From The Gallows Of England’s And Ireland’s Myths: Fairies

If peculiar stories are but myths, then why do authors write books about them? Why do old folks tell stories to their youths about strange sightings of non-human creatures? Why do people barely believe in myths unless you are a little kid who dreams of seeing a pegasus? So to reiterate, if a person heard about myths now, they would not believe in it, but try to look back centuries ago when there were no cameras to capture such peculiarities.

People back then had nothing but memories and word of mouth to tell the tale. Maybe those myths are not myths after all. They were just quick enough to not get caught like the merpeople, for example, none had seen one as clear as day but bits and pieces of its tail, half fish and half human torsos. Or maybe, fairies, boggarts, nymphs and mystical guardians of the forest truly do exist but they stay well out of sight. Of course, there is no doubt that the word “myth” is a synonym for “lie” but strangely enough most myths we hear of can be truer than fact because myths convey beliefs, values and conceptual ideas through icons, emblems and symbols. 

For instance, a child’s play myths like the myth of fairies that wander around the world carrying their character as mythical creatures that carry unworldly powers. Oftentimes they are seen as good beings rather than bad but that is just what most Europeans believed. These creatures have been around for ages, appearing in many cultural stories and legends originating mainly from European folklore. They are associated with the changing of the seasons, spring, summer, winter and fall. Perhaps the movie “Tinkerbell” is nowise but the truth after all. 

But that is just the generic point of view. To reiterate, fairies are not just six-inch creatures with sparkly wings and outstanding beauty. There are many variations of them mainly in Welsh folklore; the general types are elves, boggarts and hobgoblins, forest and water nymphs that are said to be more sinister than good, and mountain spirits that resemble old hags who lure travellers, and mountain hikers into their trap. Bringing them into their world, hidden from all mankind. John Walsh of Devonshire in 1566 till the year 1580 classified these fairies as evil doers of mankind the complete opposite of its modern adaptation.

To reiterate, different countries have different perspectives on the existence of fairies, some believe that they are mere spirits who loathe humans with eternal contempt because these creatures according to John Walsh of Devonshire are soulless. 

Details of the existence of fairies rose to fame in 1917. When 15-year-old Elsie Wright took her father’s box camera to a woodland glen in Cottingley, Yorkshire and took her first photograph. It became one of the most famous and controversial images ever exposed to public scrutiny. The photograph depicted her with a group of diminutive winged fairies in front of her. Perhaps if the photo was taken today people would simply say it’s edited but that photo was taken in the early 1900s when cameras were first invented, lacking technologies or editing intricacies.

Therefore it is safe to say that fairies are real and immortalized by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in his book entitled The Coming of The Fairies (published in 1922). And was naturally eager to pursue any evidence that might confirm such entities. As a result, Elsie Wright was given a fresh new camera and photographic plates and asked to take more pictures of the entities which she did. In August 1920, the fairies’ pictures were semi-transparent almost as if they were disappearing in an enchanting vapour of sparkling pixie dust. Again in the early 20s, no editing was prevalent yet.

Debunking the fact that fairies are not real. It’s the opposite but, they do stay well out of sight. Hence, for decades the pictures Elsie Wright took perplexed the scientific world. Pictures of little bones in bird’s nests taken in 1950 further prove that humans and mammals are not the only inhabitants of this earth. 

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Marlisa Muzaffar

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