Blogpost #7 Fairies in Art

Isn't wonderful if we can go somewhere that is full of fairy arts? a gallery with a theme of fairies perhaps. I'm sure little girls, including me and all those kids at heart who loves fairies, will enjoy a trip to a fairy inspired gallery. Now, let's see some of the ingenious fairy art.

As a child, I used to draw fairies, me with wings and the likes. Now, as I grew up I stopped drawing faires maybe because I realized tha I'm really not the artistic type (yes, to be honest my drawings are like for grade-schoolers. haha). But my sister, who draws really great, is now taking place. I'm so happy and proud with her art ... She draws fairies most of the time, too. Well, maybe just like me she's a fairy fan. I can say that a lot of the little girls out there believe in faires so they express their belief for fairies into art.

I have seen quite a lot of art about faires. But, Ida Mary Walker Larsen caught my attention. I saw some of her creations at The Fairy Gatherings site and it was awesome. In that site, it has the creations of the artist, the biography and what inspires the artist to use faires as their art.

Ida Mary Walker shared that "Fantasy, nature and mythology are themes that inspire me the most. Dragons, fairies, trolls and elves are creatures of my world" . I also loved the thing that she said in her painting, she said that "Almost every child has a secret garden or spot in the forest - A place that is their own, full of magic and wonders ... We should all be able to be more like kids sometimes, full of wonder of the small things in life ..."

I admit, the first thing that really caught my attention was the painting entitled 'The Secret Forest'. It looks  really ingenious and somehow peculiar. I loved it when I first saw it.  Plus, I agree to what she had said that we should be able to be more like kids sometimes, don't you love the feeling of being a kid again? Less stress, less pressure and we get happy easily. It's also amazing that she shared to us that fairies are one of the creatures of her world.

The second art that I really like is Cottingley Fairies. I saw a site named fictive arts that tells about the story of the Cottingley Fairies, on how they saw the fairies, the story during the photo was taken, after the photo was taken, how the public react on it and some how how other people respond to it.

It is stated on the site that "The Cottingley fairy photos can be considered a precursor of fictive art because of the girls' deliberate use of photography's evidentiary status to support their fictional account of encounters with fairies."

It is stated on the site that the Cottingleys admitted that four out of five images were fake. The photos were really great, when I first saw it I was deceived. I really thought that fairies were real in the photos. At first I was really amazed by the article that I first saw about the Cottingley fairies, because  they never mentioned that the Cottingley spilled the fact that the four photos were fake. But then, I saw this article that tells me it's just an art, and it's really amazing. But they also claimed that the fifth picture (below) was real. So, there's still hope in fairies. We can still find a fairy just like the Cottingley cousins.

If only I can draw well, I will surely draw fairies. Fairies really inspire a lot of people, including me, in terms of art. Well, for me, it is really nice to look at the fairy paintings. I can appreciate really well the art in fairies. I think I can still make an art about fairies but I think it would be by the help of the technology, I hope that the children in our generation gets inspired to fairies also, so that the art in fairies will continue and it won't die.

Blogppst #6 Fairies on the big screen

Fairies on the big screen ... These days we have quite a lot of movies related to fairies. I have a little sister that's why I'm sort of updated when it comes to fairytales. Fairy movies are some how our bonding moment, we can watch fairy tale movies all day. When watching those kind of movies, I feel like I'm a kid all over again. Plus the royalty feeling I can get, the princess moments that I have.

I have read an article at rogerebert site which has a review about one of my all time favorite movie, Enchanted. The article was good because it has the story of the movie, some funny introduction for the characters and the review for the movie itself.

Roger Ebert said that "So the romance and the adventure play out in ways that would be familiar enough in an animated comedy, but seem daring in the real world. First we get animation based on reality ("Beowulf") and now reality based on animation."

