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This one of a series dubbed "The Cottingley Fairies" taken in the early 1920s by two young girls, Frances Griffith and Elsie Wright. This was long before photo manipulation had even been attempted by most people, so the photos were assumed to be real and took the world by storm. Obviously the biggest reason for belief was again, perception and observation. No one realized their eyes were being tricked because nothing like this had ever been seen or done before. It may have also had to do with confirmation bias. Looking at these pictures now it is easy to say these photos don't look real, but people believe what they want to believe, and simply (if subconsciously) ignored the fact that the creaturs in the photos did not look realistic or photographed at all. They saw the photographs of the girls were real and their brains filled in the rest.

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This is the first of a series of videos presented in documentary format that talk about the legends of various mythical creatures of Irish origin. The legend of the fiddler and the fairy circle begins at around 3 minutes in. It serves as a warning to everyone who hears it to not be lured into a circle by tricky fairies. These videos all contain the red flag "Appeal to Authority" as they are presented in n official-seeming documentary style, and the narrator often alludes to the existence of mythical creatures which makes it a biased piece. It also contains the "Ancient Wisdom" red flag, as it retells several old folk stories and presents them as things that may have actually happened in days gone by.

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Legend of the Isles - Fairies and Leprechauns  1 of 3

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This blog post talks about some specific legends and songs of Dutch, Celtic, and African origins and the history of belief in fairies. It goes on to mention that even though the rings have been scientifically explained, people from those and other regions where these stories started are still unwilling to step foot within a ring. This behavior can be associated with the "Ancient Wisdom" reason for belief, as people may think (maybe even on a subconscious level) that their ancestors who first told these stories knew something that we do not. There is also the pressure of knowing that these tails and the advice to avoid the rings has been passed down through several generations for hundreds of years, and it just doesn't seem to make sense to break that chain.

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A great deal of folklore surrounds fairy rings.

Their names in European languages often allude to supernatural origins;

they are known as ronds de sorciers ("sorcerers' rings") in France,

and Hexenringe ("witches' rings") in German.

In German tradition, fairy rings were thought to mark the site of witches' dancing on Walpurgis Night.

In Tyrol, folklore attributed fairy rings to the fiery tales of flying dragons;

once a dragon had created such a circle, nothing but toadstools could grow there for seven years.

European superstitions routinely warned against entering a fairy ring.

French tradition reported that fairy rings were guarded by giant bug-eyed toads

that cursed those who violated the circles.

In other parts of Europe, entering a fairy ring would result in the loss of an eye.

Fairy rings are associated with diminutive spirits in the Philippines.

Scandinavian and Celtic traditions claimed that fairy rings are the result of elves or fairies dancing.

Such ideas dated to at least the mediæval period;

meaning "a ring of daisies caused by elves' dancing" dates to the 12th century.

In his History of the Goths (1628), Olaus Magnus makes this connection,

saying that fairy rings are burned into the ground by the dancing of elves.

British folklorist Thomas Keightley noted that in Scandinavia in the early 20th century,

beliefs persisted that fairy circles ( elfdans) arose from the dancing of elves.

Keightley warned that while entering an elfdans might allow the interloper to see the elves

-although this was not guaranteed

-it would also put the intruder in thrall to their illusions.

including the idea from which fairy rings take their name:

the phenomena result from the dancing of fairies.

In 19th-century Wales, where the rings are known as cylch y Tylwyth Teg,

fairies were almost invariably described as dancing in a group when encountered,

and in Scotland and Wales in the late 20th century, stories about fairy rings were still common;

some Welsh even claimed to have joined a fairy dance.

Victorian folklorists regarded fairies and witches as related,

based in part on the idea that both were believed to dance in circles.

These revels are particularly associated with moonlit nights,

the rings only becoming visible to mortals the following morning.

Local variants add other details.

An early 20th-century Irish tradition says that fairies enjoy dancing around the hawthorn tree

so that fairy rings often centre on one.

A Devon legend says that a black hen and chickens sometimes appear

at dusk in a large fairy ring on the edge of Dartmoor.

