PLEASE STOP FALLING FOR TRUE BLOOD, SUPERNATURAL, ETC

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Alys-RaccoonReadings
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I read this today, and I thought it lent important context to this topic: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/agora/201 ... l-fairies/

The author is speaking specifically about the fae, but I think it applies well to other non-human beings. Especially the cultural approach she suggests at the end.
In and of itself its fine to have beliefs from odd sources – entire religions are founded on fiction and there’s nothing wrong with deciding to go with a belief you gleaned from a novel – it only becomes a problem when its put forward as genuinely older folk belief and becomes mainstream. Because when that happens, when it becomes popular under the guise of genuine traditional folklore, it actively erases the older cultural folklore which in many places is already struggling.

When a dominant culture starts to rewrite minority folklore not from a place of belief but for entertainment, even if those rewritten ideas are then absorbed again as beliefs, it’s a big problem. Not only because it accelerates the decline of the original culture but also because it raises the question of how much depth these new beliefs actually have to them....

People often question why any of this matters, why we should care whether a belief is genuinely folkloric or pulled from modern fiction or invention. There is of course a fluidity to folklore that means today’s urban legend is tomorrow’s folk belief and sometimes today’s fiction becomes the folk belief of the next century. This is a particularly touchy question in modern paganism where people are often looking for any and all sources on a subject like fairies. But I think Nimue Brown sums it well in a recent blog, saying that there is a difference between being part of a culture and its evolution and being outside of it and taking material from it to use outside its context. Too often what’s being taken as belief from modern fiction is the latter, material that is disconnected from actual cultural belief and born simply as a plot device.

If you are seeking to incorporate belief in fairies into your spirituality, to approach belief in them the way the modern living cultures that believe in them do, I suggest treating them as you would a foreign human culture you are interested in learning about. And I would sincerely hope, to forward that analogy, if you want to learn about Ireland you would look to solid non-fiction sources and accounts written by people with first hand experience, rather than fiction. In the same way with fairies while fiction can be fun and entertaining we need to be careful not to blur that line and start seeing it as depicting actual folklore, because most of the time it isn’t.


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I've been trying to work out why messing about with fantasy tropes bothers me. I wouldn't say I'm A Writer. Although I have studied creative writing, so I know it works creatively when you're staring at a blank page to ask yourself "what if?".

When we watch or read fiction set in the 'real world' it's okay that they've re-arranged events to suit the story - people realise it's just a story. The real world is still the same. And when we watch an alternative history story, again we realise our own world is still the same.

Deeply ingrained folk myths are part of our cultural history and so arguably form part of the backdrop of our world. When folk myths are treated sensitively as part of a story they can resonate really strongly. We may somehow recognise their 'truth' and how they fit in our world.

But when these folk myths are distorted for writerly creativity purposes and to provide more story fodder to hold audience's attention, there is no nuanced guide to interpretation. 'False' recreated narratives of folk myth tend to be represented on equal terms with the 'real' thing.

I find it disorienting. I'm losing touch with what resonates in my world. It's fading from grasp. It feels like the strength of the original resonance of the folk myth is being dissipated.

(Or what I've said could be a load of pseudo-intellectual b.s. and I should stop taking it all so seriously?)


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I'm not sure what the answer is beyond people who want to seek and believe should also recognize a burden to sift.


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One thing that the article didn't mention is that there is a possibility that the change, distortion, etc of the stories are caused, directed, or inspired by the fairies themselves. Whether the authors, publishers, etc believed in them or not, they could still be inspired or directed from the background, via dreams, coincidences, etc. And not just stories about fairies, but about djinn, elves, even immortals as well.

Why? It can be for various reasons. Maybe the new context is easier to be accepted by dominant culture. Maybe to spread stories about themselves, so that those who are called would seek them. Maybe to cast negative light to their opponents. Or for no reason but a whim, or trolling : P


"Often the truth is in front of your face, but your eyes and heart are so full of lies that you can't see it." Shannon L. Alder

"May you live in interesting times, may you be recognized by people in high places, may you find what you’re looking for."
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Agreed. I super love the trolling theory.


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There are several, important aspects that are greatly missed:

- most of the supernatural world existed pre-written history, and there aren't surviving, firsthand accounts of what they experienced 20,000, 50,000, 100,000, etc years ago.

- with occupying regimes, what was "good" and "bad" often changed, and many times during Christian occupation the mystical beings were demonized and reclassified inappropriately as they embodied personalities and aspects that flew in the face of their beliefs.

- many supernatural beings came & went before humans, and therefore no firsthand accounts exist and as we all know from playing the "telephone" game as children, that stories can change through time.

This is why Spirit Keepers are so much more than just companions, we are each custodians of a forgotten and abandoned history of this world, and other worlds, which have been cast out for secular society that marginalizes any supernatural experience.


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Alys-RaccoonReadings
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creepyhollows wrote:This is why Spirit Keepers are so much more than just companions, we are each custodians of a forgotten and abandoned history of this world, and other worlds, which have been cast out for secular society that marginalizes any supernatural experience.
<3


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darkwing dook wrote:One thing that the article didn't mention is that there is a possibility that the change, distortion, etc of the stories are caused, directed, or inspired by the fairies themselves. Whether the authors, publishers, etc believed in them or not, they could still be inspired or directed from the background, via dreams, coincidences, etc. And not just stories about fairies, but about djinn, elves, even immortals as well.

Why? It can be for various reasons. Maybe the new context is easier to be accepted by dominant culture. Maybe to spread stories about themselves, so that those who are called would seek them. Maybe to cast negative light to their opponents. Or for no reason but a whim, or trolling : P
I love this. It resonates.


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Alys-RaccoonReadings wrote:
creepyhollows wrote:This is why Spirit Keepers are so much more than just companions, we are each custodians of a forgotten and abandoned history of this world, and other worlds, which have been cast out for secular society that marginalizes any supernatural experience.
<3
1tu


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I live in the east. Some non-human beings still exists, they blend and mingle with us. They are usually prevalent in country side where forest, mountains, nature are untouched. There are stories about encounters with them from city tourists from time to time.

Even my own family who lived in the country side has stories and close encounters with them. As a child, when we go on vacation to the countryside, family often warns us of being very careful since we're visitors. One afternoon, our mom made us all go inside the house and close the doors and windows because a non-human being is passing. Locals knows who's who. Healers and dark magic users are prevalent too. It's a magical world in some places.


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