The Existence of Fae Folk

[Poldugarian Warrior]

I remember I believe it was at the turn of the century in Ireland that photos were published in local papers that showed that fairies exist and they were flying around in a kitchen and outside. Now I don't know, but I always view this stuff with skepticism. But, what's or who is  to say yes or no. There have been plenty of photos of UFOs, The Loch Ness Monster and several other such marine animals of mythology and ghosts and other non-explainable creatures. Just wondering what evryone's take is on the search and possible finding of living fairies today.  I think it'd be quite cool. I'd also find it cool if there were or are giants that still exist and Bigfoot, and evry other mythical creature that we have thought gone extinct or never existed. Some of these creatures though have been explained as natural phenomenon or misinterpreted historical text or present observation of an animal or weather phenomenon. So to sum up do you think fairies do exist, ever existed, or are just a wonderful invention of the human mind?

[Poldugarian Warrior]

Oh, and please be nice to evryone on this post this isn't an opinion poll to put down people who do or do not believe in fairies. It just seems that the investigation of fairy sightings has been over shadowed by ghosts, big foot, sea serpents, and UFO's these days. And the fae folk question has been forgotten, and don't forget the Fae folk not only includes fairies, but gnomes, goblins, elves, and other grooups I can't remember, but I just read about them in a mythology book.

[Trillium]

Well, of course I believe I exist!!
Truthfully, yes, I do believe in faeries.  I've had many experiences of things disappearing and reappearing, flutters that you see out of the corner of your eye, especially when I lived out in country in WV.  I think they choose who to show themselves to and are very shy.

[groomporter]

I recently stumbled on to a YouTube Video with the two women who innocently started the Cottingley fairy photos hoax when they were young girls and explaining how they did it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx8yD_cymKA

That being said it wouldn't be hard to believe sometimes that our cat is being chased around the house by something we can't see 

[Welsh Wench]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottingley_Fairies

Here is the Wikipedia account of the Cottlingley Fairies.
The photography to me was brilliant for the time period it was created!

[Elennare]

I definately think fairies are real (though not the Cottlingley Fairies...photos at least.  there may have been faries there, but the photos were fake).  I've seen one, in fact!  While sitting at the drive-through at Wendy's waiting for the speaker to take our order, one ran behind the sign.  To me, it looked like the white silloute of a 4" tall woman with wings.  My fiance, who also saw it, thought it looked like an orb.  But we both saw it at the same time, in the same place, and both knew it was a fairy.

I've also seen a few other paranormal things as well, but that's a different topic.

[Poldugarian Warrior]

Elennare, that's good that you bring up the sighting that your fiance thought it was an orb, because many people see orbs and automatically think spirits, but what if they aren't spirits, but real people with wings, I mean look at a hummingbird's or bugs wings when flapping they are a blur and if light hits them they shine, so if a small human had wings and light was there to shine on them what's not to say they'd also show up as what looks to be an orb.

And Trillium, I also have experienced things disappearing and reappearing and have seen flitters at the corners of my eyes, could be from all the ale I drink, but who knows. Maybe they do exist and they've gotten so good at hiding that's why we no longer see them.

Thanks for the responses so far, I believe that the study of mythical creatures has been over shadowed by all of these modern myths and conspiracy stories that the good old legends have been looked over and need to be reprised. I mean I bet they don't even teach this stuf in school any more because they believe it takes away from real learning. Well, myths and legends have been a learning tool throughout all of history and should be taught and shared more often. Some are great for just entertainment where one's mind can leave this world for a bit and let one's imagination run wild. Okay stepping off soap box.

[Welsh Wench]

Cornish Fairies
'Laughing Like a Piskey' or Devilish Laughter

A. K. Hamilton Jenkin, discussing being 'Pisky-mazed,' says that help was not always at hand, and many stories told of lonely travellers who had been led so far astray as to have sunk down exhausted on the bare ground. Others have only released themselves by following the old people's advise and turned their clothes inside-out, in order to break the spell.

Again and again these victims of these fairy pranks have described how they have heard the elfish laughter of their invisible tormentors, the expression 'laughing like a piskey' still proverbial among the older inhabitants of the duchy.

[Elennare]

Elennare, that's good that you bring up the sighting that your fiance thought it was an orb, because many people see orbs and automatically think spirits, but what if they aren't spirits, but real people with wings, I mean look at a hummingbird's or bugs wings when flapping they are a blur and if light hits them they shine, so if a small human had wings and light was there to shine on them what's not to say they'd also show up as what looks to be an orb.

Hmmm...interesting idea, but that's not quite what I was trying to say.  I don't think fairies are "real people" in the sense that they're small humans.  They are something else entirely, and I believe, they can appear however they want to people.  To me, fairies look like small humans with wings, to my fiance, they often look like orbs, thus we each saw what we expected to when the fairy chose to show itself to us. 

[Poldugarian Warrior]

I see, so you believe they can manifest themselves any way they wish to whom they wish. And, if I got this right, you know that I believe they are small humans with wings which was precisely what I was
describing.

Interesting I never thought of them the way you do, but it makes sense they could have magical powers which allow them to turn into anything they want.

[Poco the Pirate]

Personally I think that the fairies only show themselves to people who are young at heart. I've never met anyone who is old at heart (or however you would say that) that has seen a fairy. But the things disappearing I believe is from the nisse. But that's just my belief.