A Welsh and Manx variant current in the 1960s removes dancing from the picture

and claims that fairy rings spring up over an underground fairy village.

These associations have become linked to specific sites.

For example, "The Pixies' Church" was a rock formation in Dartmoor surrounded by a fairy ring,

believed to be a popular spot for fairy dances.

Many folk beliefs generally paint fairy rings as dangerous places, best avoided.

Sikes traces these stories of people trespassing into forbidden territory

and being punished for it to the tale of Psyche and Eros.

In it, Psyche is forbidden to view her lover, and when she does so,

her palace disappears and she is left alone.

Superstition calls fairy circles sacred and warns against violating them lest the interloper

(such as a farmer with a plough) anger the fairies and be cursed.

In an Irish legend recorded by Wilde,

a farmer builds a barn on a fairy ring despite the protests of his neighbours.

He is struck senseless one night, and a local "fairy doctor" breaks the curse.

The farmer says that he dreamed that he must destroy the barn.

Even collecting dew from the grass or flowers of a fairy ring can bring bad luck.

Destroying a fairy ring is unlucky and fruitless; superstition says it will just grow back.
A traditional Scottish rhyme sums up the danger of such places:

He wha tills the fairies' green

Nae luck again shall hae :

And he wha spills the fairies' ring

Betide him want and wae.

For weirdless days and weary nights

Are his till his deein' day.

But he wha gaes by the fairy ring,

Nae dule nor pine shall see,

And he wha cleans the fairy ring

An easy death shall dee.

Numerous legends focus on mortals entering a fairy ring-and the consequences.

Most often, someone who violates a fairy perimeter becomes invisible

to mortals outside and may find it impossible to leave the circle.

Often, the fairies force the mortal to dance to the point of exhaustion, death, or madness.

In Welsh tales, fairies actively try to lure mortals into their circles to dance with them.

Entering the ring on May Eve or Halloween night was especially dangerous.

One source near Afon fach Blaen y Cae,

a tributary of the Dwyfach,

tells of a shepherd accidentally disturbing a ring of rushes where fairies are preparing to dance;

they capture him and hold him captive, and he even marries one of them.

Freedom from a fairy ring often requires outside intervention.

A tactic from early 20th century Wales is to cast wild marjoram and thyme into the circle and befuddle the fairies;

another asks the rescuer to touch the victim with iron.

Other stories require that the enchanted victim simply be plucked out by someone on the outside,

although even this can be difficult.

Other folk methods rely on Christian faith to break the enchantment: a stick from a rowan tree

(thought to be the wood from which the cross of Jesus Christ was built) can break the curse,

as can a simple phrase such as "what, in Heaven's name",

A common element to these recoveries is that the rescuer must wait a year and a day from the point where the victim entered the ring.

Mortals who have danced with the fairies are rarely safe after being saved from their enthrallment.

Often, they find that what seemed to be but a brief foray into fairyland was indeed much longer in the mortal realm, possibly weeks or years.

The person rescued from the fairy ring may have no memory of their encounter with the sprites,

as in a story from Anglesea recorded in 1891.

In most tales, the saved interlopers face a grim fate.

For example, in a legend from Carmarthenshire, recorded by Sikes,

a man is rescued from a fairy ring only to crumble to dust.

Some legends assert that the only safe way to investigate a fairy ring is to run around it nine times.

This affords the ability to hear the fairies dancing and frolicking underground.

According to a 20th-century tradition of Northumberland, this must be done under a full moon,

and the runner must travel in the direction of the sun;

to go widdershins allows the fairies to place the runner under their sway.

To circle the ring a tenth time is foolhardy and dangerous.

A story from early 20th century England says that a mortal can see the sprites

without fear if a friend places a foot on that of the person stepping beyond the circle's perimeter.

Another superstition says that wearing a hat backwards can confuse the fairies

and prevent them from pulling the wearer into their ring.

a legend from Pont y Wern says that in the 13th or 14th century,

the inhabitants of the town of Corwrion watched fairies dancing in a ring around a glow worm

every Sunday after church at a place called Pen y Bonc.

They even joined the sprites in their revels.

The legend survives in a rhyme:

"With the fairies nimbly dancing round / The glow-worm on the Rising Ground.

