What would it take for you to believe in fairies? In 1917, two young girls from a small village in Yorkshire answered that question for the entire world, with a camera. 

This week, we’re diving into the story of the Cottingley Fairies; the picture that captivated Arthur Conan Doyle and a grief-stricken post-war world. We’re also getting into the dark side of fairy folklore that nobody talks about, and why the need to believe in something magical might be one of the most human things there is. 

Grab your favorite elderflower mix and meet me by the stream. Cheers!

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Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottingley_Fairies

https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/The-Fairies-of-Cottingley/

https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/cottingleys-scientific-fairies-and-enchanting-technology/

https://photographyproject.uk/research/elsie-wright-the-cottingley-fairies-a-great-photographic-hoax/

https://medium.com/university-of-leeds/the-cottingley-fairies-a-study-in-deception-2ab08b8cafb0

https://qz.com/911990/the-cottingley-fairy-hoax-of-1917-is-a-case-study-in-how-smart-people-lose-control-of-the-truth

https://library.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/1000/library/132/fooled-by-fairies

https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-cottingley-fairies-a-study-in-deception-leeds-university-library-galleries/lgVB6Ceti9WVAw

https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php/The_Coming_of_the_Fairies

https://www.realyorkshireblog.com/post/the-cottingley-fairies-the-photographs-that-fooled-the-world-for-60-years

https://allthatsinteresting.com/changeling

https://longreads.com/2018/06/08/fairy-scapegoats-a-history-of-the-persecution-of-changeling-children/

https://folklorethursday.com/folktales/unchanging-appeal-changelings/

https://britishfairies.wordpress.com/2017/03/23/changelings-fairy-thefts-of-human-children/

https://www.countrylife.co.uk/nature/history-elder-tree-deities-dryads-shakespeare-j-k-rowling-197720

https://britishfairies.wordpress.com/2019/02/17/fairies-and-elder-trees/

https://seedsistas.co.uk/2023/11/24/myth-magic-and-folklore-of-the-elder-tree/

https://wildhunt.org/2020/02/column-faery-lore-of-the-elder-tree.html