[Synikul]

Almost every culture has stories of little magical people, that's got to be based on something real.

Nobody mentioned vampires when they listed bigfoot, ufos, etc. That's another one to consider. Every culture all over the world has a legend about dead people coming back to drink blood.

[Poldugarian Warrior]

Right on. And it has some truth to it, because the region in which most vampire stories originated have roots in rare human blood diseases. And the appearance of a human with said disease can be almost exacly like the description of all vampiric creatures to this day. So yeah, I guess evry story is based on something real in nature, and of course there maybe some exaggeration or none at all. That's why I approach evrythin with skepticism.

[DT_Masters]

If you are owned and operated by CATS, you know faeries exist. You may not be able to see them, but you know because of the way CATS sometimes act, that faeries exist.

[Poldugarian Warrior]

What about dogs that look passed you when your looking at them? I believe they maybe looking at something we can't see. So it may be possible all creatures including cats, may well be able to see supernatural forces.

[Jonas_MacPherson]

I've seen and heard some wierd stuff. Stuff coming over a ghost box for example. So, to the question of do fae folk exist? I would have to say, why not?

And from a small business owner who sells fae figurines, among other items, I know they exist...visibly? Maybe not, but within our hearts and souls, yes, absolutely.

[Poldugarian Warrior]

I like to believe like you Gentlemanprivateer. They do exist even if not in our world, but maybe in another or just in our imaginations and that's exactly where all mythical creatures should exist. But, could you imagine if we ever did find fossils or actual living beings of these folk or other creatures, they'd really have to re-write the history books then. And it'd be awesome.

[Jonas_MacPherson]

It certainly would be.  And like scienists admit, we've only explored a small amount of the planet's surface. So, who knows what'll be discovered in the next century.

[Poldugarian Warrior]

I was watching a show on National Geographic once and it showed on a map of the world all the places unexplored and it truly is amazing even with all the technology we have to reach these deep forests, mountains, and caves, and all the deeps of the oceans, we have still not managed to explore it all, will we ever is the question, and I think we will, but by that time all of our myths and legends will have lost their power to enthrall new audiences, and imagination will no longer be an outlet for recreation, but used by a more powerful government to bend the will of the people to its own purposes. I'm thinking the worst, but hoping the best, but it looks like this is our future if things don't change soon.

[coleenr]

People look at me like I'm crazy when I confess to genuinely believing in faeries.

I don't claim to have ever seen one though, but like they say, "Seeing isn't believing," whoever "they" are, haha.  I guess I just have this feeling, or intuition about them.

[Dracconia]

I beileve in the fae...

But I am a werid kid

[Tammy]

I believe in the Fae, in Unicorns, Dragons, Gnomes, and other *so called* mythical beings like the perfect man .
Seriously, I believe they do exist, but on another plane of existence...and at special times the veil between these two worlds allow them to cross over, or for us to catch a glimpse of them.

[Poldugarian Warrior]

I'd like to believe to put it into scientific perspective that at one time they all existed, and unfortunately died out. And so I think it will be of us, and people in the future may think that our races,and species of animals never existed because they seem fantastical. If you study our creatures and peoples of today there are many things they can do that are almost sci-fi or seem strange in a sense, but because we've coexisted with them for so long we take their qualities and differences for granted. But, you ever look off into some large patch of wood in the distance or just near a highway or a small lake out in the distance, what could be in those woods or lakes. There could be the faes home, or any other mystical being, and if not it's fun to wonder and come up with legends.

[Tammy]

Well, I believe that at one time they did exist here with us, and that as time went on, things changed and they found shelter and safety elsewhere.

I mean think about it...if little faeries were abundant...how many little girls wouldn't die to have one? How many of those little girls would treat them as just another doll?? They would be mistreated, not intentionally I'd hope...but they would soon be an endangered species...so being magical, it makes sense that they've found a safer existence.

[Alphonse]

Being a wizard, I am a little more familiar with the mystic and magical aspects of nature, then are most people. While one can not necessarily prove scientifically the existence of the Fae neither can they disprove it. Which is all one needs if they are truly looking for a reason to believe in them...of course some people will never believe. In fact they are often the sort of people who don't believe in wizards...

[Poldugarian Warrior]

Yes, even though I'm most skeptic, there is a true part of me that wishes that somewhere all of this exists. I mean there are so many charlatans that give the genuine discoverer of such unique beings a bad name and so they too are discounted as seeing things. Yet, I myself have seen and heard things in the night and day in the woods that can't be explained. nd most were call me crazy, but I know what I heard and believe and there is somethin out there.

[Poldugarian Warrior]

Tammy I like your idea of little girls wanting fairies as dolls, heck I wouldn't mind having one as a friend he/she could be like Tinkerbell and give me warning and bring me another ale, yet I would treat him/her with respect due a magical being. But, yes like so many beautiful creatures and powerful beasts on this planet their numbers have dwindled due to their being wanted by evryone and being mistreated. So yes, they could've just went into hiding like many animals we thought were extinct in the seas are being discovered when typhoons come in and think about the Silver backed Gorilla only found decades ago.

[Tammy]

Alphonse...I'm no wizard, but as my faith is nature based...I too am familiar with the mystical and magical aspects of nature.

Poldugarian Warrior...I've seen things that most people would say don't exist. I know what I saw, and what I've felt.

And, really...what's the harm in believing in a little magic anyway??  

*edited for spelling errors...I hate those!!