Fairy imagery became especially popular in the Victorian era.

Thomas Hardy uses a fairy ring as a symbol of lost love in The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886);

the character Michael Henchard passes a fairy ring

and remembers that he last saw his wife Susan there when he sold her to a sailor in a drunken rage.

Victorian poets who have referred to fairy rings in their works include

Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Eliza Cook, Robert Stephen Hawker, Felicia Hemans, Gerald Massey, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

W. H. Cummings composed the cantata The Fairy Ring,

and William Butler Yeats wrote of them in The Land of Heart's Desire (1894).

African Fairy circles

are enigmatic barren patches,

typically found in the grasslands of the western part of southern Africa.

They are most prolific in Namibia, but are also present in Angola and South Africa.

These fairy circles consist of round areas barren of vegetation;

as yet there is no clear picture as to how they are formed,

although scientists are researching the matter.

One theory suggests termites as the creator of these circles,

but recent studies have stated that there is no evidence termites would cause this phenomenon.

In the oral myths of Himba people these barren patches are said to have been caused by the gods and/or spirits and natural divinities.

is a naturally occurring ring or arc of mushrooms.

Fairy rings also occupy a prominent place in European folklore as the location of gateways into elfin kingdoms,

or places where elves gather and dance.

According to the folklore, a fairy ring appears when a fairy, pixie, or elf appears.

It will disappear without trace in less than five days,

but if an observer waits for the elf to return to the ring, they may be able to capture it.

The rings may grow to over 10 metres (33 ft) in diameter, and they become stable over time as the fungus grows and seeks food underground.

or a ring of dark green grass.

If these manifestations are visible a fairy fungus mycelium is likely present in the ring or arc underneath.

(Mycelium (plural mycelia) - mushroom roots,

consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae.

The mass of hyphae is sometimes called shiro)

Therefore, fungi should have potential to remove such pollutants from the soil environment, a process known as bioremediation.

There are two generally recognised types of fairy ring fungus.

Meadow fairy rings are called free, because they are not connected with other organisms.

The effects on the grass depend on the type of fungus that is growing;

There are about 60 mushroom species which can grow in the fairy ring pattern.

The best known is the edible Scotch bonnet (Marasmius oreades),

commonly known as the fairy ring champignon.

One of the largest rings ever found is in France. Formed by Clitocybe geotropa,

it is thought to be about 600 metres (2,000 ft) in diameter and over 700 years old.
On the South Downs in southern England, Calocybe gambosa has formed huge fairy rings that also appear to be several hundred years old
six ways mushrooms can save the world

Reminds me of Avatar - connection to the peoples land....

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A great deal of folklore surrounds fairy rings. Their names in European languages often allude to supernatural origins; they are known as ronds de sorciers ("sorcerers' rings") in France, and Hexenringe ("witches' rings") in German. In German tradition, fairy rings were thought to mark the site of witches' dancing on Walpurgis Night.

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This photograph shows several people observing and photographing a fairy ring in what seems to be a public park, yet none of them are brave enough to step inside. The dog owners are even holding back their pets, most likely due to superstition. Its possible that these people are not willing to step in for fear of the unexplained, as they may never have seen or even heard of fairy rings. Even if its just a small amount, the unexplained phenomenon mixed with feelings of fear and uncertainty stirs enough belief in this group to keep any of them from risking the inside of the circle.

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This video claims to be real footage of a fairy disturbing physical objects in a little girls bedroom. The reason for belief that this video draws on is perception versus observation. It is reasonable to assume that even if one was there in person to see this, ones eyes may not be completely reliable. As a viewer, we are seeing this indecent second hand via video, which as a rule makes things harder to identify, as well as adding the possibility that the footage may be doctored. Also when evaluating this evidence, there seems to be no other footage or information about incidences in this room, meaning the results have not been reproduced at all which decreases the level of credibility of this object

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REAL FAIRY Caught on Camera COLLECTING KEY from FAIRY DOOR

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This article is written by someone who truly believes in fairies, and lists fairy circles as one of the places you may be able to find them if you go looking. This article uses proof by verbosity to convince the readers that fairies are among us. There is a lot of information on what they like/dislike and where they will or will not be with no evidence to back it up. It also draws on the red flag ancient wisdom, pointing out how people used to be, to paraphrase, closer to mother earth and therefore more receptive to seeing fairies. Finally, it mentions eye witness accounts of people who claim to have seen or interacted with fairies, which can be connected to a lack of accuracy between perception and observation, a well known reason for unsubstantiated belief.

