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Fairy Rings

Fairy rings are simple a ring of mushrooms that appears suddenly out of the earth or discoloured grass or sometime rings of daisies.

 

These have been called many names across the world. In France they are called sorcerers rings (ronds de sorciers), whilst in Austria and Germany they are witches rings (hexenringe).

 

In England however they are known as fairy rings, elf circle or pixies rings are said to be where fairies dance. There have been many sightings of fairies dancing in these rings. Other English names for them include hag tracks. It is also believed that they are the entrance to the elfin world or faery underworld.

 

If it thought bad luck will befall any mortal human being who enters a ring. Many people who entered the ring are said to have become blind or lame. Whilst many simple where taken and enslaved in the faery underworld.  Others simple find themselves in exactly the same place but at a different time.

 

In Wales it was considered foolish to plough up a fairy ring and any animal that grazed within the circle would produce sour milk.

 

 

One of the myths regarding how they are formed is that the fairies catch a horse and ride it round in a circle, but more often than not its simple caused by the fairies dancing in a circle.

 

In the Netherlands legend told that they were the marks where the devil had rested his milk churn and other legends said the tail of a dragon caused them. In Germany it is thought witches dancing on Walpurgis Night (April 30^th or May 1^st) cause them.

 

In France giant toads are said to guard the ring cursing anyone who enters them.

 

Fungi itself has interesting mythology. In parts of Africa they are seen as the souls of the dead or a symbol of the human soul. Whilst in Central America it is thought they are the umbrellas of fairies, which they carry with them, when they come out at night and leave behind when they return at dawn to the underworld faeryland.

 

In New England there is a fungi known as the “death baby” that is said to forecast the death of someone in the house of the garden it appears in.

 

Fairy rings are not always considered bad – they bring luck to a house that was built in the same field. It was also said the fairy rings contained treasure however it could only be retrieved with the fairies help. The dew that forms of the outer edge is used I love potions but the dew from the inner circle causes skin problems.

 

Some fungi are known by fairy names. The Red-Cup Moss is known as Fairies Bath and puffball fungus is known as Pucks Stool

 

Scientifically fungi underground that cast out spores produce fairy rings. If the ring is simple of discoloured grass than the fungi is still underground. Around fifty different types of fungi are capable of producing these rings. Scotch Bonnet - Marasmius oreades is the best-known fairy ring mushroom and is edible, one of its other names is fairy ring champignon.

The rings usually grows up to 10m in diameter in its first year. However it grows each year and a fairy ring is France formed by the Clitocybe geotrope has a 800m diameter and is thought to be 700 years old.

Fairy rings that are found in woods are usually tethered – the fungi is growing on a nearby tree where as meadow fairy rings are free.