I remember that I first saw this movie at Disney Channel together with my sister. We watched it and it soon became one of my all-time favorite movie. I love this movie because it is unique, unlike other movies, Enchanted has the story that starts with being animated that turns out to be on reality. It is cute because I can imagine that some day, some of the fairy characters that I love will come into reality. It would be nice, right? How happy can we, fairy fans, get to see fairies in real life? It would be really fun. Giselle is a princess that fell in love with a prince which has a wicked mother which is the Queen, Narissa. Quite a cliche story, like in real world a girl falling in love with a rich man who has a wicked mother that doesn't want you. It's just that in Giselle's position, the wicked queen is a fairy that uses her power to get rid of her.

Another movie that I want to talk about is the Ella Enchanted movie. I saw an article about this movie on the site rogerebert also. Again, it contains the summary of the movie, funny comments and quick introduction on the actors, fun facts and a review for the movie.

In Roger Ebert's opinion, he said that "One of the charms of the movie is its goofiness, which extends to the songs, which verge on sing-along chestnuts; what else would the elves sing, after all, but "Let Us Entertain You"?"

I remember I watched this movie because of Anne Hathaway. I am a huge fun of Anne ever since the Princess Dairies days. One thing that I love in this movie is that I really had a good laugh ever since the start up until the end plus all those magical feelings, and not to mention the fairy concept of this movie. Everyone in this movie is really goofy, it seems that they really had fun doing the movie. Fairies in this movie are mixed. Ella has the fairy friend along her adventure but unfortunately, she has the evil fairy godmother, too. Quite unusual right? Usually, fairy godmothers are the savior of the princesses, just like Cinderella, but in this movie the fairy god mother is on of the antagonist, she burdened Ella with a spell. But imagine the movie without the fairy godmother in it ... it seems boring right? Yes! Because if there's no Lucida (the fairy godmother) in it,  there wouldn't be a spell on Ella and the adventure wouldn't start. Yes? Agree? Antagonist fairies are important to this movie, aye?

Different movies, different types of fairies. Even if the fairies are the antagonist or the protagonist, I will surely love them. Be honest, you guys adore the antagonist fairies too. Disregarding their bad attitude, they were cool and awesome, right? They have this super cool and powerful magical powers. They may be bad but they have the fun side. They can be funny at times also.

Blogpost #5 Fairy Character

Do you believe in Fairies? Do you think that they exist? According to James M. Barrie, Scottish author and dramatist, creator of Peter Pan "Everytime a child says 'I don't believe in fairies' there is a little fairy somewhere that falls down dead."

I love fairies ever since when I was a little girl until now. When I was a little, I wish to see fairies in our house. I wish to have Cinderella's fairy godmother and all those Disney Princesses' fairies. For the little me back then, there is only one type of fairy, the good fairy. I can't remember a movie or a cartoon character that says or shows a bad fairy. All the fairies that I know is always helping the princesses. Well, Tinkerbell, in the movie Peter Pan, is quite an exemption for me. Tinkerbell is one clever fairy but still, she's a good fairy.

I have read the through the site Whispering Worlds the fairy myth and lore. In the site, it discusses a lot about the origin of fairies, special dates for fairies, food of fairies, some of the traits of fairies and what fairy loves.

The author stated that "the more you know about Fairies, the best chances you have to come out of an encounter unscathed. When you have dealings with Fairies it is of primary importance that you treat them with kindness and all respect. It is too easy to offend them and Heaven help you if you take liberties with them" 

I believe in Tinkerbell's famous "Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust" line, when I was a kid, I hate those other kids that doesn't believe in fairies because I believe having no faith with fairies will kill them. Until now, I believe in them and hoping to see and befriend with one of them just like Wendy of The Peter Pan cartoon.

Another article that caught my attention was What are the characteristics of faeries? by Llewellyn. The author discusses many facts about fairies from what they do in their spare time to the fears that can bring the fairies away from humans.

I want to quote the statement of Llewellyn, the author of the article, that "They can be lusty, and they seem to desire romance and sex as much as humans do (or perhaps a good deal more). Often their embrace is harmful or deadly. In other cases, it spells heartache to mortals."

