then depart as mysteriously as they have arrived, having achieved their goal and revivified their own endangered species? Or is there yet some other goal we have not even imagined, something unknowable at this point in our intellectual evolution?”

Pertinent as these questions are, some years later, UFO expert David Jacobs claimed to have found the right answers. In his book “The Threat” (1998), Jacobs exposes the theory that aliens are creating what he terms “Homo Alienus” and this by a step by step hybridization process: “Late-stage hybrids possess the aliens’ extraordinary mental abilities. They can engage in staring procedures, Mindscan, visualizations, envisioning, and so on…They can reproduce with humans… These resulting hybrids are barely distinguishable from “normal” human beings.”

And this brings us to the secret alien agenda. According to Jacobs all efforts are “geared toward complete control of the humans on Earth.” Their goal seems to have four specific programs, namely: Abduction, Breeding, Hybridization, and Integration. This last and final stage surely means that “the hybrids or the aliens themselves integrate into human society and assume control.”

The belief that humans can have intercourse with non-human beings to produce offspring is widespread. One form of producing hybrids involves human pairings with gods, aliens, devils, incubi, succubi, fairies and other potential supernatural partners. The children of these unions have special characteristics associated with their parentage. According to tradition, fairies appear to have an independent existence of their own but, nevertheless, depend upon mankind. One primary reason is their genetic evolution: human blood is needed to improve the fairy stock.

Fairies, like aliens, abduct mortals to fairyland, and women are also in much more danger then men. They are taken to be wives and mothers, and they need during fairy births the aid of mortal midwives because of their intrinsic nature. Regarding this theme, Le Men writing in 1870 about the traditions of Brittany, France, says that “I have met old people that, not only said they had seen fairies, but claimed to have been abducted by them during their infancy, and have been saved only by the prompt and timely intervention of their parents.” The fairy hybrids resulting from fairy-human pairings are special children, like their alien-human counterparts. Mortal nursing mothers are in great demand to suckle fairy babies, apparently because the quality of fairy milk seems to be poor. Likewise, a female abductee says about her experience, “it wants me to nurse the baby… It seems to want to watch, to see what I do with it… This baby’s so odd, I don’t really… It’s weird.”

So, as we see, numerous features of UFO abductions have precedents in fairy tradition, and as Kathleen Raid noticed in “Fairy & Folk Tales of Ireland”: “The only change technology appears to have made to such claims is in the form of apparitions-where the ancestors saw the “Sidhe” mounted on horses with silver bells on their harness, the Age of Aquarius sees Flying Saucers.”

References:

-  Hopkins, Budd, Intruders, New York, Ballantine Books, 1988.

- Jacobs, David, The Threat: Revealing the Secret Alien Agenda, New York, Fireside Books, 1999.

- Le Men, R.F., “Traditions et Superstitions de la Basse-Bretagne”, Revue Celtique, V. 1, 1870-72.

- Yeats, W. B. (Ed.), Fairy & Folk Tales of Ireland, London, Picador, 1979.

Regarding this particular topic Hartland recorded the following curious story:

“A peasant going with corn to market at Nordhausen, drove by the Kyffhauser, where he was met by a little grey man, who asked him whither he was going, and offered to reward him if he would accompany him instead. The little grey man led him through a great gateway into the mountain till they came at last to a castle. There he took from the peasant his wagon and horses, and led him into a hall gorgeously illuminated and filled with people, where he was well entertained. At last the little grey man told him it was now time he went home, and rewarding him bountifully he led him forth. His wagon and horses were given to him again, and he trudged homeward well pleased. Arrived there, however, his wife opened her eyes wide to see him, for he had been absent a year, and she had long accounted him dead.”

However, there are cases of humans that have gone in and out of Fairyland with no alteration of time. In the 17th century several people claimed visitations to Fairyland. J. F. Campbell gives this account in “Popular Tales of the West Highlands”:

“Another story was about a boy of the name of Williamson… The boy disappeared often for two and three, and often ten days at a time, and no one knew where he went, as he never told when he returned, though it was understood the fairies took him away. Upon one occasion the Laird of Barmagachan, was getting his peats cast, and all the neighbours round were assisting. At this time the boy had been away for ten days, and they were all wondering where he could be, when lo and behold, the boy is sitting in the midst of them. “Johnny”, said one of the company, who were all seated in a ring, eating their dinner, “where did ye come from?” ”I came with our folks,” said the boy (meaning the fairies). “Your folks; who are they?” “Do you see yon barrow of peats a couping into yon hole? there’s where I came from.”

With UFO abductees a break in the continuity of time also occurs; what sometimes appears to be a relatively short period of time, turns out to be quite a few unexplained hours that somehow remain lost from their conscious life. However, this loss of memory doesn’t seem to be a characteristic of folklore narratives, and in Fairyland the time distortion is measured in years rather then hours. Another interesting feature of some UFO abductions is the “time compression” distortion. In these cases a UFO encounter which seemingly last for hours actually occurs in the space of a few minutes. UFO expert Mark Moravec reports the following incident:

“A young American contactee living in Adelphi, Maryland, claimed a number of UFO contacts. In February 1968, a UFO entity allegedly guided him to an isolated farm area where a large, egg-shaped object on tripod legs was waiting. He went inside and was sealed alone in a compartment containing a contour chair and a large “TV screen”. The percipient went on a trip which lasted four to five hours. When he returned to his apartment and was confronted by his room-mates, the percipient was amazed to discover that little more than an hour had actually passed since the beginning of his experience.”

Moravec concludes suggesting a link between UFO experiences of this kind (and this conclusion can also largely apply to fairy encounters) and altered states of consciousness. Research has shown that in these states the alteration of the sense of time and chronology is a frequent feature of such conditions.

References:

- Hartland, Edwin S., The Science of Fairy Tales, London, Walter Scott, 1891.

- Campbell, J.F., Popular Tales of the West Highlands, Vol. 1, Edinburgh, Berlinn, 1994.

- Moravec, Mark, “The Psychology of Close Encounters”, in Evans, Hilary (Ed.), Frontiers of Reality, London, Guild Publishing, 1989.

- Vallee, Jacques, Passport to Magonia: on UFOs, Folklore and Parallel Worlds, Chicago, Contemporary Books, 1993.