“In the Fairies”

 

Following the Fairies in French’s Cove ? , originally uploaded by eracose.

Newfoundland is one of the places in the English-speaking world which is well-known for its stories of fairies. However, be warned – our fairies are more like Brothers Grimm’s Rumpelstiltskin than Disney’s Tinker Bell.  Although the tradition of believing in these supernatural beings is quickly dying, a number of tales about then still exist in the Baccalieu Trail area. Many people can still describe fairies, as well as tell stories of encounters with them.
In an area with such close ties with the sea, these short tales of the relationship of the people to the land seen strangely out-of-place. Yet, when daily life of the outport is considered, the woods and the barrens are inseparable elements of people’s existence, providing fire wood, building materials, berries, trout, rabbits, partridge, as well as hours of entertainment spent hiking, fishing, hunting, and camping. In these stories the affinity of the people for the outdoors is contrasted with their fears. It is possible to emotionally feel the eerie silence of being lost and alone on the barrens or in the woods.

With these photos on Flickr, I have attached fairly stories collected a number of years ago from students at Ascension Collegiate in Bay Roberts.

Fairy Light – Glowing Jade Green

Lost Girl from South River

Fairy Touched.