Category Archives: Halloween Artist Bazaar

The Secret History of Gnomes.

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The Secret History of Gnomes.
-By Angelique Duncan

When one sees a statue of a garden gnome one would never realize the grand and noble history that they hold. Their beginnings are much loftier than the life they hold now, residing in the suburbs among the daises and St. Augustine.

The name Gnome quite literally means “Earth Dweller” and is synonymous with Pygmaei or as we know the term today, Pygmies. Once believed to stand 3-4 feet tall, masculine, strong in physique with long beards. Their possible history reaches back to the ancient Roman Greco era to a tribe in Greek mythology who were secondary deities who co existed with humans. The Gnomes were considered highly skilled in nature magic. Gnomes were seen as benevolent beings that were intelligent and wise, hard working in manual labor, peaceful in nature yet fierce defenders when necessary. They were the guardians of farmland; gardens and small livestock and forest animals. When lands were under attack they rode upon goat back brandishing spears to drive out the invaders.

In Roman mythology they were considered akin to the Roman fertility god Priapus protector of livestock fruit and gardens and considered very virile. It is believed that Gnomes are depicted consistently as male figures in history and rarely referenced as female in that the Gnomes were defenders of the meek and all things worthy of protection. It is believed they were very protective of their women and would defend them to all cost against predators and intruders, and later in history from humans.

In Celtic and Germanic lore, the Gnomes were a tribe attributed with Earth element magic and were defenders of mines and under ground tunnels. It was believed that gnomes could move through the Earth and breath underground with the same ease their human counterparts do above ground in the air. Some associate Gnomes as descendants of the Dwarves of Germanic and Norse legends for the ability to move underground and the belief that Gnomes were skilled miners. It was thought that they helped to build under ground tunnels to hide treasures and riches of the fae folk after the great invasions of ancient Ireland, and from humans in modern times.

The history and genealogy of the Gnomes is also believed to be traced to the Tomte or Nisse of Scandinavian folklore. The Tomote are sometimes believed to be an incarnation of a deceased ancestor of the home who comes back to defended the children and animals of the estate and would help with chores, particularly gardening and farm work. The Scandinavian folklore of the Tomote gave rise to the legend of and has associations with the winter elves who appear at Yule.

The size of the Gnomes is widely accepted as a physical attribute, although some historians and mythologist suggest that their representation of small size was more figurative than literal in that in their possible origins they came form lesser spirits or gods. The modern depiction of Gnomes in literature is significantly smaller than what is written in ancient mythology. The modern accepted stature of a Gnome is 2-3 feet tall and in many instances as short as 1 foot tall.

One theory between folklorist and mythologist is that Gnomes adapted to the world around them. That the Gnomes became smaller to better navigate an ever-increasing population of humans and development. Shape shifting to a smaller size helps to keep them hidden. Others believe that the gradual change of Gnomes appearance was the result of the Christian church marginalizing pagan deities through depictions of art and restructuring of legends to aid in making Christianity more palatable to Pagans. Many descriptions of Pagan deities through the Christian church had their attributes downplayed and magical properties lessened. Benevolent entities and magical creatures of Pagan nature religions were often diminished from noble in spirit to mischievous sometimes comical and in most instances considered dangerous as the Church weaned the populace from their previous beliefs to Christianity. By making these entities appear small made them seem less powerful than the Church and what it’s religious deities had to offer. Stories of Gnomes were homogenized more closely with legend of Dwarves and described as irritable, impatient, war like and ugly in appearance. The Gnomes as stoic guardians eventually faded into the stuff of myths.

The use of small statues of Gartenzwege or garden dwarf has remained tremendously popular through out Europe since the 1600’s. Folks would display a small porcelain statue of a Gnome in there home as a protector. Tying to the legends of the Tomte. It was common practice to keep either a wooden, terracotta or ceramic Gnome in ones garden to act as a guardian to discourage nighttime intruders invading ones crops. A popular folk tale in the 1970’s was that Gnome statues secretly came to life after dark working their gardens, shooing away pests. When the sun rose they returned to their post, turning back to stone.

