Have you ever seen a fairy ring? In British folklore, it's said that these strange circles (usually rings of mushrooms or patches of discolored grass) are the work of fairies - and that humans should stay well clear. Let's take a closer (but not that close) look at...
- What Makes a Fairy Ring or Fort?
- The Fairy Ring of Falkirk
- Gallitraps - Law and Order, Fairy Style
- Glamour Palaces
- Ireland's Fairy Forts
- Dancing for a Year and a Day
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| A somewhat irregular fairy ring... (Fungi Gallery) |
What Makes a Fairy Ring or Fort?
The classic, mushroom-edged fairy ring is usually the product of a fungus known as Marasmius oreades. To modern biologists, these rings simply represent the boundaries of a patch of fungus hidden beneath the surface for most of the year, spreading out in all directions to form a neat circle. Chemicals released by the fungus can suppress plant growth inside the ring, but the fungus also frees up nutrients for plants outside its turf - this can result in a flattened dull patch inside, with lush grass outside.
Fairy forts are another story, being the buried remains of ancient human dwellings. Once defensive homes that could keep a family and their animals protected from raiders, the walls and vegetation marking the boundaries of these sites retain their military aspect - hence being called a fairy fort.
That said, both forts and rings have accumulated a body of folklore and stories over time. A common theme is that an unwitting human can have a close encounter of the fae kind should they cross the boundaries - one that rarely ends well for the hapless mortal in question!
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| The remains of Tappoch Broch near Falkirk... looks like fairy country, doesn't it? (Johnny Briggs) |
The Fairy Ring of Falkirk
A story that illustrates the cruelty of the "fair folk" story comes to us from Falkirk in Scotland. It concerns a seven-year-old orphan called Mary Neilson, who one day went to the muir (moorland) to pick small flowers as a gift for her grandmother.
The story goes that Mary was found sleeping amidst the fairy rings on the Muir of Falkirk by a shepherd, and upon being woken up, discovered she was now blind.
Mary wouldn't speak of what happened, but the locals claimed that she had encountered a fairy, one that had shown her a beautiful lake, allowed her to fly on the back of a swan and listen to music in a secret silvery portion of the woods. It was there that the fairies made an offer that Mary should become their queen - but Mary refused their request, even when one fairy ominously stated "refuse not."
The legend goes that Mary was struck blind by the slighted fairies - which explained the lack of any visible injury to the girl.
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| A gallitrap was an invisible snare for those guilty of heinous crimes... (mgpalmer) |
Gallitraps - Law and Order, Fairy Style
An interesting bit of lore from Sommerset, Devon and Gloucester is that of the gallitrap, a fairy circle that would force the guilty to face justice. Gallitrap may be a contraction of gallow-trap - you'll soon see why.
The parson would be able to break the spell of the gallitrap, but this was no rescue - the magistrate would arrange a swift hanging for the criminal.
Glamour Palaces
One otherworldly origin for fairy rings comes to us from Anglesey in Wales. The story goes that the local youths would sneak out to Llyn y Bwch of a night, where they would often hear beautiful music and see a grand palace on the ground. The fairy folk would emerge to dance and play over night, but the palace would be gone in the morning... leaving only fairy rings in the grass to mark where the fairies had danced.
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| Buried ruins, fairy fort... or both? (Deirdre Dunne) |
Ireland's Fairy Forts
Fairy rings are found in the folklore of the Emerald Isle as well. The expressions "fás na h-aon oidhche" or "fás aon oíche" both roughly mean "growth of one night" and refer to the way mushrooms seem to magically pop up.
Fairy raths or forts are a slightly different take on fairy rings. Rather than being the product of fungi or microorganisms, these tend to be the (mostly) buried remains of ancient human fortified dwellings - and Ireland is thought to have more than 40,000 of them visible on the surface.
Despite their different origins, these rings of trees and stones were considered dangerous places to meddle - exploring or taking items from the fort could lead to anything from the item being taken back, to sickness amongst cattle or crops.
One story of a fairy circle is recounted by Jane Wilde. The tale goes that a hard-headed farmer decided to build a barn on the site of the circle, only to be "fairy-struck" and fall into a coma for several days. He was eventually revived by a "fairy doctor" (a traditional Irish healer specializing in dealing with the supernatural) but reported being chided in his dreams that the barn was ill-luck. He arranged for it to be torn down in short order!
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| Those rescued from a fairy ring sometimes crumbled to dust... (Liana S) |
Dancing for a Year and a Day
Another recurring Welsh legend is that of a youth being trapped in a fairy ring and spirited away. The victim could only be recovered a year and a day later, when the still-dancing abductee could be seen again in the ring, touched with iron and immediately dragged free by their friends.
One story goes that a young lad walked into a ring in Bryn Glas and became caught up in a fairy dance. His friends were able to recover him a year and a day later, but for him only five minutes seemed to have passed. His shoes told a different story, as they had been brand new when he entered, and were now little more than scraps.
Another Anglesey tale is that of a farmer's daughter from Llandyfrydog, who became entranced by diminutive riders of the Tylwyth Teg (fair folk, fairy rings are sometimes called Cylchau y Tylwyth Teg) and vanished after entering a fairy ring while searching for a lost cow. On the advice of a magician, the farmer went to the ring on the anniversary of her disappearance - but he also brought four friends who held onto a rope tied about his middle. Sure enough, his daughter was riding around the ring in the company of the fairies... so he plunged in, grabbed her and was pulled back out by his companions. The daughter had no recollection of the missing time, and immediately asked if the cow had been found.
Other Welsh tales of fairy rings end on a much darker note. One story from Carmarthenshire tells of a farmer on his way to tend to his horses who encountered otherworldly music and decided to step into a fairy ring and join the revel. Years passed, until a traveler encountered the farmer still dancing in the ring. and asked "what in heaven's name makes you so lively?" The mention of heaven broke the spell and the farmer asked what happened to his horses, stepped out of the ring and crumbled to dust!