The Fairy Stones of Virginia

Virginia has a rather unique state park. Located in Patrick County, Fairy Stone State Park is a magical place where remnants of the fairy folk can still be found and even collected as souvenirs. At least, that's what folklore tells us. 

Fairy Stone State Park was established on June 15, 1936 on land donated in 1933 by Junius B. Fishburn. For years, the area had been special for its abundance of 'fairy stones' or 'fairy crosses.' Science tells us these fairy stones are staurolite crystals. The crystals, which formed seven miles underground, have been pushed up to the surface of the Earth as the mountains themselves rose. 

Staurolite crystals are six-sided and will often show up as twin crystals, intersecting at a 90 degree angle. This causes the rocks to have a unique appearance. The fairy stones will show up as an X, T, or even cross shape. The crosses are the most sought after and appear in the varieties of Roman, St. Andrew's, and even the rarest---the Maltese Cross. More abundant are the single crystal bricks. 

According to folklore, when the fairies of the Blue Ridge region received news, via messenger, of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the fairies wept. Their tears crystallized and became the fairy stones of today. Although the fairies themselves are said to no longer inhabit the area, the fairy crosses they left behind serve as a reminder of that sad day.  Some claim that the stones are lucky, and will protect the bearer from illness, accidents, and even witchcraft!

I became aware of the fairy stones thanks to an article I happened to stumble upon while looking up information on a completely unrelated topic. The Ceredo Advance featured an article on the fairies stones way back in 1906---thirty years before the park was established. It seems that a local man from Kenova, WV named A.J. Kelley was the proud owner of one such stone. Mr. Kelley was always glad to show off his fairy stone to anyone wanting to see it. 

After I started looking for pictures of these stones, I realized that I have actually seen them before, in crystal shops and rock shows. The small stones are often made into pendants or other jewelry, even as early as 1906. As I said, you can collect these for yourself! There are designated 'hunting' areas in Fairy Stone State Park, and guided fairy stone hunts. Tips are given on the website for where and how to find the stones, but any type of digging tools is strictly prohibited. 

All About Fairy Stones, from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation

Fairy Stone State Park Website

Ceredo Advance
11 April 1906

The Fae and Fairy Folk: January Paranormal Discussion Group

After taking a brief hiatus to celebrate the holiday season, St. Alban's Paranormal Discussion Group is back and in full force! Our January 2023 get-together was held at the St. Alban's Historical Society on Wednesday, January 25th and featured a really cool topic that we hadn't touched on before: Fairies.

The Fae and Fairy Folk discussion was led by Krista Antis, who brought with her an extensive knowledge of fairy lore, especially as it pertains to the British Isles, as well as an extensive library of fairy resource books. 

So, for most of my life, I've had a healthy interest in fairy lore. Like many native West Virginians, my ancestry is mostly Scots-Irish and English. With that came the stories of The Good Neighbors and the tricks they liked to play, passed down to me from my grandparents. But even though I was always taught to remain respectful of and to avoid certain behaviors that could annoy our unseen friends, I don't think I ever actually believed in the fairy realm. I found it to be a beautiful and interesting topic, and I did try to maintain a working knowledge of it due to my involvement in paranormal investigation and research. 

But, as I get older I find a lot of my beliefs not necessarily changing, but shifting and expanding. I'm definitely more open to the possibility that the Fae not only exist, but are an integral part of the paranormal umbrella. As Krista talked about the different types of fairies, their characteristics, and ways to appease them and/or protect yourself, it became apparent that a lot of the widely-held beliefs regarding fairies also overlap with beliefs regarding other types of entities, including ghosts, demons, and aliens. 

How this phenomenon is all connected (if it even IS) is one of the many questions that keep me hunting for answers, and it makes me even more appreciative that I've found the St. Albans Paranormal Discussion Group to help me learn about all these fascinating topics, and to connect with people who are also searching for answers.

Anyway, Krista's talk was really informative and fun. Although focusing mainly on the Seelie Court vs. the Unseelie Court, she spoke about several types of fairy lore from various cultures, and of course SRI's lil' buddy, The Ovinnik of Deep End Antiques was brought up! That sort of led into a discussion about the differences between fairies and cryptids, bringing the theory that this stuff is probably more inter-related than we realize full circle. 

As always, it was a super-fun evening, connecting and sharing stories with fellow paranormal enthusiasts. This was a unique topic, and I know everyone at the meeting enjoyed it immensely. If you're in the St. Albans area and think that this is something YOU'D like to be a part of, please join us. We meet at 6pm on the last Wednesday of the month at the St. Albans Historical Society building. You can follow the group's Facebook page for more information on upcoming topics...including next month's talk where I'll be back again discussing Local Haunts! I hope to see ya there, and as always, stay spooky!