The industry for lawn statues grew in time with demand for garden gnomes becoming hugely popular in pre Word War II Germany. Most were produced from hand sculpted molds, however declined post war to only a few original family manufacturers. They are now mass- produced all over the world using cheaper materials. The depiction has changed as well. Once the imagery was more sober and wise in appearance however after release of Disney’s ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarves”, Gnome statues took on the more rounded chubby appearance and became seen as more comical nature. Gnomes have had many depictions in literature and often interchangeable to different small statured magical species, affecting their representation in art and statuary.

Till this day Gnomes enjoy popularity in culture. Garden Gnomes have become a central figure in games and pranks known as “gnoming”. One incarnation of “gnoming” is to steal a Gnome from it’s garden and place it randomly in another so that the Gnome travels the neighborhood, often appearing in unconventional places like on rooftops or inside mailboxes. Another popular fad is to send a gnome with a note attached to travel around the world to see how far it will go and if it will return back to it’s previous location. Some Gnomes become victims of theft that results in a ransom note listing bizarre demands.

Perhaps the existence of Gnome like creatures has existed in so many cultures and mythologies due to their ability to travel great distances undetected under ground. Maybe those cheery faced, pointy hat statues decorating the lawns of the sub-burbs still enjoy late night adventures. Is it possible the reason the petunias were spared from the grasshoppers as the result of the fierce protection of ones garden Gnome? Maybe. The only one who knows is the Gnome, and he is stone faced and isn’t speaking.

Angelique Duncan is proprietor of Twilight Faerie Nostalgic and Capricious Objects. Check out her artist page to find links to her shops and vintage inspired traditional holiday art. Visit again next month for more traditions and folklore.

Living On the Other Side.

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Living On the Other Side.
-By Debbi Decker

Have you ever had a dream that felt upon waking so real that you could swear it was happening in real life? Traveled in your dreams to a place that felt so natural and real that you knew where you were going and recognized the places you went in the dream?

I do this. All the time. And have done so since I was a small child. I have vivid memories of dreams that occur in locations that I can map out for you and give you directions of where to go in those places. When I visit these locations in my dreams, I usually enter them at the same “entrance”, although after arrival I may visit a different spots within these places. Just like visiting a well-loved place in real time, my dream locations are full of variable weather patterns, textures, scents, landscapes, tastes and people. I come off the “exit ramp” into my dream worlds and go on to visit just like I would in waking life.

Strange you say? It gets even stranger. What about having a dream friend that you seem to see on a regular basis and have continual adventures with them?

I have a special friend that visits me frequently in my dreams. Each dream is a different dream, but always there is a sense of knowing, of peaceful togetherness, and total happiness that we are together. I get that feeling not just from me but from my friend too. There is never a sexual element but there is a sense of completeness. I always wake up from these visits with a smile on my face and overflowing happiness that will last for days. I will not give a detailed scenario of any of these dreams here since really the details only have resonance and meaning to me and would not really bring you any greater level of understanding or belief.

How to explain this? I am no stranger to dreams. I have studied them since I was a young girl, and understand the concept of the who, what, and why of how they occur. I do dream interpretation for others who are curious about their dreams and what they could possibly mean. The science is not lost on me. What IS lost to me, however, is how these dreams are so real to the point that I can still, more than a year after one particular dream, still feel the weave of my friend’s shirt on my fingertips in my waking state.

Some people would say that these are manufactured scenarios that my subconscious mind has cobbled together in order to send a message to me. Some would say that I am a lonely individual who feels the need to have interaction with someone even if it only occurs in my dream state. I reject these explanations out of hand simply because I have investigated these possibilities many many times in an effort to explain this phenomena. After all, I am a Virgo. It is second nature to dig deep, analyze, and find answers to questions presented. I am also a fairly social person with various types of relationships in my life and am finally at a place in life where I am pretty much happy and content with myself and my lifestyle. Sure, there are things I would change, as anyone would. That’s why the caveat “pretty much”. If I were to be completely content, there would be no room for growth and new things. So “pretty much” is actually a great state to be in.

So, yes, I do not subscribe to the theories given above. The main reason is that after receiving a dream visit from my friend, upon waking there is no yearning, no sadness, no wishing for” what if?”. These visits are full of detail, sensory perceptions, and activity. Not all of these dreams are completely happy. Sometimes we have moments of sadness or difficulties just as anyone would in real life. There are no nightmares here. No strange beings, fantastical beasts or fantasy. Just living a normal life on the Other Side.

