Extra Reading Diary: Welsh Fairy Tales (Emerson)

Myth-Folklore Unit: Welsh Fairy Tales (Emerson)

(Fairy Ring Image by: The Poss)

READING A:
1. The Fairies of Caragonan

• Fairy ring! I've never heard of this, and it is so awesome! 
• The teenage daughter of a fairy queen
• Fairies that can turn into birds
• Witches, that clearly use Black Magic, harming humans
• Fairies helping humans who are under a curse or an evil spell. (Modern day version, it could be an agency that specializes in this)
• Building a fairy ring
• Using a blot of perfume and song as a spell (the perfume must be like a potion)

The Fairies of Caragonan (cont.)

• The fairy circle is made with a pole, mirror, and tape. It sounds a lot like a maypole.
•  Turn around three times and see something in the mirror
• Killing the "wicked witch"
• Follow what the fairies say, and you will be rewarded tenfold.

Three Short Tales of Fairies

• Listen to what the fairies say, they just want to be heard
• If you don't do what fairies say, there will be punishment
• Baby-farming is not as disturbing as I thought it would be. In fact is basically just a daycare.
• Dressing favorite kids in good clothes, and the others in rags
• The well-dressed children turned to fairies

The Old Man and the Fairies

• Fairies dance under the moonlight and create fairy circles.
• Being spirited away by the fairies, in your sleep, to a fairy party
• Given gold by fairies, and it turns to cockle-shells 
• Given money many times, and then finally only given cockle-shells
• Fairies coming through keyholes
• The fairies will turn on you. They will give you presents, but then give you something less than desired.

The Story of Gelert

• Having a set of hounds, and your favorite dying
• Going hunting (for mystical creatures would be interesting)
• Hills inhabited by wolves (and werewolves?)

Origin of the Welsh

• Birds as warfare (Like the movie The Birds!)
• Turn the birds into fairies
• Fairies only visiting humans once a year. They live deep in the Earth and in caves.
• Spell only working 2,000 years
• Welsh were the first to settle into Britain.

Crows

• "One black crow, bad luck for me.
  Two black crows, good luck for me.
  Three black crows, a son shall be born in the family.
  Four black crows, a daughter shall be born in the family.
  Five black crows shall be a funeral in the family.
  Six black crows, if they fly head on, a sudden death.
  Seven black crows with their tails towards you, death within seven years." Source: Welsh Tales (Emerson)
• Coffins
• Prophetic dreams

The Fairy of the Dell

• Fairies fought Evil Witches who practiced black magic (I keep specifying this because there are Good Witches who practice white magic!)
• Holding wands and flowers
• A crown of flowers for the fairy queen
• "The Black Art" as an evil Spellbook
• I like the songs they sang

The Fairy of the Dell (cont.)

• Destroying an evil Spellbook releases demons
• Mirror magic, mirror spells
• Possession by evil spirits
• A magic fairy ring that says if she queen is dead or alive
• Fairies die when their power is gone. They forever look youthful.