Faeries
Midi Selection-Sweet Caroline.
Preface
The creatures referred to as fays, fe'es (accent with no separation), fairies and Faeries in Romance languages and English are by no means confined to Western European culture. Under one name or another they are found all over the world; they are more frequently met in Europe and Asia, less frequently met with in America and Africa. The Fairie concept belongs to a rather advanced stage of culture. The English attempts to translate the German Marchem or the Swedish Saga tended to group folk tales and Faerie tales into a loosely held group referred to as fairy tales, hence Cinderella is a fairy tale and so are tales of changelings (new born carried away by Faeries who leave Faerie babies in heir places). This is most unfortunate, because only a small number of stories so grouped actually have to do with Faeries.
The Faerie has the same general characteristics wherever they are found. They are usually diminutive, often very small but sometimes pygmy like. They can become invisible at will, often by putting on a magical cap. Faeries usually live underground in a burrow or under a hill, or in a heap of stones. Usually these creatures are clothed in green; sometimes his skin and hair are also green. White is also associated with Faeries, and frequently solitary Faeries are clothed in brown or gray. Faeries are rarely harmful. They delight in playing pranks; milking cows in the fields, soiling clothes on the line, appropriating food, curdling milk. But they are helpful too, for they often take food and money to the poor, give toys to children, work counter magic to break spells laid by witches. These collective inhabitants in a land should properly be called Fas (compare French fee). Hence our reference becomes standard with Faerie's).
There are two groups:1) Those who belong to the Faerie "race" or "nation" and live in fairyland in an organized society of their own. 2) The individual Faeries associated with a place, occupation, or household.
Faeries made up of individuals (group 2) are much more varied in behavior and nature. One of the most important of these is the household familiar, such as the Billy Blin of the Scottish ballads. He is about the size of a year-old child, but often has the face of an old man with a long beard, and usually wears a jaunty little cap.
Caroline
We parents often fantasize about our children, often to the extent that fantasy becomes reality. With that out of the way, let me assure you that the story you are about to read is true. Every word of it.
This is a short story about how a Faerie came into being. On December 4, 1975 my wife gave birth to our third of four children. She was named Caroline Ann-Marie, a most unusual name for a Faerie, but one which brought forth a refrain from the song, "Sweet Caroline". From the moment of her birth, large brown eyes twinkled with mischief and delight. Her large smile caused the most stoic to themselves venture a smile.
My wife knows the value and joy of reading aloud to small children. Therefore, our new born little girl got daily doses of poetry, short stories and look and see books, almost from the moment of her birth. When she began kindergarten, her teacher told the parents that a reading club would be formed for her students. The student who read the most books would get an award at the end of the school year. Caroline seemed to consume books, both large and small. She was not content to read the normal fare of children books like the Golden Book Series or Disney Publications Her reading included Milton, Joyce and even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. By the end of the school year she had read almost 400 books and was awarded the "Most Proficient Reader" award. As she grew older and spread her wings, man nor beast stood in the way of delightful encounters of which only the older of Faeries normally participated.
During her first five years, trees, deep woods and climbing things were her favorite play toys. As a result of these experiences she became adept in recognizing flora which attracted butterflies, humming birds and dragonflies. Our backyard became a paradise for small creatures and Caroline would spend countless hours watching the beauty of our universe. Upon occasion she would carefully stoop down, extend a hand and sit quietly for some unknown reason. The climbing experiences served her well when she began gymnastics at age eight. At age eleven, she qualified for regional competition by winning the Alabama title for her class level. During her last competitive event in the uneven bars, one of the judges made the comment that Caroline seemed to soar like "Pan." She did not claim the regional award on the uneven bars.
The summer after the regional competition her interest in gymnastics waned. She also became lethargic toward reading. Her wonder of nature and small creatures was replaced by television and nothingness. We were told not to be alarmed, because our little girl was doing that "Teenager thing." Her transformation from Faerie like qualities to those of a troll lasted through her middle school years. Rather than being a pleasure, our little girl had become someone with whom we had rather not known.
Upon entering the tenth grade, nothing much had changed - perhaps even gotten worse. One Saturday morning I had awoke about five a.m.( which is my custom). When I passed Caroline=s room a haunting melody of a song flowed from her room. After a cup or two of coffee, I strained to remember the song and determine why was my daughter up so early listening to music. Several weeks later while doing research for an accounting class, I heard Enya's song again on the WWW - The Bards Ballad.
Almost two months passed and I was up again one early Saturday morning, when Caroline seemed to bounce into our kitchen. Before I could ask why was she up so early, she explained that she no longer wanted to pursue "material things", because she had found more joy in living in a world of fantasy. She also wanted to be "reborn." Her statement caused much concern as to the ramifications on our family.
Prior to her statement, C=s and D=s were the dominant grades. A=s and B=s began to emerge with regularity. Lethargy was replaced with a passion for reading and life in general. Music of a spiritual or calming nature became regular and more frequent in our home. A quest to find nature and little creatures was becoming a daily habit. By the time Caroline finished high school, her transformation from troll to Faerie (from whence she came) was complete.
Caroline graduated from college in 1998 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. She is now working for MTV in New York City. Is the Big Apple ready for Caroline? Perhaps not, but Caroline is now fully prepared to travel any road she chooses.
Because of Caroline we believe in Faeries, so this page is dedicated to her and her kindred souls who follow the path of the Faerie, delight the child in all of us, and make us profoundly thankful for our children.