*Bonus: I've linked to my Ovinnik encounter above, but he's not the only member of the fairy realm that I've potentially met. Check out my blog, My Strangest Personal Experience, for another really weird sighting I had in my own front yard.*

My Weirdest Personal Experience

Illustration by Arthur Rackman

Can you believe it's already July 1st?! 2020 is half over (thank goodness) and to celebrate a new month and a new Ultimate Blog Challenge, I thought I'd start off with sharing a personal experience that I've never shared before. I'm usually pretty open about sharing my potential paranormal experiences, but this one is so weird that I've had a lot of trouble wrapping my head around it...

So, several years ago I was awake at the literal ass-crack of dawn. I had gone to bed early the previous night, so by 5 am I was up and ready to go. It was a school day so I decided to go ahead and get everything ready to send Luke off to school. But, I had left his backpack, with his student planner that needed signed daily and his lunchbox in it, in my car.

I opened my front door and walked out on my porch stoop, but before I could step down off the stoop and onto the short, paved sidewalk leading to the driveway, I was startled by some movement. I looked down, fully expecting to see one of the dozens of rabbits that live around my yard, scurrying away.

What I saw DID scurry away, but as hard as my skeptical brain tries to rationalize it, I'm not so sure it was a bunny.

Running from the direction of my house, across the sidewalk, and disappearing around the back of my car, was a small creature. It was a light brown/tan color, very similar to our local rabbits. It stood a little under a foot tall, from my estimation. Being a late Spring morning sometime between 5 am and 6 am, there wasn't full sunshine, but it certainly wasn't super dark out, either. Plus, the porch light, while not super bright, was still turned on.

Everything about this encounter screams RABBIT to my rational side. It was about the same color and size as a rabbit, which are especially plentiful in my area around that time of year. It ran away, like you'd expect a rabbit to do when a human suddenly pops up, and it can be argued that in the early morning light, I couldn't get that good a look at the thing.

But...I did. I was standing only about 8 feet away from the creature when it stopped and looked directly at me for what seemed like much longer than it actually was. I wasn't looking into the eyes of any rabbit species I've ever seen. What I saw was a fully formed little man. He was nude, except for what looked like a tattered loincloth-type garment that was approximately the same color as his skin tone. He was barefoot. He had a somewhat stocky, not quite muscular, build. While he didn't seem dirty, per se, he just seemed sort of...weathered.

I couldn't see what color his eyes were, although for a brief second, he did look me directly in the eye before running off, on two feet, obviously. He didn't have a beard, and he wasn't bald, but his hair seemed very sparse, very light, and very wispy. His face reminded me of a combination of Dobby the House Elf from Harry Potter, Hoggle from Labyrinth and the Russ troll dolls from my childhood. It was heavily lined and creased, giving the creature a very old and wizened appearance. He seemed as shocked to see me as I was to see him. I also remember that his nose, while not huge, seemed to be his most prominent facial feature.

Dobby is a great example of a Brownie

Honestly, the description of it reminds me of a type of house spirit known as a Brownie, or sometimes called a Robin Goodfellow. According to Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns and Goblins, by Carol Rose, a brownie is defined as:

"A household spirit of northern English and Scottish folklore; in southern England goes by the name of Robin Goodfellow. The Brownie is described as being like a very small, brown, shaggy human, sometimes naked and sometimes wearing ragged brown clothes. Families were proud of their Brownies as they brought good fortune; to lose one was disastrous. Outside of the family, a Brownie was viewed with caution, as they were prone to mischief when annoyed.

In general, the Brownie was the most industrious of the household spirits, ploughing, reaping, grinding grain, cleaning the house and barns, churning butter-in fact, most of the tedious jobs he would gladly do. In return, the Brownie was entitled to a bowl of the best cream and new baked cake or bread, to be put within his reach. To offer the Brownie any form of payment other than this, especially to take pity and to give him new clothes, was an insult, and he would vanish immediately."

After standing there a few seconds in shock, I walked over behind my car where he had run off to, and couldn't find anything. No little man, no little bunny, nothing. I quickly grabbed Luke's school stuff out of the car and headed back in, telling myself I had just seen a rabbit, nothing more.

But, rabbits don't usually run on two feet and they certainly don't wear little loincloths. For several years, I've tried to convince myself that I must not have been completely awake, and simply imagined seeing what I saw, but on the off-chance I DID see something, I wanted to finally document and share it.

After all, its not the first time I've had something fae-related happen at this house! We owned the house for about 6 months before we could even move in. It needed a LOT of work, both inside and out, but as the renovations neared completion, we were staying much more often. One day, we noticed a very distinct fairy ring had popped up in the front yard. It wasn't huge, only about 4-5 feet across. If you've never heard of a fairy ring or fairy circle, it's basically a naturally occurring ring of mushrooms that take on a circle shape thanks to how the spores are released. But, they have quite a folkloric connection with the fae.

