Fairy Circles

Are these rings in the grass created by the little people or are they caused by fungi?

While crop circles appear as large rings in fields of wheat, a fairy circle is a smaller affair visible in grass. Sometimes the ring is formed by dead grass or bare earth, or it may be made by a circle of healthier taller grass.

Throughout history various myths have been associated with fairy circles. In the 17^th century country folk believed they were made by fairies dancing in circles, to wander into one would result in an overnight trip to fairyland - returning to find twenty years had passed.

Another legend had it that the mysterious rings were caused by fairies forcing some poor unfortunate to dance in a circle until he was rescued. In Devon, if horses were tired in the morning the fairies were blamed for having ridden them round and round in the night making circles in the grass.

It was said that a maiden should never wash her face in dew collected from a fairy circle for she would be transformed into an ugly hag.

Fairies weren't actually considered to be evil, but definitely mischievous. Sometimes fairy circles were thought of as good omens. Even today some farmers regard a fairy ring as being lucky or even as a sign of buried treasure.

Fairy rings are common all over the UK. In the Lake District some are thought to be about six hundred years old. In France one is seven hundred years old and half a mile across. The French call them witches' rings.

In Holland it was thought the rings were made by the Devil as he stole milk from cows he would put down his huge churn making a circle in the grass. In Denmark they believed the rings were burnt into the earth by dancing elves.

In 1792 the circles were officially identified as a fungal growth pattern. A fungus grows out from the middle of a ring, which dies off and leaves only the outer ring behind. Some species of fungi prevent water getting into the ground, hence the bare earth.

However not everyone accepts the scientific explanation. Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a diehard fairy fan. He said the rings may be caused by mushrooms but were definitely used by the little folk to dance in.

The strangest rings are probably those in Namibia where circles of parched earth occur inside which nothing grows. Whether mushrooms or fairies created these rings is still a mystery and they continue to defy scientific explanation.

Further Reading:

Fairyopolis by Cicely Mary Barker