And thank you for reading as always, Jenn. Personally, I never knew there was such a deep and devastating behind these pictures before I wrote this article: I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
"They’d been exhausted with their simple, childish tale of fairies for a long, long time. They were trapped in a tale of their own creation and felt as if they were unable to speak to the truth."
Almost as though they were... tricked by the Fair Folk!
The photos have a compelling quality to them. I'm not sure how to describe it. There's some fusion of graininess and blurriness, and the inherent unreality of the fairies, that leads me to imagine what it might be like if I were to actually see some surreal shit like this.
Oh, and thanks for turning me on to the Cryptonauts podcast. That's become a comforting listen for me this past month or so.
Perhaps that's exactly what they meant when they said the photographs were fake but the fairies were real - by constantly having to act as if they did exist, were they not, in some roundabout way, very real in their influence? I suppose it's mostly a game of semantics but I've always been fascinated by the view of the paranormal existing only because it's believed to be; Marc Bisone has a great article on the question of whether or not these otherworldly "signals" really even take shape unless observed by a receiver (in this case, humans), which shape the way in which these signals are perceived through the receiver's filter. If the double-slit experiment is anything to go by, it might. I know you were just making a joke, but I think there's still something to be considered about the nature of the "unreal's" very tangible impact on the real, if that makes sense.
Also, I know exactly what you mean. That's the quality that I always found so haunting about the photos, and why they always occupied a weird place in my mind. In one of the two major paranormal experiences I had (which I won't elaborate on here, it's too long), I can only ever describe what I saw as looking "hyper real". It's difficult to articulate. The best way I can put it was like watching one of those super-ultra-mega pimped out televisions that can display, like, a million FPS or some shit - it looked as if it was moving in more frames than the human eye is capable of seeing, like it was some how more flush, more real in a way than the rest of the world around it. There was a lot about the experience that unnerves me but that's one of the most strange aspects about the whole thing. In a very fundamental way, it just didn't look like something that could or would existed. Like the illustrated fairies juxtaposed against the real girls, the same stark contrast between whatever the fuck I saw and the real world around it gave it that weird, uncanny mixed-media appearance.
Maybe I'll write about it one day but I'm fairly certain if I go into the full details everyone will think I'm insane.
Also, I'm glad you enjoy the Cryptonauts. They're one of the few paranormal-centric podcasts where it's a bunch of random joes cracking jokes in which the people in question are more funny than they are annoying. If you want another great episode in which there's a similar "real against the unreal" feeling that I discussed, be sure to look up the episode about the Puppet People. I won't say the stories are true or not, but if they are... pure, unleaded nightmare fuel.
I should be clear, I think it's entirely possible that the girls interacted with some otherworldly entities. I was struck by the one researcher who had himself just a grand old time talking with the spirits, along with Frances and Elsie insisting that they really had experienced something there by the creek.
Thank you Laura, a comment like that means the world. I apologize to not getting around to not getting to the comments on this article for, like, a month, but rest assured it means the world.
This whole, sordid story reminds me so much of the original crop circles. The scientists believed they were made by aliens because they *wanted to believe*, even when the farmers demonstrated how they did it with a few boards and ropes. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Thank you so much! I watched the movie a few times in the 90s and just recently bought it at a thrift store to force on my own children soon. The story always captivated me because, like, obviously those aren't real pictures, .... right? I didn't know they were finally outed as a hoax so it was nice to have that come full circle.
A fitting and thoughtful summation of the incident, and the speculation on the mentality of the people involved while merciful is persuasive.
Theosophical Society crops up now and again, as with many of these occultic groups there's deliberate layers of mysticism and obfustication, the initiate supposed to peel back layers and so on, gradually inducting them into the mysteries, or as this teller prefers to say, lead you down the garden path. It must be understood that in many of these groups, writing is the first of magics, so the idea of some of their works is less to persuade as to cast a spell. Regardless of this being effective, this is the intent. To return to the theosophics, as far as this teller can tell through their word games, it's somewhat standard 'my boy morning star didn't do nuffin, God's the evil demiurge you gotta open yourself up mang!' gnostic mysticism. Naturally a bit of 'we wuz Egyptian sorcerers and sheeeit' too, as is common. Racial supremacists (not just white ones) will usually claim bloodline back to tribes of Atlantis and Occultists direct decent from the oldest practitioners they've read about. Sometimes you get more elaborate hyperborean notions, but there's a clear pattern.