For me this fact is something new, I never thought that Fairies can harm us and even give us heartaches. How can I embrace my fairy BFF if his/her embrace is harmful or even deadly? I hate the feeling that I can't even show my love to my BFF by my physical gestures? And also, I hate humans who break other people's heart, but how can I hate fairies who can break our hearts also? Fairies are so adorable and I can't imagine myself hating them. *insert sad face here*

The fact that I have loved fairies ever since I was a child, I can say that even if I learned that fairies can be harmful I will still love them no matter what. Even though I know that they can harm us, I still believe in them and I will love them no matter what happen, I'm a huge fan of fairies ... I know. :)

Blogpost #4 Fairy Species

Ever wonder what are the types of fairies? With a huge cluster of Fairies, don't you think we are some kind of a fairy too? I mean, maybe we are an outcast or something. Or maybe, just like in the story of Peter Pan, if we choose to leave our fairyland, we forget about it and think that it's just a dream. With this blog, let's find out altogether if by any chance we are a fairy.

As a child, I don't care if there are different kinds of fairies. For me, fairies have wings and they can fly. I never bother to think if they have races just like us humans. Watching Winx Club, a girly fairy cartoon show, I remember that they only have one type of clan.

But now, as I am now capable of researching about fairies let's take this opportunity to learn more about the types of Fairies.

With the help of the site Fairy Town, we can learn more about fairy species. The site categorized fairies into 3 groups. The half and half fairies, shadow fairies and glimmer fairies. It further explain each groups. It describes well the different fairies under a specific group. They also provide a picture for a specific fairy.

Browsing to this site, it helps me visualize the clans of fairies. In my opinion, the way the article describe the fairies is like the mythological gods and goddesses. They have specific job to work on and realms protect. It's like they are the goddes of sun and stuff.

Another related article is in the site Fairy Secrets. They have a different set to categorized fairies and these are the elemental fairies, Color fairies, Groups and troops, solitary fairies and the night fairies. The way the article categorized fairies can be applied to us humans, in my opinion. 

My favorite type of fairy in this article is the "Groups and Troops. You’ve probably heard of trooping fairies. These types of fairies are usually led by a chief, princess, queen, or the like, who is charismatic, talented and powerful. Even wealthy. So fairies group around them. Some mortals may refer to them as “groupies.” They fly together, cry together, work together, play together, and party together."  

I told you guys, we are some kind of fairies. Look, there are fairies who basically loves to party, have fun and be crazy with their troops (and I think I belong to that group). Then there's this type of fairies called the solitary who are sort of loners which we all know that us, humans, have our side of being a loner.. I sometimes feel like i don't want to talk to people and just be alone. 

With that simple proofs, for me I am a fairy in my own way.. I may not have a fairy wings and a fairy magic but at some point I share a character with a fairy and I am much happy about it. For me, it's on how you carry yourself. So, if you want to be a fairy, why not apply some of the fairy habits. And the way they categorized fairies, for me, is kind of similar on how us humans has been, or can be categorized too. In my own simple way, I now declare that I am a fairy in my own unique way.

Blogpost #3 Countries' different takes on Fairies

Many people used to believe in Fairies. We have different ways to interpret them. Have you ever wonder why different countries with different cultures and different beliefs have the same idea of fairies even though we are miles apart? It's quite interesting.

Today, I wanted to share with you dear readers, what I found out about the different perspectives to fairies. Faeries, Diwatas, Little People, Nimerigar, Menehune, Kwanokasha, or Fairies. Different names, different stories. 

In the Philippines, diwata is the term for fairies. It is believed that diwatas are the protector of the mountains, forests, falls or our nature. I grow up with the knowledge of fairies. I remember one of my cousins telling me a story about him and his fairy and dwarf friends. He told me that once a fairy saved his life. He also claimed that there is a fairy at their backyard, and they play together. 

An article about one of the famous fairy in the Philippines, which is Maria Makiling, can be read in a site named Buzzle. It is stated there how generous Maria is. The diwata has been describe in that article, including her home. The article also tells how Maria rewards human and how she gets offended by the immoral, disrespectful acts of humans. It has been stated there the possible reasons why Maria never showed up again.

