Within the realm of fantasy lives a species of
creature both beautiful and terrifying. J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and
numerous other fantasies, explains the notions of fairy, faerie and fairy
stories. Unlike Tinkerbell, true fairies do not have human morality and often
commit deeds which one might consider “bad” without any concern. In fact, they
don’t care much for humans at all. Varying in size and shape, true fairies are
not the cute and cuddly glamorization of Disney movies. They are supernatural
beings who primarily are concerned with themselves and are capable of terrible,
cruel acts. Their magic acts as a power which resides in the communion with
other living things (similar to Chi). Fairies live in the world of Faerie,
which is not able to be described; only perceived. To ask the origins of a
story is to ask the origin of the story in mind. Fairy stories, for example,
are not concerned with possibility. They awaken desire and create a world in
which the subjective reigns. There must be a suspension of reality when
engaging fairy stories, for once the spell is broken, it is much more difficult
to return. Where the rational world
seeks to deal with reason and abstractions, the poetic realm (where fairy
stories come from) is rhetorical and metaphorical.
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