Given my personal spiritual beliefs, I believe that my friend is my soul mate who, throughout time, has been with me and will continue to be with me, no matter who I become or who my friend becomes. There is a deep love between us. We played together in my dreams as children, and grew up together. We share our feelings and the details of our lives on this side. Once, in a dream, I told my friend that I was old. My friend, said “No, you are not. You are you.”

Perhaps I am crazy. Who cares? After hearing that comment by my friend in that dream, I would not trade crazy for the world. Would you?

Debbi Decker is proprietor of twistedpixelstudio Art & Assemblage Emporium. Check out her artist page to find links to her shop and blog to read more of her writings. Visit again next month for the telling of hauntings and ghostly tales by Debbi Decker.

Christmas in July, Halloween in June

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Christmas in July, Halloween in June
-By Angelique Duncan

Most folks have heard the expression “Christmas in July”. It usually is used to express a great and unexpected surprise. There seems to be differing opinions and documentation of when the slogan was actually was first actually used. Some historians trace the term back to the 1930’s and 1940’s to different Christian church entities and clubs in regards to annual events involving decorated trees, gift giving and all the trappings of the winter holiday in the hot summer month of July. First official use of the term “Christmas In July” was from an American movie of that title that was released in 1940. However the concept has much deeper and practical origins.

The notion finds its roots in the Victorian era of the 1800’s and early 1900’s. The Victorians, despite being quite extravagant in their winter celebrations with in decorations and gifts were also frugal and inventive people. The practice of purchased gifts at the Christmas holiday did not surface until much later in modern history. The Victorians would primarily give hand made gifts. The common practice was for each family member to make a gift for each other member of the family. For this to be pulled off in time for winter, a lot of planning and preparation was required.

Most gifts were made from what one could find in nature or in ones home. The making of gifts and holiday decorations for the home became part of the summer ritual. During the summer months, materials from nature were readily available. Starting the craft projects early in July gave a window of roughly 6 months to complete the projects of sewing, collecting and drying flowers, canning and preserving special foods from the garden, using oils to sent sachets and pomanders and to build collages or paint objects.

The Victorian practice of hand crafting ones Christmas gifts carried over into the 1930’s during the Great Depression when resources were scarce. In lieu of purchasing items, holiday gifts were from what one could make from what they had on hand. Later in 1944 during World War II, the United States Postal Service and greeting card industry promoted a postal campaign to collect letters and cards in early July for soldiers overseas to help ensure that they would be received for the holidays.

In the 1950’s with rise in incomes and commercialism advertisers for department stores caught on to the phrase to help boost retail sales during the leaner profit months of summer. The idea gained momentum for bargain hunters, who would begin their holiday shopping early in the year. This also allowed for retailers to push out old inventory to make room for the next year’s products.

In the years of the 1950’s through the 1970’s retail marketing of the Christmas holiday season began the day after Thanksgiving, on what is now known as Black Friday. Stores would set Christmas displays and begin their holiday sales for what is considered season of the greatest profits for retailers though out the months of November and December.

In an effort to extend the shopping season and sell more Christmas merchandise retailers began to push the start of the holiday season earlier and earlier each year. The market for winter décor exploded. By the late 1980’s retailers would begin to play holiday music and stock Christmas items the day after Halloween. By the 1990’s and into the new millennium retailers began putting out their holiday merchandise as early as June and July and have capitalized on the “Christmas In July” slogan in hopes to capture revenue from folks doing their holiday gift and decorating shopping early.

The phenomenon of capitalizing and commercializing holidays carried over to Halloween. With the rise in popularity of Halloween in past decades, retailers have taken notice. Sales of Halloween themed items for home decorating, parties, yard decorations and costumes now follows a close second to Christmas related sales and is gaining.

During the early 1990s and 2000’s Halloween entered a surge in popularity in American culture. However availability of quality unique Halloween decorations was limited in the big retail market. Most decorations and costumes prior to the late 1980- 90’s were home made. As the desire for Halloween décor that was on par with Christmas decorating grew, so did the market for Halloween art. Small independent artist and individuals who built yard – haunting décor had found their niche. With the advent of the Internet and the growth of an online upstart auction site known as eBay, demand for handmade Halloween soared. An entire market of Halloween collectors was born. One of a kind direct from the artist creations was highly sought after.