Though, don't take this to be this teller saying the theosophics to all be con men in matters magical. Certainly some cons, some conning, but there's degrees of these things, and unclean spiritual practicioners are certainly not above mundane tricks. You will in all probability meet something should you open yourself up so to speak, they may even claim to be aliens, fairies or mahatma, even a gentleman Jung knew, named Philemon. Yet, even if you should believe in fairies existing, it wouldn't do to believe all beings who claim to be so. Before anyone opens themselves they should remember why people shut and lock doors, build castles, and of course the lives and history of people who open themselves is quite enlightening as to the possible results to giving invitations wantonly. Why there's even a number of brings of folklore quite particular about invitations It's a risky path, but spiritual evil is a great recruiter for the ranks of Christians, we can boast to having many an ex-witch and warlock...
There's certainly easier ways to come to the Lord or go stark raving mad.
All that said, this teller hopes that Doyle was filled with wounded yearning for wonder rather than the magician's lust for power, fame and riches, after all it's only really the highest levels of such societies that know the 'full truth'. Ever are good hearted dabblers ensnared...
It one thing to hold curiousity as to the existence of this and that, and you can even have sincere beliefs about a good few things, but even some of the more benign stories of even fairies...
This teller is content to see footage or hear stories of bears or drunk russians wrestling with bears, he doesn't need to play a game with the ursine himself. So much so further with things less agreeable than a bear.
...
"Forever was quite a big ask, so, obviously, I ate my fill of sweet fairy delights"
This of course, explains why the ape is an ape. :v
"Strangely, both of them did still say that there truly were fairies in the beck. And that they’d actually seen them. They just didn’t photograph them. Why? Who knows. Old habits die hard, I guess."
Details like this always stick out like a sore thumb in these accounts.
Fairies, and those beliving in their existence can be considered a major casualty of this tale, but anyone familiar with these kind of matters know that hoaxes do not invalidate the genuine inexplicable phenomena that people see, indeed many a hoax come about in inspiration of a strange encounter. Only in a few cases can we find clear picture of a hoax being an origin, and fairies are an old, old tale.
Let it never be forgotten the humble platypus was considered a hoax, while other woppers were thought real.
Yet, from many accounts, hoaxes and real the fruits are often scars and sorrows that last to death.
From awesome, awe, from awe terror.
How lovely the wonderous.
How terrifying the wonderous.
As always in the case of these sisters and all else, be careful in what you wish for and in the games you play, even just humans can be serious enough trouble.
I had never heard this story, how fascinating and tragic. I think you nailed it with your comedy of errors comment. Thank you for this write up!
And thank you for reading as always, Jenn. Personally, I never knew there was such a deep and devastating behind these pictures before I wrote this article: I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
I certainly did, you have a good way of telling a tale. Happy Thanksgiving!
"They’d been exhausted with their simple, childish tale of fairies for a long, long time. They were trapped in a tale of their own creation and felt as if they were unable to speak to the truth."
Almost as though they were... tricked by the Fair Folk!
The photos have a compelling quality to them. I'm not sure how to describe it. There's some fusion of graininess and blurriness, and the inherent unreality of the fairies, that leads me to imagine what it might be like if I were to actually see some surreal shit like this.
Oh, and thanks for turning me on to the Cryptonauts podcast. That's become a comforting listen for me this past month or so.
Perhaps that's exactly what they meant when they said the photographs were fake but the fairies were real - by constantly having to act as if they did exist, were they not, in some roundabout way, very real in their influence? I suppose it's mostly a game of semantics but I've always been fascinated by the view of the paranormal existing only because it's believed to be; Marc Bisone has a great article on the question of whether or not these otherworldly "signals" really even take shape unless observed by a receiver (in this case, humans), which shape the way in which these signals are perceived through the receiver's filter. If the double-slit experiment is anything to go by, it might. I know you were just making a joke, but I think there's still something to be considered about the nature of the "unreal's" very tangible impact on the real, if that makes sense.
Also, I know exactly what you mean. That's the quality that I always found so haunting about the photos, and why they always occupied a weird place in my mind. In one of the two major paranormal experiences I had (which I won't elaborate on here, it's too long), I can only ever describe what I saw as looking "hyper real". It's difficult to articulate. The best way I can put it was like watching one of those super-ultra-mega pimped out televisions that can display, like, a million FPS or some shit - it looked as if it was moving in more frames than the human eye is capable of seeing, like it was some how more flush, more real in a way than the rest of the world around it. There was a lot about the experience that unnerves me but that's one of the most strange aspects about the whole thing. In a very fundamental way, it just didn't look like something that could or would existed. Like the illustrated fairies juxtaposed against the real girls, the same stark contrast between whatever the fuck I saw and the real world around it gave it that weird, uncanny mixed-media appearance.
Maybe I'll write about it one day but I'm fairly certain if I go into the full details everyone will think I'm insane.
