To start my research I looked into different British Folktales; I initially had an idea for Redcaps - a murderous goblin, or sometimes known as a Fae that will kill those who enter old castles where it resides and soak it’s hat in the blood of it’s victim.
I feel my inventober concept art has helped me think of what I will do for this as looking at ideas for mushroom themed items for my fantasy inventory has led me to a lot of information about the folklore involving mushrooms and Faeries.
With my concept art I want to explore and depict the true nature of Faeries - malevolent creatures known for trickery and causing harm, even terms as innocent as ‘Away with the Faeries’ holds a more nefarious meaning of someone going mad. As early as the 17th century it is believed that Faeries were the cause of many misdeeds, from something as harmless as missing shoes to the more macabre cases of kidnapped children; we have always been wary of these creatures and many old tales foretold how we would ward them off.
One of the most common associations with Faeries and mushrooms is that of Faerie Rings, a formation of mushrooms that grow in a circle found in wooded areas. In British folklore the formation of Faerie Rings is believed to have magical properties, created by Faeries dancing in a circle and if a human were to witness and join in with the dancing they would be punished by the Faeries.
I wanted to see for myself if i could find any Faerie Rings in local wooded areas but sadly did not find any.
The mushrooms I did find are photographed as a possible future reference for my concept art; these mushrooms were common among the wooded trail.
Photographs taken of mushrooms out in the wild, Claudia Short, 2020
Another type and the most popular of mushrooms that we tend to see associated with Faeries is the red capped and white spotted variety known as the Fly Agaric; it’s toxic properties are known to be psychoactive and cause hallucinations and delirium to those who consume it. It has been noted back in medieval times that those who consumed these hallucinogens described seeing goblins and Faeries.
Research Reference:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/08/what-is-a-fairy-ring/
https://www.historytoday.com/history-matters/away-faeries
https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/away-with-the-fairies.html
https://oldmooresalmanac.com/the-mysterious-and-lost-magic-mushroom-rituals-of-the-ancient-celts/
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