As this national love of all things Halloween grew, national retailers took notice and followed suit. The large retail chains began to offer Halloween collectibles, home decor and elaborate yard art that hit their shelves by late August and September. Big retailers honed in on what was offered by the independent online sellers and created an entire industry of Halloween retail revenue.

Sales of Halloween themed collectibles for home decorating, parties, yard decorations and costumes now follows a close second to Christmas related sales and is gaining. With this popularity of Halloween, retailers now set out mass-produced Halloween items as early as July, often along side the Christmas wares. This has drastically hurt the profits of small independent Halloween artist and yard haunters who once enjoyed a reliable fall retail season for Halloween sales.

From this history a campaign of Halloween in June was born. Independent artist Julia Chibatar proprietor of Ghostgap had the idea in 2013 to create a month dedicated to Halloween outside of it’s traditional month of October as an answer to the commercial concept of Christmas in July. Halloween in June is a month long celebration of all things Halloween with particular emphasis on independent Halloween Artist and their handmade wares. The celebration is a combined effort of Halloween groups comprised of independent artist to raise awareness of the small retail businesses and artist who gave origin to the Halloween retail phenomenon. It is an opportunity to showcase one of a kind handcrafted works available for purchase direct from the artist before the onslaught of big retail Halloween hits the shelves.

Halloween in June is presented by Spooky Cute Etsy Team
Halloween Artist Bazaar Artist Group
And Halloween 24/7 Etsy Team.

Angelique Duncan is proprietor of Twilight Faerie Nostalgic and Capricious Objects. Check out her artist page to find links to her shops and vintage inspired traditional holiday art. Visit again next month for more traditions and folklore.

A Phantom Smell.

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A Phantom Smell.
-By Debbi Decker

I am an empath. I won’t bore you with all of details and descriptions of what that entails. You can find all kinds of information on the internet. Being an empath, I am very familiar with the idea of Clairempathy (the ability to feel emotions, illnesses, etc. that are not visual). I am also very familiar with Clairvoyance (the ability to perceive in my mind’s eye the past, present, and future). My mind has a tendency to connect with people and basically be on the same page with them without ever having a conversation with them. I can walk into a room and immediately feel what has just occurred without even looking at anyone in the room. If I am around negative people or sick people for long periods of time, I begin to feel ill. I have moments of vivid thoughts that turn out to be predictions of coming events. While unnerving to many, it’s a normal way of life for me. I’ve written before about what I call the “Clairs”. Clairempathy and Clairvoyance are the two that frequently happen to me. The others not so much.

My first visit to New Orleans post-Katrina was for Halloween, in October of 2006. While a full year had passed since that catastrophic event, there was still a great deal of anguish present in the atmosphere, some of it human, and some of it… “other”. You could feel the stress of the residents and workers in the Quarter. Hotels were understaffed as were most restaurants, and the seafood industry was still in a flux. I spent a great deal of time taking pictures in the Quarter, and in the cemeteries just outside of the Quarter. Bus and cable car service to the Garden District or to the Canal Street cemeteries on the far outskirts of the City were still not in operation. The Quarter was safe. The rest of New Orleans was not. Case in point. My hotel was housing some of the private security teams that went out each day to the various Wards to stand guard and to prevent looting and other nefarious activities. Picture a hotel full of men garbed in black, carrying an array of weapons. Think Swat teams.

It was easy enough during the days to keep myself from being overwhelmed (Clairempathy) with the anguish and stress that the others around me were feeling. I have to do that on a daily basis anyway. Still, there was that subtle undertow of “other” that concerned me. Katrina had stirred something. And it was not a happy something. It had a darkness and sadness to it that I had never before experienced in New Orleans, though it is well known that the area is steeped in dark history, bloodshed, crimes, and natural disasters. Sunset during that visit brought an extreme sense of urgency. I had to get indoors. Whatever I was feeling was not good. The Quarter has always been a fairly safe place to roam and I have done so at all hours of the night (something I would never attempt in my own city!). And remember, this was Halloween – a time when the veils and doorways are open. Lots of things travel back and forth in the ether during Halloween. So, while I was able to block the sensations during the day, the nights left me feeling raw and over exposed.

