The Fairy Ring (Patreon)

A fairy ring, also known as fairy circle, elf circle, elf ring or pixie ring, is a naturally occurring ring or arc of mushrooms. They are found mainly in forested areas, but also appear in grasslands or rangelands. Fairy rings are the subject of much folklore and myth worldwide - particularly in Western Europe. They are often seen as hazardous or dangerous places, and linked with witches or the Devil in folklore.

In German tradition, fairy rings were thought to mark the site of witches' dancing on Walpurgis Night and Dutch superstition claimed that the circles show where the Devil set his milk churn. French tradition reported that fairy rings were guarded by giant bug-eyed toads that cursed those who violated the circles. In other parts of Europe, entering a fairy ring would result in losing an eye.

Western European traditions claimed that fairy rings are the result of elves or fairies dancing. British folklorist Thomas Keightley noted that in Scandinavia in the early 19th century, beliefs persisted that fairy rings (elfdans) arose from the dancing of elves. Keightley warned that while entering an elfdans might allow the interloper to see the elves—although this was not guaranteed—it would also put the intruder in thrall to their illusions.

Numerous legends focus on mortals entering a fairy ring—and the consequences. One superstition is that anyone who steps into an empty fairy ring will die at a young age. A 20th-century tradition from Somerset calls the fairy ring a "galley-trap" and says that a murderer or thief who walks in the ring will be hanged. Most often, someone who violates a fairy perimeter becomes invisible to mortals outside and may find it impossible to leave the circle. Often, the fairies force the mortal to dance to the point of exhaustion, death, or madness. In Welsh tales, fairies actively try to lure mortals into their circles to dance with them.

I hope you like this set. I had planned this photoshoot for over a year now but I finally have found the perfect fairy ring. I am really happy to come back here with new energy and lot of motivation.

Love, Erinthul.