Fairy Ring, Source

It is said that anyone who enters a fairy ring may disappear, only to be lost among the fae world forever. Or in a scarier alternative, a child entering into the fairy world through such a fairy ring would be replaced by a changeling. So, when Luke saw the fairy ring and started running towards it like he was going to jump in the middle, the superstitious side of me overpowered the skeptical side and I plucked that kid out of air, mid-jump, and ushered him back into the house!

Those are the only two things I've personally noticed around here and I'm sure both have a perfectly natural explanation. However, I like to keep my mind open to the possibility of things surrounding our world that we don't quite fully understand. Let me know down in the comments, or join me over on Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State Facebook page if YOU'VE ever had an encounter with the fae!

Stay Spooky!

For more info on the folklore of fairy circles, check out the article 

'Never, Ever Step Into a Fairy Ring', by Marla Brooks

Theresa's Travels: West Virginia's First Renaissance Festival

This coming weekend is your last chance of the season to experience the WV Renaissance Festival, located near Lewisburg, WV.  And if you're able to attend...I cannot recommend it enough!

The weekend before last, my family, plus my son's friend, piled in the car to make the easy trip down the WV Turnpike to see for ourselves the first ever WV Renaissance Festival.  The kids and I have never been to a Renaissance Festival, but my boyfriend had previously attended a fairly well-known event in Ohio many years ago.  While my only experience with what to expect was stuff I'd seen on television and online over the years, both we newbies and our veteran RenFaire family member were all completely blown away by how awesome this event was.

Huzzah for the Earl of Essex!

Located on the Hollow Hills farm, the setting for the festival was idyllic. I mean, it was absolutely stunning. Before you even left the parking area, you were transported back to the middle ages.  The vehicles and other modern necessities were carefully concealed from view. Chickens roamed freely.  Every where you went, you were greeted by beautifully dressed staff members who never broke character and who went out of their way to give you an interactive experience. The games, performance areas, vendors, and other activities were carefully spread over the rolling hillside and even incorporated the nearby woods.

It was one of these wooded areas in which we had our experience that makes this blog post skirt the edges of the paranormal!  No, we didn't see any ghosts or Bigfoot roaming the farm...but my son and his friend walked away with a belief in the fae!

Walking along the path, we were met by a well-dressed courtesan who prompted us to join him and his crew in the forest maze in search of the fae's hidden treasure.  He was speaking with a thick accent, so I'm not entirely sure what word he was using (and to my untrained ears, there are so many similar words in the fairly realm) but I BELIEVE he was referring to a group of fae known as the Seelie Court.  According to Carol Rose's book, Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns and Goblins:

"In British folklore there is a subdivision of the fairies according to their character, and these groups are known as the Seelie Court and the Unseelie Court.  The Seelie Court are those Trooping Fairies who are generally engaged in their own society with royalty, nobility, and a community existing relatively peacefully within the human world.  They enjoy feasting, hunting, and dancing in the earth's rural idyll.  They comprise such groups as the elves and the Sidhe."

Aaron and I sat in the shade while we sent the kids off in search of fairy treasure, joking with them that we hoped the fairies wouldn't replace them with changelings.  And, when the kids hadn't returned 15 minutes later, we started to worry that maybe they HAD been taken by the fairies!  Aaron went off in search of them, and while he was gone, the kids made their way back.  However, during the time where I was alone at the beginning of the maze, I was joined by two young ladies who were also seeking shade from the blistering sun.  While the kids and I waited for Aaron to find HIS way back, I asked them if they had seen any fairies or had found any fairy treasure.  We had a nice little chat about the tricky nature of the fae, and both kids decided that this all had to have been made up and that fairies weren't real.  As these words left my son's mouth, one of the young ladies sitting in front of us turned to him, and with a wink, told him that he needed to be careful what he said, especially in the woods, because he never knew who was listening.  She then handed him and his friend some gold coins.

I will never forget the look on those kids' faces! Aaron finally made his way out of the maze, and as we

They also met a Fire Fairy who gifted them with joy.

left to go on to our next adventure, they couldn't shut up about how fairies were really real and that they had met one.  It was a magical experience, one that I don't think my son will soon forget.

Overall, each of us had a wonderful time, despite the sweltering heat.  The kids got to throw knives/throwing stars, and Aaron and I got to throw axes.  We watched some hilarious nuns make fart and boob jokes, and cheered on our favorite jouster. The kids also got to dig for gemstones in a 'mine,' ride an elephant, meet a mermaid, and of course, get lost in the woods with a fairy.  And that's not even half of it! 

The Hanlon-Lees Action Theater did an outstanding job with this festival, especially considering it was the first ever such event in West Virginia.  Unfortunately, the event is only being held throughout June, and tomorrow/Sunday is your last chance to visit this year!  Again, if you get the chance to go, GO! And if you do, I hope you have an equally magical experience as two kids from Hurricane did.

WV Renaissance Festival Facebook Page
WV Renaissance Festival Website