Halloween morning brought me down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. As I was reading the menu, I was suddenly overwhelmed by the smell of fire. It had a reminiscent tang of a campfire or the scent of wood burning in an open space and very strong. Glancing around I found no visible smoke, no smoking restaurant patrons, and no fireplace in the room or anything else that could be giving off that odor. My waiter must have noticed my consternation and confusion because he came over to ask me if I was all right. I asked him if he could smell smoke. He did not and after confirming that there were no fireplaces in the vicinity, nor was there ever a smokehouse or a fire in the building, I let it go. Because at that point, my waiter was looking concerned. I went on to order and eat my breakfast, enveloped in the phantom smell of fire the entire time. I took note of the fact that upon leaving there was no smell of smoke outside of the restaurant, nor did I smell smoke when I ventured outdoors. This was my first experience of Clairscent or the ability to perceive phantom scents or odors.

My plans for that day were to visit St. Roch Cemetery and I was particularly excited to be seeing the chapel dedicated to St. Roch. Since the cemetery is located a few blocks outside of the French Quarter, and in an area affected by Katrina, I felt it was best to take a cab to my destination. The neighborhood itself was not safe, but there would be other tourists around, so I was not concerned about being in the cemetery alone (are you ever REALLY alone in a cemetery?)

My cabbie dropped me at the entrance and gave me his phone number to call when I was ready to leave. He expressed some concern about me being by myself, assured me that there would be a caretaker on the grounds, and wanted to be sure I was able to get back to the Quarter safely. I spent several hours taking pictures and sat in the chapel for a while mourning the fact that the altar and statue of St. Roch had been damaged by the floods from the broken levies. To call this chapel interesting is somewhat of an understatement. The walls are covered in offerings and Milagros left by patrons who have experienced miraculous healings in the chapel (some very recent healings too). The floor is made of bricks, all of which say “thanks” in English and French. St. Roch’s head rested in the chapel side room among the relics and Milagros, and his headless torso stood guard outside the chapel door.

Right across the street from the cemetery entrance stood a shotgun cottage tattooed with that unforgettable graffiti of numbers and dashes representing the number of dead found on the scene after Katrina and the date of search. Water lines clearly indicated the depth of the flood waters it had endured. It was difficult to get a photograph of the cottage due to the traffic passing constantly in front of it, blocking the view and I gave up trying. In retrospect I wish I HAD taken a picture, good or bad. The cottage also made me uncomfortable, though I cannot explain why. I suppose you could put it down to the graffiti on the wall but that explanation has never resonated with me. After all, I had spent the last year grieving deeply for my City and had seen too many pictures and news stories for it to have just been my reaction to the general leftover aura of Katrina.

Dinner that evening was a hurried affair. I had hoped to watch the Halloween parade in the Quarter but it would not start until after sunset and my intuition was to get indoors. Something just did not feel right and I was not interested in figuring out why. I would leave that to the local Voodiennes to suss out. Entering my room after dinner, I turned on the television which just happened to be tuned to a local news station giving a live update. There, on the screen, was the shotgun cottage that I had just viewed only hours ago, engulfed in flames, and surrounded by firefighters pouring water on the structure. I was stunned. It clicked. The smell of smoke….

To this day, I believe that the phantom smoke I was smelling was a precursor to that event. I did check back frequently to see if there was an update at to the cause of the fire, but I never learned anything. After all, the City had a lot on its hands and a follow up on an abandoned cottage burning to the ground was probably low on its list of priorities. If there was a message, I do not understand what it was. If there was a lesson, I have yet to figure it out. It could have all been coincidence but again, there is no resonance. I cannot explain what happened but that phantom smell of smoke and the subsequent burning of that cottage haunts me to this day. Perhaps that was where the feeling of darkness emanated. The house was grieving deeply, ready to say goodbye, and it chose me to deliver its eulogy.

Debbi Decker is proprietor of twistedpixelstudio Art & Assemblage Emporium. Check out her artist page to find links to her shop and blog to read more of her writings. Visit again next month for the telling of hauntings and ghostly tales by Debbi Decker.