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Kitty has been independently researching and studying the fae for over 15 years. She enjoys sharing what she's learned with her readers.

Have you ever wondered if fairies are real? I'm here to tell you, my friend, that indeed they are. Knowing that these otherworldly beings are real, perhaps you're wondering how to find them. Where are they? An easy and quick answer would be . . . everywhere. However, if you are a novice to this world, perhaps you need a little more advice than that.

In this article, I will do my best to give you the answer to your question of finding real fairies. The truth is that they are waiting for the right people, with the right minds and intentions, to find them. They are waiting for someone like you to help bring Mother Earth back to the place it once was . . . back when the fairies roamed the earth freely.

Most of us think that fairies exist only in English, Scottish, or Irish legend and that they might only be found in those countries. This is a false statement and a misconception. Finding real fairies is easier than you might think, because real fairies have been seen and can be found on literally every continent in the world. Every culture has their stories of fairies or nature spirits, from Ireland to China, South Africa to Canada, Australia to Finland. Some believe that they are not actually on our plane of existence, but another plane overlapping ours.

Please keep in mind that you must be open-minded and spiritually connected to Mother Earth in order learn how to find real fairies. I must mention that if you are a skeptic or a non-believer, the fairies will most likely never show themselves to you. If you have ill intentions or will, the fairies will most likely never show themselves to you. If you do not care for the well-being of the earth, or if you are a staunch religious person, the fairies will most likely never show themselves to you. Now, that's not to say that they won't have a bit of fun with you. Perhaps you'll lose your camera on the way while trying to find them. Or perhaps your food will spoil. The fairies only show themselves to people who are true of heart and pure of soul. When they do show themselves to you never say thank you! These words are not in their vocabulary and many times actually offend them!

Fairy rings are circles of plant-life and other things that can be found in nature. If you ever see a ring of toadstools in a meadow, forest, or in your own yard, you'll know that this is a fairy ring. For hundreds of years, the people of Ireland, Scotland, England, and elsewhere in Europe have said that a circle of toadstools is where the fairies have danced. If the fairy ring is in your own yard, it would be wise of you to not cut the toadstools down lest you anger the fairies who dance and play there.

Other fairy rings could consist of a dark green ring on the grass. This ring would be much darker than the rest of the grass and would make a complete circle. They could also be made up of a certain type of trees, such as willow or oak. Willow tree fairy rings are a special favorite of the Dryads. Stone circles are also known to have been popular fairy rings in ancient times. Perhaps the stones at Stonehenge make up an ancient fairy ring? Maybe the ancient Celts of Britain knew that the stones would attract fairies.

A warning about stepping inside of a fairy ring: Try to never do so! People in Ireland believed that a person could get stuck in a fairy ring and that their minds may never come back. Stories tell of people who have danced with the fairies within the rings, only to have a friend literally yank them out of the circle in order to bring them back to reality. This story goes along with the legends that fairies would entrance a person and whisk their minds (if not their entire bodies) away with them to faeryland. You don't want to go to faeryland, you simply want to learn how to find the fairies, so don't step into their fairy rings lest you be "pixie-led" away for good!

Throughout Celtic history, people made pilgrimages to distant, sacred wells in Ireland. These wells were said to be guarded by various types of spirits, namely certain fairies. If you go to Ireland and find a sacred well, it is very likely that you might find real fairies still guarding the well.

Water fairies are particularly drawn to sacred wells and springs. The fairies like to dance on the tops of the rocks in the springs and enjoy watching nature at its most beautiful. If you want to learn how to find real fairies, all you have to do is find the most beautiful springs in the forest, sit, and wait. You might want to think about leaving an offering for the fairies.