 The author talks about the disappearance of Maria is said that  "As time went by people saw less of Mariang Makiling. She no longer appears to people to bring them gifts of gold and jewels. Hunters have no one to turn to when they are hungry and thirsty. Others say that the cutting of trees and excessive hunting of wild animals have greatly disappointed Mariang Makiling that she refuses to come out anymore."

Living in the Philippines since when I was a kid, I knew the story of Maria Makiling. To be honest, until now i still believe in Maria Makiling .. well, there's no harm in believing. Knowing that somehow cutting of tress and excessive hunting of wild animals are some of the reasons why Maria disappeared, it gave me hope and made me believe stronger that fairies are true. Maybe, when we, humans, started to care and love our environment fairies will come back and maybe, they'll be our best friend.

Another idea about another countries' belief about fairies can be found at the article named, Native American Beliefs in the Little People. In the article, it has been discussed the beliefs to fairies of the native americans. Different names for the fairies are stated. It has been described differently by the different tribes. For some tribes, fairies are bad, some are good. Some helps us, while others plays with us. Some are shy, and some are playful.

The statement "The Laurel People are friendly but also mischievous and like to play common tricks on us (the bigger people). They say that the Laurel people will tangle your fishing line with a stick and make you think it is a huge fish, only for you to reel it in and see it is a tiny stick...they want to make you laugh and keep you young-at-heart" really caught my attention because it shows how fairies are being playful and jolly.

Reading that article made me love fairies even more because I find other beliefs cute. I love how they describe fairies being playful. The statement above is funny and cute, they're like your siblings who loves to play games with you. I can also remember Tinkerbell, in te movie Peter Pan, because Tink is really clever and since she's kind of annoyed to Wendy, the human girl, she always play tricks on her.

Some fairies that we believed in, are harmful based on the descriptions given. But I think, it kind of help the people in some way. I believe that everything has a reason and maybe the reason fairies are being harmful is because they wanted us to take care of the nature, some simple stuff like that. The fact may scare us but it somehow helped us also. For me, fairies are somehow the angels of humans or maybe the guardian of the nature, or something like that, they want what's good for us .. and they get really upset whenever we ignore what's happening to our world.

Blogpost # 2 Physical Appearance of Fairies

Stunning eyes, fanciful hair, beautiful wings… These are the first things that come into my mind  when I hear the word “fairy”. Do they really look like a human with wings? Since I was a child I always wonder how fairies look in real life. Do they even care about their image and looks? Well that, I think yes, but it depends on what type of fairy are they.

My childhood is magical because of my belief in fairies. As a girl, I'm quite conscious about my looks. I always wanted to be the bestfriend of those fairies I see in movies (eg. Barbie Fashion Fairy Tale). The friends of fairies are so lucky. Fairies in movies are always pretty, shiny, shimery, glittery ... Their hairs are perfect, they wear pretty dresses and sleeps in a fabulous homes. And being the fashionista fairies they are, they always do a make-over to their human bestfriend. The will never let their friends look ugly. That's why I always wanted a fairy bestfriend. Instant closet too!

Now that we know how fun it could be to be a bestfriend of a fairy, let's talk about how they look like. How can they be so pretty? What are their secrets when it comes to beauty. The article How fairy faces look of Fairies' Secret site discusses the differet looks of the fairies and the significance of tattoos to fairies. 

The site quoted that "Tattoos in Faerie are impressed into one’s energy form and can be changed whenever desired. These impressions may come from the immediate surroundings that a nature spirit is in, or simply for fun and fashion. And many male fae are just as interested in garments and face and body enhancements as females."

Isn’t they so much interesting to see? Some might describe them as weird but for me they are totally unique! I could imagine how perfect the details of their “tattoos” are and I was amazed to know that it could change, just like a chameleon.