Mothers Day 2014

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Mothers Day gift offerings from HAB, if you need an alternative gift for your mom we have it. Not all moms are mainstream, some are punk, Goth or rockabilly. Some are magical and whimsical. Some are Halloween collectors. We have offerings to say Happy Mothers Day!

Find where Halloween Artist Bazaar Artists are selling there wares on the Artist Page.
 
Gifts for the goth mom treasury of goth and punk Mothers Day gifts
 
Gifts for the whimsical mom treasury of Whimsical Magical Mothers Day gifts.
 
Gifts for the Halloween collecting mom treasury of Halloween collectibles.
 
 

The Faeries

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The Faeries
-By Angelique Duncan

They are known as faerie, fairy or faery, the fae or the fay, the wee people or the little folk. The word derives from Latin fata or “the Fates”. From old French we are given the word “faerie”. The term was once used to describe any of several races or breeds of small, often humanoid enchanted mythological creatures. The faeries earliest history comes from the Celtic peoples who tell that the faeries were of the Tuatha De Danann who came from north of the earth or from the sky and were defeated in a great war for power and retreated in the hills and mounds of Europe. In other ancient folklore they were once worshiped as benevolent Gods and Goddesses presiding over natures various elements and it was held that the Fae were innate and organic to the earth. Their purpose was to protect Mother Nature and keep mankind in check with the laws of nature.

With the rise of Christianity, the church viewed the various enchanted races as something evil. Mythologies surfaced that the faeries were the ghost of demoted angels, or lesser demons. It was believed that God closed the gates of heaven. The angels who were in heaven remained, all demons who resided in Hell were trapped and those who where locked out were the faeries. The theory was that they were not evil enough to be banished to Hades, but not pure enough to pass into heaven. The belief that they were something to be feared and unnatural to Gods law spread.

The Puritans decreed that any relations with the fae folk was a punishable crime of witch craft and that anyone who was friendly with them was consorting with evil. Sightings of faeries became more scarce and the stuff of folklore. This may have been from people fearing persecution if it was found that they had seen faeries or because the faeries themselves became less visible and had retreated further into hiding for fear of capture and death by the church. The faeries reputation became more sinister and fearsome. Stories were told of faeries that snatched children or travelers to take back to their realm. They were blamed for failed crops, trickery, vandalism of homes, theft of livestock and other malice.

With the romanticism of the Victorian era faerie lore experienced a renaissance and a renewal of their image. Although still frowned upon by the church and the growing scientific community, the mystical creatures were no longer viewed by the populace as evil but mischievous and magical. Through depiction of art, theater and literature the term faerie or fairy became more specific to an image of enchanted miniature humanoids with wings. Often they were painted or described as young, beautiful seductive women of nature or virile chiseled men of strength. Fairy tales were hugely popular during the era and the Victorians held a fascination with all things ethereal and enchanted. The faeries began their heyday in popular culture.

Faerie themed parties were popular, as little girls and women would dress in fluffy dresses and home made wings to mimic the popular image of the fae. Many would leave gifts of honey, sweets and shiny tokens to attract fairies to their gardens. It was thought at the time that if one appeased the fairies with gifts they would not practice their mischief on ones home. A common activity was to host “fairy hunts” where folks would take to wooded places and gardens with nets and jars in hopes of catching a glimpse or capturing a fairy. The fairy fascination went so far as to inspire grand and elaborate hoaxes claiming proof of fairies existence. The Cottingley Fairy photographs being the most celebrated and widely publicized. Claims of fairy sightings and interactions were on the rise.


As society turned from religion and spirituality to emphasizing scientific thought moving further into the 20th century the belief in faeries and the enchanted waned. The faeries once again were stashed into hiding from the physical word and became the stuff of children’s books and child’s-play. The faerie remained in art imagery throughout the 1950’s, however the only fairies seen were costumed girls at Halloween or birthday parties.

Faeries in popular culture experienced another revival in the late 1960’s and 70’s through art and the New Age spiritual movement. People began to revisit the old nature religions and modern witchcraft was on the rise, sympathy for the lost faerie magic emerged and new folklores and mythologies surrounding the wee folk was developed. This revival was short lived as in the 1980’s a return to conservative ideology took hold and Christianity once again was on the rise. Simultaneously science and reasoning grounded in logic created an environment where all things magical were once again frowned upon and relegated to myth.