Also, I'm glad you enjoy the Cryptonauts. They're one of the few paranormal-centric podcasts where it's a bunch of random joes cracking jokes in which the people in question are more funny than they are annoying. If you want another great episode in which there's a similar "real against the unreal" feeling that I discussed, be sure to look up the episode about the Puppet People. I won't say the stories are true or not, but if they are... pure, unleaded nightmare fuel.
I should be clear, I think it's entirely possible that the girls interacted with some otherworldly entities. I was struck by the one researcher who had himself just a grand old time talking with the spirits, along with Frances and Elsie insisting that they really had experienced something there by the creek.
Your articles are always so well written, amusing and poignant. Always a pleasure to see a new one in my inbox.
Thank you Laura, a comment like that means the world. I apologize to not getting around to not getting to the comments on this article for, like, a month, but rest assured it means the world.
This whole, sordid story reminds me so much of the original crop circles. The scientists believed they were made by aliens because they *wanted to believe*, even when the farmers demonstrated how they did it with a few boards and ropes. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Thank you so much! I watched the movie a few times in the 90s and just recently bought it at a thrift store to force on my own children soon. The story always captivated me because, like, obviously those aren't real pictures, .... right? I didn't know they were finally outed as a hoax so it was nice to have that come full circle.
A fitting and thoughtful summation of the incident, and the speculation on the mentality of the people involved while merciful is persuasive.
Theosophical Society crops up now and again, as with many of these occultic groups there's deliberate layers of mysticism and obfustication, the initiate supposed to peel back layers and so on, gradually inducting them into the mysteries, or as this teller prefers to say, lead you down the garden path. It must be understood that in many of these groups, writing is the first of magics, so the idea of some of their works is less to persuade as to cast a spell. Regardless of this being effective, this is the intent. To return to the theosophics, as far as this teller can tell through their word games, it's somewhat standard 'my boy morning star didn't do nuffin, God's the evil demiurge you gotta open yourself up mang!' gnostic mysticism. Naturally a bit of 'we wuz Egyptian sorcerers and sheeeit' too, as is common. Racial supremacists (not just white ones) will usually claim bloodline back to tribes of Atlantis and Occultists direct decent from the oldest practitioners they've read about. Sometimes you get more elaborate hyperborean notions, but there's a clear pattern.
Though, don't take this to be this teller saying the theosophics to all be con men in matters magical. Certainly some cons, some conning, but there's degrees of these things, and unclean spiritual practicioners are certainly not above mundane tricks. You will in all probability meet something should you open yourself up so to speak, they may even claim to be aliens, fairies or mahatma, even a gentleman Jung knew, named Philemon. Yet, even if you should believe in fairies existing, it wouldn't do to believe all beings who claim to be so. Before anyone opens themselves they should remember why people shut and lock doors, build castles, and of course the lives and history of people who open themselves is quite enlightening as to the possible results to giving invitations wantonly. Why there's even a number of brings of folklore quite particular about invitations It's a risky path, but spiritual evil is a great recruiter for the ranks of Christians, we can boast to having many an ex-witch and warlock...
There's certainly easier ways to come to the Lord or go stark raving mad.
All that said, this teller hopes that Doyle was filled with wounded yearning for wonder rather than the magician's lust for power, fame and riches, after all it's only really the highest levels of such societies that know the 'full truth'. Ever are good hearted dabblers ensnared...
It one thing to hold curiousity as to the existence of this and that, and you can even have sincere beliefs about a good few things, but even some of the more benign stories of even fairies...
This teller is content to see footage or hear stories of bears or drunk russians wrestling with bears, he doesn't need to play a game with the ursine himself. So much so further with things less agreeable than a bear.
...
"Forever was quite a big ask, so, obviously, I ate my fill of sweet fairy delights"
This of course, explains why the ape is an ape. :v
"Strangely, both of them did still say that there truly were fairies in the beck. And that they’d actually seen them. They just didn’t photograph them. Why? Who knows. Old habits die hard, I guess."
Details like this always stick out like a sore thumb in these accounts.
Fairies, and those beliving in their existence can be considered a major casualty of this tale, but anyone familiar with these kind of matters know that hoaxes do not invalidate the genuine inexplicable phenomena that people see, indeed many a hoax come about in inspiration of a strange encounter. Only in a few cases can we find clear picture of a hoax being an origin, and fairies are an old, old tale.
Let it never be forgotten the humble platypus was considered a hoax, while other woppers were thought real.
Yet, from many accounts, hoaxes and real the fruits are often scars and sorrows that last to death.
From awesome, awe, from awe terror.
How lovely the wonderous.
How terrifying the wonderous.
As always in the case of these sisters and all else, be careful in what you wish for and in the games you play, even just humans can be serious enough trouble.