Fairies

Fairies: Real Encounters With Little People by Janet Bord was originally published in 1997. My paperback copy, including appendix, notes, bibliography, and index is 242 pages. Just Me found this book in the clearance section at our local used book store for next to nothing, which is why we picked it up. It was worth the price. If you believe in fairies, this book will reinforce your already held beliefs. If you are just curious, this book will be very mildly entertaining. There are 14 black and white pictures. Don't let the hype on the back cover fool you. This is not really a serious study. If it were you'd think that a mention could be made that, for example, perhaps leaving food out for fairies might attract vermin. This book is a collection of fairy stories and myths masquerading as a serious book. I'm giving it a personal rating of 1, but if you want a book to laugh at it might rate higher for you. Perhaps Fairies will inspire Just Me to finish her blog series on painting clothes on naked fairies. One can always hope....

Synopsis from back cover:

They have frightened adults, enchanted children, and wreaked so much havoc that homes have been abandoned. Now dramatic proof reveals the real-life existence of fairies, dwarves, gnomes, pixies, brownies, and elves. This fascinating investigation presents tangible evidence that "Little People" exist and lifts the veil of mystery around these legendary creatures.

Author Janet Bord has examined ancient records as well as modern accounts of these strange, seemingly magical beings. Carefully sifting hoaxes and fables from documented sightings, she presents the amazing facts she has uncovered, including:

*Startling information on the UFO connection

*Dramatic testimony about the healing power of fairies

*Detailed descriptions of eyewitness sightings

*Fairy sites you can visit in the British Isles

*The stunning truth behind the existence of fairies in the modern world.

Quotes:

"However the changes that have occurred this century have not resulted in the complete extinction of the fairies: they have survived, because people still see them." pg. 2

"This attitude of deference to the fairies still lingers on. In 1968 it was reported that the course of a new road in Donegal had been altered because workmen refused to cut down a tree which was believed to be frequented by the fairies." pg. 6

"Some Scottish fairies....wore plaids and kilts. Cloaks were often worn, and hats of various kinds: red pointed caps seem to have been popular." pg. 13

"Turning one's coat inside out was said to be the way to counter the fairy spell, but it didn't always work." pg. 15

"Ethereal music may often be associated with fairies, although they are invisible, because of the well-known love of the fairies for dancing." pg. 17

"The custom of leaving out something edible to placate the fairies is deeply enshrined in fairy lore. Among the items traditionally used were barely-meal cakes....cheese....and milk." pg. 25

"[T]he fairy shoe [was] found on the Beara Peninsula in south-west Ireland in 1835...the tiny shoe was 2 7/8 inches long but only 7/8 inches wide, and in style like the shoe of an eighteenth century gentleman. It was wore down at the heel." pg. 26

"Red clothing is often described by those who have seen the Little People, green apparently being the next most popular colour." pg. 44

"In the far north, in the Arctic Ocean coastal community of Cambridge Bay (Victoria Island, Canadian North West Territories), people in the 1,000-strong community are claiming to have seen in recent years a seventy-strong tribe of Little People who are believed to roam the High Arctic. They are said to be about three feet tall, dressed in caribou skins, and carrying bows and arrows....'people are leaving food out there hoping if they were out there they'd take it and come into town and try to be friendly.' " pg. 80

"UFO researchers who have also taken an interest in folklore have noticed some strong similarities between the creatures sometimes seen to emerge from landed UFOs and the traditional fairies or Little People." pg. 106

"Fairyland was most commonly believed to be located somewhere underground, either in hills (natural, or prehistoric burial mounds, or ancient forts) or deep inside the earth. It was entered through holes in the ground, or simply by (apparently) passing through the solid earth, as fairies were sometimes seen to do." pg. 163