Mysterious Namibian Fairy Circles

A fairy circle, or ring, is a circle of magic created by or for otherworldly beings. See a previous post to get a brief definition of what a fairy circle, or fairy ring, is if you are not familiar. https://faeriesight.wordpress.com/2010/09/01/fairy-ring/

In various areas along the pro-Namib Desert in Africa, there are mysterious circles that are discs of grass on the ground, which evidently do not grow anything within the ring. You can read a more complete description here.

The original hypothesis was that bugs such as termites were creating these odd, but further studies proved that this may not in fact be the case. They argue that it may be a more ecological, a competition for resources, though that still doesn’t explain the shape. You can read their findings here.

Of course, there are also those who may be more whimsically inclined to theorize that there are more mysterious elements at work here. Maybe a supernatural force, an otherworldly spirit, a portal to another realm. What do you think?

Magical fairy houses!

Click on the picture below to check out a list of magical houses… which one would you choose?

 

Professor claims to have photographed fairies!

A professor in England says that he has captured fairy images on film! He claims to have spotted them over a two-year project of photographing the Lancashire landscape. Read more about the story here: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/fairies-john-hyatt-rossendale-valley-6909619

 

For those of you who feel that this is all a bit of nonsense, there is a theory disproving the pictures here.

What type of mythological creature are you?

Here’s a test to find out which type of mythological creature you are! It’s just a bit of fun, but it also gives you a brief description of your ‘creature’ and a little bit of personality typing. Check it out! I am an elf apparently.

http://www.quotev.com/quiz/1684988/What-type-of-mythical-creature-are-you/

I prefer the company of people who believe in magic…

Kyonghwan Kim

I came across this artist on my virtual travels the other day and really loved the work. the colours used and the textures Kim plays with are soft and inviting, which contradicts the subject matter to some extent. Even though the pictures are composed with an evanescent dreaminess, the characters and landscapes hint at a hidden world not readily apparent, and a subtle sense of danger, very like faeries themselves. Check out the website for more http://www.tahraart.com/.

The Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye in Scotland

In Scotland, there are streams leading to waterfalls and several pools called The Fairy Pools. These magical pools are located in the south of the Isle of Skye, in a place called Glen Brittle. I have never been there, but the pictures and videos I’ve seen of the place look very serene and pastoral. And for all of the places for the ‘Fairy Pools’ to be… a place called the Isle of Skye seems pretty appropriate.

Here is a walking guide if ever you happen to be in the area http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/skye/fairypools.shtml

In the video below, the reporter states that there are Rowan trees surrounding the area, which is a tree sometimes used for protection. She also states that selkies may be associated with the area, but she doesn’t go into any tale explaining why the place is called the Fairy Pools.

And here is a photo of the pools by photographer Julian Calverley, the picture is linked to his site.

Fuchsia Flower Faeries

I have been seeing a lot of these flowers around lately, and I don’t know about you, but to me they look like little faeries in disguise. They’re  called Fuchsias and they are apparently a very old plant the was ‘discovered’ by a missionary in circa the 17th century in the Dominican Republic. There are many different types, and I’m not exactly sure which kind these are, but you can read up on the history of the species here.

http://www.fuchsiaflower.co.uk/fuchsiahistory.htm

Fairy Dwelling!

I was at a cottage recently and what should I find but a fairy door! I quietly snuck up to it and snapped this picture. Hopefully they didn’t notice!!

Homo Floresiensis Revisited By Vlogbrothers!

A while ago I brought up the topic of a branch of our evolutionary tree called Homo Floresiensis, otherwise known as the ‘hobbit’, which you can read again here.

I was watching the Vlogbrothers on YouTube and low and behold, what is the topic of the week but our little friends homo Floresiensis. The Vlogbrothers are a fraternal duo that make vlogs about various subject matter… more often than not it is intellectually based. These two are aware of their social reach and are very active in trying to, as they say ‘reduce world suck’, or try to make our world a better place. They usually try to achieve this through various charitable efforts or by trying to broaden the knowledge base of their viewers. The brothers, in addition to the channel they share, each have their own channel dedicated to teaching the YouTube public, one is about world history and the other is about science. The clip I’ve linked below is from the science channel, and gives a very brief scientific explanation for Homo Floresiensis.

This is their shared channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers?feature=results_main

This is the science channel: http://www.youtube.com/scishow

This is the history/ biology channel: http://www.youtube.com/crashcourse

And this is their game show channel that features random facts about a topic: http://www.youtube.com/truthorfail

If you haven’t already checked these guys out I suggest that you do, they’re pretty interesting. And you’ll like at least one of their channels, if not all