Another article that caught my eyes is entitled Beautiful Fairy Wings. The different types of wings have been elaborated in this. It says that Fairies do not need wings, "The beings of nature do not need wings to hover and glide. They move effortlessly through the ethers at will. Such beings are created of energy, which can densify or take form. Just how dense and how formful, depends on the being and the element from which it has sprung.", it is somehow just for fashion. In this article, it's been explained the true essence of wings and where the image has been formed. Some fairies sees wings as a distraction, only. 

Ever since I was a kid, I always dreamt of having a wings because I wanted to fly, and because they're so pretty. I remember back when I was in high school, we had a halloween party that requires a costume. Without any hesitation I, together with my gorgeous friends, chose to be fairies. It was really wonderful because on a short period of time we experienced having wings even though we can't fly. That night was really awesome. We had fun at the same time one of my dreams came to life even just an hour or so.

Being inlove with fashion, I somehow envy fairies. With just a simple magic, they can be pretty and have whatever fashion thing they want while me, or us, being human, I needed to save money first before I can get that 'fashion' thing. I found out that being a fairy, fashion is really fun. When a fairy is bored, he or she can play with fashion. Unlike us humans, fashion is really expensive.

Blogpost #1 The Beginnings of Light

Faeries... Everyone has their own ideas, assumptions, connotations and beliefs in what a fairie is. It can be, based on our local folklore, a diwata, wherein fairies are seen as a beautiful, magical, enchanted, glowing supernatural beings, full of complexities and intricacies that defines them as amoral deities.

Sometimes, the terms are loosely based on any magical creature that protects our mother earth. Other times, fairies are defined as creatures who you have to gain favor from. We all can agree that fairies are someone or something that creates unexplained magic that either benefits us or causes our own misfortune.

During my childhood, I see fairies/diwatas as beneficial to us, humans. I always believed that they were some kind of super heroes that is looking after us. As a child, I also believed that fairies are the protectors of our nature. There's this one television series in GMA network entitled "Encantadia" that shows the four fairy protectors of the different elements, the earth, wind, water and fire.

I have read the article Fairies in Legend, Lore and Literature by Terrie Windling and it discusses the history of fairies through centuries. The different types of fairies, such as the good and the wicked ones, are also in this article.

According to the author, Terrie Windling "In the 15th century, an alchemist named Paracelus divided fairies into four elemental groups: sylphs (air), gnomes (earth), undines (water), and salamanders (fire). They are made of flesh and blood, he said, and procreate like human beings but are longer lived than man and do not possess immortal souls. In the 17th century, a Scottish minister named Robert Kirk wrote that fairies "are of a middle nature betwixt man and angel," with "light changeable bodies, like those called astral, somewhat of the nature of acondensed cloud, and best seen at twilight."

Knowing the opinions of two different persons, I was even more eager to know more about fairies. In just two different perspective, I gained quite a lot of knowledge about fairies. Based on the statement of Paracelus, fairies has been described just like us humans it is just that fairies lived longer. While, Robert Kirk supports my opinion above that fairies change their forms.

Another article that I can relate to the origin of Fairies is The top three origins of fairies by Bertena Varney. This contains the top three origins and explains further the meaning of the three, such as the dead, demoted angels from Christianity and Pagan deities.

The author, Bertena Varney, explains the origin of fairies being the demoted angels from Christianity. " There is a belief that the angels who didn't choose sides were locked out of heaven because they weren't loyal and they were locked out of hell because they were not bad enough. Thus they were stuck on earth and were called fairies. This also explains why many people believe that fairies are neither good or bad but just are."

When I read about the explanation of the demoted angels, I kind of believe in this origin. First, faries have wings just like the angels. Fairies are playful wherein, angels has been described as playful creatures also, specially to babies.

Being a christian in faith, I believe that faeries are just our own nature's reminder to us humans to take care of our mother nature. They exist, either from our own folklore or to others, as protectors of this world. They are angelic beings that helps us and guides us to a better path.

These are the things I believe in ever since I was a young girl, playing with all my fairy dolls.They are here. With us. Either through spirits. Or through our hearts.