Just remember that not all fairies are nice, and so when you find real fairies at a spring, be sure to take caution not to disturb them while they're playing.

There's something about the natural springs and water in general that attracts fairies and always has. You could even set up a beautiful pond or water fountain in your garden and invite the fairies to come and visit. Water nymphs especially love fountains and springs, as they are playful fairies who enjoy a good romp in the water. If you find a water nymph, she may invite you to play. Just be careful to pull yourself away at the right time.

Centuries ago, it was said in Ireland and Scotland that the fairies went into hiding under the hills. They were thought to have taken up residence within these hills or what are commonly referred to as burghs. Dozens of various Native American tribes have their own stories of little people from the hills and mountains. So it is almost inevitable that if you go to a rural mountain range or lonely, naturally-preserved hill that you will most likely be able to find real fairies.

You can go to a fairy burgh (hill) and leave an offering at the foot of the hill for the fairies. Knock three times on the side of the hill and then sit down a distance away from the hill. Visualize a protective circle around yourself and then watch the hill. You may be surprised to see dancing spirits emerge from the hill. You may be surprised to see that you have learned how to find real fairies.

Particularly hills and burghs with old trees or trails of toadstools are likely spots to find real fairies. The fairies may in fact be living within those hills, waiting for an open-minded individual such as yourself in order to emerge and strike up a conversation.

Of course one of the most common places to go in order to learn how to find real fairies is the astral plane. This is also referred to by many Pagans and Spiritual folks as the "inner plane." Some believe that this is where the fairies actually exist, a plane that sort of overlaps or coincides with ours. How can you find real fairies on the astral plane?

There are various ways, including meditation, astral projection, and dreaming. Before attempting astral projection to find real fairies, please consult a book such as Edain McCoy's A Witch's Guide to Faery Folk. Even if you're not a "witch," this book has a wonderfully written guided meditation to help you learn how to reach the inner plane and how to find real fairies there. Guided meditations into the land of the fairies is always the best way to go before attempting astral projection. If you are further along in your meditative practices and can already astral project, you may attempt to find real fairies on the astral plane. Just be careful which fairies you talk to and always be sure to protect your astral body before projecting.

Questions & Answers

Question:

How do you attract a fairy without using a fairy ring?

Answer:

If you're trying to attract them to your yard or garden, taking care of nature is a start. Then building a space for them in your garden with flowers, small houses, and offerings.

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Kitty has been independently researching and studying the fae for over 15 years. She enjoys sharing what she's learned with her readers. Have you ever wondered if fairies are real? I'm here to tell you, my friend, that indeed they are. Knowing that these otherworldly beings are real, perhaps you're wondering how to find them.

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This is a relatively well known piece of artwork by T. H. Thomas entitled "Plucked from the Fairy Circle" in which a man saves his friend from "the grip of the fairy ring." This image may perpetuate peoples belief in the supernatural occurrence of fairy rings by the obvious display of agenticity. The most common supernatural believe (as indicated by the name) is that these circles are the result of fairies either dancing, as pictured here, meeting to sit on the mushrooms, or creating a portal which connects the mortal and fairy realm. This picture also draws on the viewers emotions, portraying a sense of fear and danger, possibly to make them superstitious about stepping into any ring they themselves might see.

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This video by famous youtube personality Hank Green explains the science behind fairy rings, identifying the real cause as the result of a type of fungi. This video contains no red flags for pseudo science, only unbiased information. When critically analyzing this object, it is easy to fact check everything Hank says and conclude that he has nothing to gain by exaggerating or changing information.

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Hank noticed something mysterious in the park one day. Fairy rings: are they mystical portals to another realm? Or could there be another, more scientific, explanation? Like SciShow? Want to help support us, and also get things to put on your walls, cover your torso and hold your liquids?

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This article from the website "Ancient Origins" is very informative and an excellent introduction to the topic of fairy rings. It is unbiased in explaining the beliefs associated with these rings throughout history and in different parts of the world, all of which revolved around the supernatural. From the information in the article, I can gather that the biggest reasons for belief influencing peoples' opinions across the globe are simplicity and agenticity. Often, the rings appear over night, which science could not explain until recently. The simplest explanation is they were caused by fairies dancing in the night, which is why they appeared in the morning.

