Ethereal Chronicles

Mortals who dare to venture into what seems to be an innocent ring of flourishing vegetation risk losing themselves in the Otherworld, the realm of the faeries.

WHAT IS A FAERY RING?

A faery ring is a collection of mushrooms which naturally grow in a circle. But such a phenomenon is not one to be trifled with, and certainly not one to be underestimated.

The origin of faery rings varies heavily, depending on the culture that surrounds it. In Germany, for example, faery rings signal the presence of Witches, while Dutch folklore hints that it is a sign of the Devil himself. In Austria, faery rings are said to be formed from the tail of a flying dragon, after which mushrooms can grow in the spot for up to seven years.

Scandinavian and Celtic folklore suggests that faery rings are formed by faeries. Regardless of their origin, however, faery rings are best left alone should you wish to avoid bad luck, disappearance or even death.

ENTERING A FAERY RING

As time moves differently in the Otherworld, entering a faery ring can quickly become problematic. One year in the Otherworld could equate to one hundred in the land of the living, and mere moments within the ring could pass as years in the mortal world. The unfortunate soul who becomes trapped may come back to find all his loved ones gone, and everything that was once familiar changed.

Moreover, the allure of living amongst such magical creatures is incredibly powerful for mortals, and those who choose to join the faeries, whether willingly or unwittingly, find it incredibly difficult to leave.

If the faeries are dancing, they might compel the mortal to join them until exhaustion either kills him or brings him to madness. In Wales, faeries are known to entice mortals with haunting melodies, luring them closer and closer to the circle until they are trapped.

Even if, by miraculous chance, the mortal manages to escape the circle, he or she often finds that the pleasures of life do not satiate their newfound desires discovered in the Otherworld. Some descend into madness, unable to replace the enchanting with the mundane, while others find that the human food does not nourish them as it did before but makes them sick. In one legend from Carmarthenshire, a young man saved from a faery ring crumbles away into nothing the moment his feet touch human soil.