leneaStella's Blog

Anime Relations: Doku Tenshi no Shippo

TODAY · FRIENDS


An illustration of what a fairy might look like

There aren't many people who take seriously
the existence of elves & fairies in today's
society. Yet there are people who will swear
that they have seen them with their own eyes -
just as plainly as others have seen ghosts,
Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster.

The stories of elusive little people are as
ancient as civilisation itself & can be found in
virtually every culture on Earth. Most familiar to
us are the legends of elves, dwarfs,
leprechauns & trolls from Europe &
Scandinavia.

Generally, fairies were described as tiny
ephemeral being with wings who resided in
forest. Elves, dwarfs & leprechauns were likewise
residents of the forest. Unlike fairies, however,
they were quite human in appearance - except
for their diminutive size. They were often
picture as having their own miniature
civilisation, hidden away from the human world.

In stowmarket, England in 1842, a man
claimed this encounter with 'fairies' when
walking through a meadow on his journey
home: "There might be a dozen of them, the
biggest about three feet high, & small ones like
dolls. They were moving around hand in hand in a ring; no noise came from them.
"They seemed light & shadowy, not like solid
bodies. I could see them as plain as I do you. I
ran home & called three women to come back
with me & see them. But when we got to the
place, they were all gone. I was quite sober at the time." ~ Note by: @rxargyros