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For thousands of years, the sudden appearance of a ring of mushrooms was a sure sign of otherworldly presences. These rings would seemingly appear overnight, or travel from one location to another, with no clear rhyme or reason. Warnings of the dark forces that must create these abnormalities were passed down between generations, and the folklore of fairy rings was established.

These fairy rings (fairy circles, elf circles or pixie rings) are a naturally occurring phenomenon. A fungi creates a ring or arc shape within the soil, affecting the grass in the area, and grows up through the greenery forming a circle of mushrooms. These rings-a lovely surprise and good luck to some, or a dark omen and nasty lawn problem to others-can spread from a very few inches or feet to 164 feet (50 meters) or more. The ring found in Belfort, France, is thought to be the largest ring ever found. It is approximately 2,000 feet (600 meters) in diameter, and an astonishing 700 years old.
Fairy rings in moss in Iceland. (Chmee2/Valtameri / )
Sometimes there can be more than one ring in an area, and they will overlap, creating strange, winding patterns in the grass. Often the grass inside the ring is dead and withered, and has a clearly different coloring than the grass outside.

Supernatural Creatures with Mysterious Powers
A mushroom ring in the woods. (Alison Chaiken, Flickr/ )
Fairy rings have an historical, mythical reputation, as revealed by the folklore and warnings surrounding them around the globe, but especially in Western Europe.
Beautiful fairy ring, or profuse circle of Clitocybe nebularis fungus. ( ) Images of nude and semi-nude fairies dancing in rings became popular during the Victorian era. Public Domain
Various places have their own superstitions surrounding the fairy rings, but for the most part the myths involve fairies or supernatural creatures either dancing around the ring, or have the ring serving as a portal between the fairy realm and our world. It was also believed that the circles were formed by shooting stars, lightning strikes, or were the work of witches. These beliefs persisted into the 19 th century, as did the warnings to not stray into a fairy circle, lest you be transported to the fairy realm, and certain doom.

The rings are known throughout Europe. In tradition, they were called "sorcerers' rings" in France, and "witches rings" in Germany, where they're supposedly most active on Walpurgisnacht, the eve of April 30, when witches were believed to meet and hold large celebrations coinciding with the arrival of Spring.

In English, Scandinavian and Celtic and many other traditional European beliefs the rings were caused by fairies or elves dancing. Such events were associated especially with moonlit nights, and the sudden appearance of the rings in the morning were evidence of a dance the evening before.

In Scotland it was believed the fairies sit on the mushrooms and use them as tables for their fetes, while in Wales the story goes that the mushrooms were picked by the fairy folk and used as parasols or umbrellas. Even now in Wales it's said the rings signify an underground fairy village. Welsh folklore also considers the rings as locations of fertility and fortune, and claim that crops grown around them and livestock feeding nearby will flourish.

In contrast, the Dutch legends had it that the barren center of the ring was caused by the devil placing his milk-churn there.

The Austrian tradition said flying dragons caused the rings, blighting the area so only toadstools could grow there for seven years.
"Plucked from the Fairy Circle" A man saves his friend from the grip of a fairy ring. Public Domain
French folklore believed the strange circles were guarded by giant toads that would curse anyone that happened into the ring.
This fellow is probably in trouble - his hat is not on backwards. The Fairy Ring; the Enchanted Piper (c.1880) Public Domain
Do NOT Step Into the Ring

It is generally felt that fairy circles are to be avoided as dangerous places as they're associated with malevolent beings.
The enigmatic rings of Africa can be about 6.5 feet (2 meters) to almost 40 feet (12 meters) in size. The circles appear, and then disappear, leaving "ghost circles" behind. Credit: Mike and Ann Scott of the Namib Rand Nature Reserve
If you dare to enter a ring, many myths warn you will die young. You also become invisible to the mortal world, unable to escape the ring, or you are transported instantly to the fairy realm. You might also lose an eye for your foolishness. Either way, you will be forced to dance around the ring until you die of exhaustion or madness.