It is not known for certain if the faeries actually existed, or if they are the creation of the human imagination. In the 21st century they are still depicted in art and film and have a place in pop culture. Modern pagans still believe in them and have faith in their history as tangible and real. Ironically, in the past couple of decades science has made discoveries that may bring us closer to proving that the wee folk did actually exist. In the late 1970’s the remains of a small humanoid skeleton that was later named “Lucy” was found in Ethiopia. Archeologist found remains in 2003 of what is believed to be a new strain of humanoids referred to as Homo Floresiensis, nicknamed “Hobbit”. The petrified bones were human in nature however very small statured. Multiple remains of an entire colony of prehistoric small people standing only 3 feet to 3.5 feet tall were discovered in caves in the Philippines. Tunnels have been discovered in hills across Europe that have indications they were built by humans yet are only big enough for a child to fit through. Artifacts of tools have been found in and around the tunnels, but no one is sure what purpose these tunnels served. In the pursuit of understanding human history, science may lead to the magical faeries.

A 2007 hoax was perpetrated in Derbyshire claiming an intact faerie corpse had been discovered. Although a hoax, it brandished international attention and an outpouring of people who believed it to be true. When it was disclosed that it was indeed a hoax, many were vocally disappointed. The hoax hit a nerve with people. It illustrated that despite all our rational thinking, scientific thought and generally conservative beliefs, collectively people wanted to believe it was true. They wanted faeries to be real. After all these centuries people still have a profound connection to the notion of enchanted beings that exist in the forest and gardens of Earth.

Who is to say for certain that once upon a time a race of mystical faerie beings didn’t once walk among us casting enchantments? Or maybe, they still do. Perhaps on a warm May evening if one is very still and very quiet they may catch a glimpse of a passing faerie moving through the garden or forest floor.

Hilda Miller

Image copyright 2014 Michelle Angelique Duncan

Angelique Duncan is proprietor of Twilight Faerie Nostalgic and Capricious Objects. Check out her artist page to find links to her shops and vintage inspired traditional holiday art. Visit again next month for more traditions and folklore.

Walpurgisnacht. It’s coming. The doors are opening. Are you ready?

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Walpurgisnacht. It’s coming. The doors are opening. Are you ready?
-By Debbi Decker

Directly opposite Halloween on the calendar, the night April 30 is the other day of the year when the barriers are down between our world and the other side. Things slip through, ghosts are walking, and those who are in the know are casting spells and divining the future. And much like Halloween, there are bonfires to drive away the evil, and in some countries, pranks are played on the unwary.

“Walpurgis” is the name of an 8th century German nun who preached against witchcraft and was later canonized as a saint in 779 AD. Because her saint day was near the time of an ancient Viking festival of spring, the two celebrations were combined into the Catholic calendar to create Walpurgisnacht (nacht is the German word for night).

Walpurgisnacht is celebrated in many European countries as the last night the witches could gather before spring/summer took hold on the land and the sun was at its most powerful. Masking, the wearing of talismans, and the use of Holy Water were some of the ways people used to ward off the evil that could cross over from the other side. Scarecrows (straw men) were also made, spells were cast upon them to draw in all the bad luck and evil from the previous year and then thrown in the bonfires to burn and hopefully bless the New Year going forward.

Because the doors to the other side are open, this is also a night to communicate with the spirits and seek guidance for the coming year. Sit outside under a tree during this night and you may hear the bells of the Faerie Queen as she rides by looking for mortals to take to her realm. Burn a special incense that has a floral scent and pass tokens of special meaning to you to cleanse them and make them powerful for the coming year. If Walpurgisnacht coincides with a full moon, take a bowl of water that has been blessed with the smoke of fire, and carry it outside to gather the moon’s rays. This powerful water can be bottled and used in rituals throughout the remainder of the year.

And, since the next morning is Beltane (May 1), once you have completed your Walpurgisnacht rituals, go out at dawn to gather the morning dew to wash your face. Your complexion will be magical and flawless for the remainder of the year!

Debbi Decker is proprietor of twistedpixelstudio Art & Assemblage Emporium. Check out her artist page to find links to her shop and blog to read more of her writings. Visit again next month for the telling of hauntings and ghostly tales by Debbi Decker.