Complicated Allies: Some Closing Remarks

When I chose four months ago to spend the semester studying fairies, I received mixed reactions from those I told. Some agreed that if I had to do a term project, this was the way to go, and others could not imagine how I intended to occupy myself for weeks in pursuit of a subject that does not exist. To the latter, I can say proudly that there has been no shortage of material.

I have discovered, you see, that fairies do exist. Not in the way that I exist, or this computer, but in the way that a story exists even if its book is burned. Perhaps they are more like to hope and faith than to actual creatures, but are they the less powerful for that?

I chose fairies as the central theme of my supernatural study because they appealed to that residual wonder left over from a childhood when I would wrap myself in gauzy scarves and become a fairy myself for several hours at a time, but I have spent enough time in fantasy literature that I did not expect my study to deal with flitting folk with baby faces. However, even I was a bit taken aback to find myself sorting through books of witchcraft to find a recommended resource. Early modern fairies were made for grown-ups. They were devious, self-centered, and sinister, and though there was a draw in the element of creepiness, there was also a kind of disappointment. These scheming creatures were not the granters of childhood wishes. I called them relatable because they were the most humanoid of supernatural beings, but they represented those characterics of humanity most hope with the supernatural to escape.

At the beginning of this project, I found so much material emphasizing the break from medieval to Victorian fairies that the contrast made the former appear veritable villains. In time, however, I realized that this was not the case. The fairies popular into the early modern period grew out of the Dark Ages, but it was the age, not the creature, that was dark. If fairies could not be trusted, it was because they were wild, the original free spirits. They enjoyed the same luxuries as humans without the guilt imposed by the Church and other social restrictions, innocent hedonists.

And, as many rebels through the ages, fairies were champions of the misfits and downtrodden of society. One point recurring throughout my research was their closeness to the female world. The fairy culture was driven by feminine power and pursuits, offering a sense of purpose to women whose labors were scorned in the male-centered early modern world. Even queens of the supernatural realm were interested in human children and midwives, and hobgoblins were always willing to help poor maids with the housework. Fairies were also allies of the impoverished. Certain stories show them giving gold and marketable items to poor men trying to support families, with no suggestion of payment in return.

If fairies were frightening, it was because they were powerful and untethered; they had no need to conform to societal norms. But what made them frightening also welcomed them to those in need of their support - of what use is a weak ally? Primary source studies revealed an overall positive idea toward fairies in the early modern period. They were fascinating and helpful, and if many would not precisely admit to believing in them, no one was eager to see them leave.

I like to think that I have remained a friend of the fairies, if not a fool for them, throughout the duration of this project. I have tried to reflect in these entries some of their multidimensionality, that trait which makes them more humanesque and relatable than almost any other supernatural creature. They are needy, selfish, and conniving, but they are also lovers of life, good to those who need good, and bringers of wealth and healing. They appeal to that nonconformist part of human nature which believes that happiness should be enjoyed and good should be rewarded. Above all, they are a taste of something more in a world of sameness, and that is healing enough to many.


Bibliography:

1. Ashliman, D.L. Fairy Lore: A Handbook. Westwood, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc., 2006.

2. "Avalon." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 9 December 2008. 16 November 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avalon.

3. Howard, Skiles and Gail Kern Paster, eds. "Natural and Supernatural - Fairy Belief." A Midsummer Night's Dream: Texts and Contexts. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999. 307-324.

4. "Morgan Le Fay." Arthurian Legend. Patrick Taylor, 2004-2007. 19 November 2008 http://www.arthurian-legend.com/more-about/more-about-arthur-8.php.

5. "Morgan le Fay." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 5 December 2008. 19 November 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Le_Fay.

6. "Pan (mythology)." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 10 December 2008. 2 December 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_(mythology).

7. Purkiss, Diane. At the Bottom of the Garden: A Dark History of Fairies, Hobgoblins, and Other Troublesome Things. Washington Square, NY: New York University Press, 2000.

8. "Robin Goodfellow." Answers.com. 2008. 2 December 2008 http://www.answers.com/topic/robin-goodfellow.

9. "Satyr." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 4 December 2008. 2 December 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyr.


Other recommended resources:

1. Briggs, K.M.. The Fairies In English Tradition and Literature. London: The University of Chicago Press, 1967.

2. Wilby, Emma. "The Witch's Familiar and the Fairy in Early Modern England and Scotland." BNET. October 2000. 12 December 2008 http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2386/is_2_111/ai_69202448.


Primary sources:
(in order of entry)

1. The Tempest. William Shakespeare. Dir. Kenneth Kay. Blowing Rock Stage Company, 2008.

2. Corbett, Richard. "A Proper New Ballad Entitled The Fairies Farewell: Or God-A-Mercy Will." 1620. A Midsummer Night's Dream: Texts and Contexts. Howard, Skiles and Gail Kern Paster, eds. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999. 314-316.

3. Aubrey, John. From The Remains of Gentilism and Judaism and The Wiltshire Fairies. 1688, 1686. A Midsummer Night's Dream: Texts and Contexts. Howard, Skiles and Gail Kern Paster, eds. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999. 310-313.

4. From Robin Goodfellow, His Mad Pranckes and Merry Jests. 1639. "Folklore." Shakespeare's Life and Times. Internet Shakespeare Editions, University of Victoria: Victoria, BC, 2001-2005. 2 December 2008 http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/ideas/folklore.html.

5. Pitt, Moses. An account of one Ann Jefferies, now living in the county of Cornwall... 1696. Early English Books Online. Appalachian State University Library. 3 December 2008 http://eebo.chadwyck.com/search/full_rec?SOURCE=pgthumbs.cfg&ACTION=ByID&ID=11878742&FILE=../session/1228949127_5635&SEARCHSCREEN=CITATIONS&SEARCHCONFIG=var_spell.cfg&DISPLAY=AUTHOR.