THE POWERS OF ENCHATMENT-

THE POWER OF THE ENCHANTEMENT

THE FAIRY RING

DARE YOU HAUNT OUR HALLOW’d GREEN?

NONE BUT FAIRIES HERE ARE SEEN.

DOWN AND SLEEP, WAKE AND WEEP,

PINCH HIM BACK, AND PINCH HIM BLUE,

THAT SEEKS TO STEAL A LOVER TRUE!

WHEN YOU COME TO HEAR US SING,

OR TO TREAD OUR FAIRY RINGS,

PINCH HIM BACK, AND PINCH HIM BLUE!

O THUS OUR NAILS SHALL HANDLE YOU!

BY THOMAS RAVENSCROFT

THE LURE OF THE DANCE

THE RING OF DANCE HAUNTS MANY A FAIRY TALE,

A MEANS OF DRAWING MORTALS INTO THE WARPED TIME AND

SPACE OF FAIRYLAND. FAERIES AND ELVES CAVORT AT NIGHT OR BEFORE

DAWN ON MISTY MORNING. JOIN THE CIRCLING

DANCERS AT YOUR OWN PERIL; FOR ONCE

YOU ENTER A FEW MAKE IT HOME.

BUT BECAUSE A RING HAS NEITHER BEGINNING NOR END.

IT IS ALL BUT IMPOSSIBLE TO BREAK AWAY FOR IT. NOT ONLY IS THE

RING DANCE MAGICK, SO ARE THE MARKS IT LEAVES ON THE GRASSY

GROUNDS.

THE TIRELESS TRIPPING OF TINY FEET ETCHES A CIRCLE OF MOTIF

INTO THE GROUND, WHICH WILL APPEAR AS DEEP AS GREEN TUFTS OR EVEN AS SCORCHED GRASS.

THE GRASS WITHIN MAY LOOK AS BEAUTIFUL AND LUSH OR CAN

BE DRY AS THATCH, OR EVEN REDDISH IN HUE.

IN ORKNEY IT SHOWS AS A RING OF GREEN OF BARE

HEATHLANDS AND AT CERTAINS TIMES OF THE YEAR, A RING

OF MUSHROOMS WILL SPROUT FROM THESE RINGS.

THE SIZE OF THE FAERIE RINGS VARIES, FROM A FEW INCHES

TO ALMOST 200 FEET [60METERS]OR MORE IN  DIAMETER.

FAIRY RINGS ARE EXTREMELY SLOW GROWING. IT IS THOUGHT THAT

SOME LARGER EXAMPLES ARE HUNDEREDS OF YEARS OLD!!!

NOT ONLY IS THE RING PERILOUS FOR HUMANS

TO STEP WITHIN THESE GRASSY FAIRY RINGS THAT ARE

SO ANCIENT, ITS GRASS IS UNPALATABLE FOR GRAZING

ANIMALS WHO MIGHT BE BY TO EAT THE GRASS, WHO ARE INTUITIVE

TO ITS DANGER SIGNS.

EXCEPT THE WELSH SHEEP,

WHO ARE SUPERIOR SUPERIOR QUALITY OF WELSH MUTTON IS CREDITED TO THOSE RECKLESS SHEEP GREEDILY MUCHING ON THE GRASS OF THESE

FAIRY RINGS.

ONE MIGHT BE DRAWN TO THE RING

BY THE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC OF THE FAIRY INSTRUMENTS, BUT IT IS

A FATAL CHARM FOR THE HUMAN EARS, IT WILL WAVES DREAMS

AND ACTS AS A SLEEPING DRAFT OF LOVE POTION IN YOUR MIND.  

YOU WILL NEVER HAVE A BETTER TIME IN YOUR LIFE!

THE TALES TELL, AND NEVER WEARY, BUT WHEN YOU STOP DANCING

OR ARE PULLED AWAY…

BY A LOVED ONE WHO REMAINED BRAVELY WITH ONLY ONE FOOT INSIDE

THE FAIRY RING.

YOU MAY FIND A YEAR AND A DAY HAS GONE BY—OR EVEN A LIFETIME HAS PASSED. WHEN YOU FEEL THE TUG OF YOUR LOVE ONE.

IT MIGHT BE TO LATE FOR YOU.

AND YOU WILL FIND ALL IS LOST, FAMILY,FRIENDS—THERE HAVE BEEN

SOME THAT HAVE DIED FROM EXHAUSTION TOO.

TO ENTER THEIR MAGICK WORLD IS TO DO IT COMELELY,

THERE IS NO TURNING BACK! BUT WHAT A WORLD IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT!

THOSE WHO DO RETURN ARE DESCRIBED AS DULLED OR

BEFUDDIED, MOVING IN A TRANCE FOR THE REMANDING OF THEIR DAYS.

THEY ARE UNABLE TO RECALL THE MUSICAL TUNE, TE DANCE OR

EVEN THEIR PARTNER,BUT ALSO UNABLE TO

FORGET!

ONE DAY A GENTLEMAN ENTERED A CABIN IN THE COUNTY CLARE, AND SAW A YOUNG GIRL ABOUT TWENTY SEATED BY THE FIRE, CHANTING A

MELANCHOLY SONG,WITHOUT SETTLED WORDS OR MUSIC. ON INQUIRY HE WAS TOLD SHE HAD ONCE HEARD THE FAIRY HARP AND THOSE WHO HEAR IT LOSE ALL MEMORY OF LOVE OR HATE. They forget all things and never more have any other sound in their ears, but the soft music of the fairy harp. And when the spell is broken they will die.