D had a few questions so I thought I'd share them here... being that he is a terribly bright boy and you might have the same questions too.
(D's Questions / My answers)
What is a brownie?
A brownie is a type of house faerie. They are generally of the 'quite nice' sort. If they really like a family they might fix or take care of things when no one is looking.
Have you ever seen a brownie?
I'm quite sure I saw one scoot under the deck last week.
I thought faeries didn't like to be seen? What did it look like?
They don't. This one was moving particularly fast. I think I caught him off guard. I didn't get a really good look at him but he was wearing brown furs and leather. He was probably about 10" tall.
Did the dog chase him?
No. He was moving very fast and poor Paddy is very dim.
Are there boy faeries?
Absolutely! There are certain kinds of faeries that are ONLY male. I'm not sure exactly how that works but Leprechauns, for example, are only boys.
Do faeries like honey?
Faeries like honey, jam and bread. They also like sweet wine. But they do not like sweets like chocolate and candy. Lots of people say they like milk but from my experience they don't like it at all.
Does a salt ring keep goblins out?
A ring of salt keeps lots of bad things away. The thing to remember about goblins and other 'bad' faeries is that they really just want to be left alone. They aren't going to sneak into the house and do awful things to you. They mostly act naughty when people bother them.
What is a faerie tree?
It is a tree that the faerie folk either like, are attracted to, live in or near. They protect the tree and it is very bad luck to chop one down as it makes them angry and you do not want the faeries angry with you.
Are there any faerie trees here?
Just the other week I discovered a group of strange trees in the pasture behind us. They are very old, but small and have big thorns growing from them. There is something very special about that bunch of trees. I'm sure that there's something rather old that lives there. What do you think?
I think the tree at the bottom of the hill is a faerie tree.
Why is that?
Because there are lots of holes in it and they might lead to their homes.
(One of the holes in D's faerie tree)
What about giants?
There are loads of types of faeries. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some are even human sized!
But they wouldn't tell anyone right? Human sized faeries wouldn't want anyone to know they were really a faerie.
Bingo.
And so today the kiddo plans to come home from school and make a tiny sled because he's sure the wee folk would like to go tobogganing down the big hill if there's another snowfall. And really, is there any better thing to do after school? I can't help but feel just a little bit sorry for all those kids who don't believe.
I am old enough to be his grandmother--but grew up with tales of the "little folk" and all sorts of sprites from a rather creative and inventive aunt. There were pixies all over her big house...in paintings and sometimes in figurines. Treats, houses, visits in the garden, etc. I remember this with great fondness and he will someday, too. Your questions and answers are great! Hope he retains his childlike wonder always!
ReplyDeleteWe at Casa de Cuckoo from 63 years young to 7 years old believe and interact with the fae. It has been my great pleasure to have "infected" my family with my love for all things faerie from the moment of my beautiful daughter until right now. My grands are 11 and 7 and know that they are blessed with visits from the fae in many different ways and take on their responsibilities to care for and look out for them as well. The 7 year old has a hard time with his classmates but he tells me that he is the only one in his reading group with faery kisses (freckles) on his cheeks because he is a true believer.
ReplyDeleteLong live the love of the true believer. Oma Linda
It is a sad day when a person stops believing in the Fae. May Big D always have the ability to believe in the Magick! :0)
ReplyDeleteDollz & Linda... thank the stars for fine faerie loving women like you both. How else would anyone know about faerie kisses?!
ReplyDeleteHonestly, there was a time when I was a very jaded, very angsty teenager and I lost my belief for a while. And I kid you not, having been fairly freckly all of my life- they faded away. Now that I've rekindled my relationship with the wee ones (from the flower variety to the goblin variety and all those in between) I can't imagine how I ever let it go. I'd like to go back and give my discombobulated teen self a talking to for sure.
ReplyDeleteP.S. D is quite lucky to have such a fairy loving family and home and you guys are lucky to have such a bright kiddo! (Also you're quite lucky that Padfoot is quite dim, lest he actually scare away a fairy!) ;-)
This is such a sweet post! I would love to meet your darling D.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this! I am a believer and my little sister who is 10 has always believed. Last year her teacher at school told her she couldn't believe in faeries! What a crock! She came home with tons of questions and after a talk she said she would never stop believing! I can't wait to share the love of the fae with my daughter!
ReplyDelete