To avoid this terrible, cavorting fate, you can take specific measures, such as running around the ring nine times (nine times only, as 10 is too many and will undo the procedure). It is said that to enter the ring without penalty you can run around the ring during a full moon, but only in the direction the sun travels during the day. If you do this you might hear the fairies dancing underground.

You might also wear a hat backwards, because this is said to confuse the fairies and they will not do you harm.
Featured image: A mushroom ring creating a circle on the grass. These rings were believed to be portals to the fairy realm, and areas of danger. (Unukorno, Flickr/ )
Can Science Explain the Mystery?

In present day the fungi that causes the natural phenomenon is well understood. Mycelium is a spreading fungus which grows in fertile, damp environments. In good conditions, the spores will develop into mushrooms (the most well-known being the edible Scotch bonnet, or fairy ring champignon). The mushrooms reach out of the ground and create an easily visible ring. Underground, the mycelium networks out under the grass, moving outward from the center, and feeding upon organic matter and decomposing as it travels. The dead mycelium forms a thick, water-repellant mat that starves the grass roots of nutrients and moisture. Eventually the land within the ring withers and dies from starvation, but the leading edge of the ring remains lush and green, as the feeding/dying and decomposing mycelium releases fertilizers. This cycle can continue for centuries, and the ring grows, shrinks, and moves around the countryside, delighting some people and disturbing others.

We in modern times may scoff at the traditional superstition of the fairy rings, but scientists still struggle to explain the so-called "fairy circles" occurring in Africa. It is reported that in Namibia in southern Africa, bare, circular spots on the sandy grasslands have been occurring for unknown reasons. The circles behave much like the mycelium growths, persisting and then vanishing after decades. But scientists have ruled out a similar fungus, and remain stumped as to why these rings have been appearing in the remote, arid landscape. Local oral tradition explain them as the work of spirits and nature gods.

The differences of the lush outside of the ring compared to the dead inside, with no obvious cause, undoubtedly led the people of antiquity to presume that otherworldly affairs were at work. Certainly the abrupt, unpredictable change in the natural world, the age-old circle symbolism, and the fact that these 'portals' seemed temporary and mobile were convincing evidence of the supernatural.

To the consternation and frustration of those now seeking unblemished lawns, ridding a yard of a fairy ring can be as tricky as dealing with the legendary fairy-folk. To stop the mycelium from spreading its necrosis, one should pick the mushrooms as soon as they appear. Next, a thorough soaking of water may drown out the problem, but often it requires digging down beneath the white fungus to remove the tainted soil. This can sometimes mean digging down several feet or more to get all the infected dirt, replacing it all with fresh soil, and restarting the lawn anew.

Perhaps it would be easier just to take your chances with the fairies.

By Liz Leafloor

References

Sproule, Rob. 2012 . "The Magic to ridding fairy rings" Sherwood Park News[Online] Available at: http://www.sherwoodparknews.com/2012/08/09/the-magic-to-ridding-fairy-rings

Pappas, Stephanie. 2012. "Mysterious African 'Fairy Circles' Stump Scientists" LiveScience [Online] Available at: http://www.livescience.com/21228-mysterious-african-fairy-circles-mystery.html

Nelson, Scot. 2008. "Fairy Rings: Toadstools, Stinkhorns, and Puffballs" Cooperative Extension Service, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources [PDF] [Online] Available at: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/PD-49.pdf

Schwarz, Rob. 2014. "Fairy Rings: Myth and Nature" Stranger Dimensions [Online] Available at: http://www.strangerdimensions.com/2014/03/17/fairy-rings-myth-nature/

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Do you dare enter a fairy ring? The mythical mushroom portals of the supernatural

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For thousands of years, the sudden appearance of a ring of mushrooms was a sure sign of otherworldly presences. These rings would seemingly appear overnight, or travel from one location to another, with no clear rhyme or reason. Warnings of the dark forces that must create these abnormalities were passed down between generations, and the folklore of fairy rings was established.

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Post I: An Analysis of Fairies and Fairy Rings 

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Post I: An Analysis of Fairies and Fairy Rings 

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Tamara Davidson