NationStates Jolt Archive

It seems that a bunch of townspeople have halted development on a new housing project because it will harm the fairies. No, they're not being politically incorrect. They're protecting little people. A significant percentage of people in this town claim to believe in little winged fairies.

This is great news! We Americans don't seem quite as dumb anymore.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1881612,00.html

That's just silly! :D

I think this is awesome! And who is to say they're wrong? (My dad's Irish mum believed quite fiercely in faeries.)

Some places, whether they have faeries, real or imagined, should not be disturbed. And that should be that.

Well... some people believe in God, others believe in little winged folk. Some believe in both.

Who dares say who is wrong ;) ?

Think of the hobbits!

Well... some people believe in God, others believe in little winged folk. Some believe in both.

Who dares say who is wrong ;) ?
Me.

I do believe in fairies! I do! I do! (clapclapclapclap) :D

At least these tossers are fun :p

“There are a lot of superstitions going about up here and people do believe that things like standing stones and large rocks should never be moved,” she said.
How is this any different than respecting aboriginal sacred sites? To these people, this is a sacred site. Done.

“A lot of people think the rock had some Pictish meaning,” Mrs Fox said. “It would be extremely unlucky to move it.”
Mr Salter did not just want to move the rock. He wanted to dig it up, cart it to the roadside and brand it with the name of his new neighbourhood.
I'd equate that with digging up ANY sacred object and defacing it.

It's a spiritual belief. It's no 'dumber' than any other.

How is this any different than respecting aboriginal sacred sites? To these people, this is a sacred site. Done.


I'd equate that with digging up ANY sacred object and defacing it.
I suspect they're just using it as an excuse to keep the developers from building near their homes.

It's a spiritual belief. It's no 'dumber' than any other.
Exactly they are all equaly 'dumb' :p

This is great news! We Americans don't seem quite as dumb anymore.

No, everybody knows you just worship big fairies on currency and in pledges and hymns and so on, instead. :p

I suspect they're just using it as an excuse to keep the developers from building near their homes.

Well, then that sounds pretty smart.

I suspect they're just using it as an excuse to keep the developers from building near their homes.
You can suspect this, but you may be wrong. And if that place has cultural significance to the people living there, it should be respected. Luckily, it IS being respected. I don't think people would just suddenly claim to believe in faeries if they didn't...I mean...seriously...and the elders of the area indicated it had some ties to the Picts.

It seems wacko to you...and maybe to others, but I see it as no different than not digging up an area my people consider sacred (Big Tree Hill was one such site...and did that ever piss people off, but it's still there), for whatever reason. The same would go for an area that Catholics, (Lac Ste. Anne) for example, considered sacred. If there is a long-term tie to that area, leave it be. Newage attachments to random objects wouldn't count:)

Me.

Oh dear.. you do realise the pixies will now be forced to remove your reproductive organs while you sleep ?

Sweet dreams ;)

Haha.... it WOULD be the scots who did something like that!

And by the way people...don't be scared to ridicule my beliefs...or question them anyway in terms of development, sacred sites and such. I don't consider myself above question just because I'm native. Meaning...don't let my comments halt the conversation just because you don't think you can question what I say.

It seems that a bunch of townspeople have halted development on a new housing project because it will harm the fairies. No, they're not being politically incorrect. They're protecting little people. A significant percentage of people in this town claim to believe in little winged fairies.

This is great news! We Americans don't seem quite as dumb anymore.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1881612,00.html

You say dumb, I say genius. Think of the tourism potential for this town if they succeed and if it gets enough news coverage. $$$$$

Maybe they are just using it as an excuse to block those Greedy developers, If they started paving over a PARK. I'd do anything I can to ruin them also, execpt I'd say there's a minefield there or something.

Mr Salter did not just want to move the rock. He wanted to dig it up, cart it to the roadside and brand it with the name of his new neighbourhood
^
Oh he so deserved this.

Those Greedy sons of a need to stop paving Paradise to put up stupid cheap houses.

And by the way people...don't be scared to ridicule my beliefs...or question them anyway in terms of development, sacred sites and such. I don't consider myself above question just because I'm native. Meaning...don't let my comments halt the conversation just because you don't think you can question what I say.
People still worship your tribal religion right? The rites and traditions tied to those stones in question, however, are lost to the ages.

People still worship your tribal religion right? The rites and traditions tied to those stones in question, however, are lost to the ages.
No...plenty of sacred sites and objects are not 'worshipped'. There is just a general feeling that they are important. The traditions associated with them may be lost, but oral tradition gives us some idea of the fact that they were used for sacred purposes. The rituals do not have to continue in their pure form for that place or object to retain it's sacredness.

And in this case, one of the grandmothers remembered some of the old stories, and the people in general seem to associate that area with certain beliefs. As well, 'faery worship' is still pretty common...people leave out food and gifts and such...I'd say those rituals are not lost to the ages.

Oh, and most native peoples do not practice pure native spirituality. Most are Christians, who blend the old beliefs with the new ones.

People still worship your tribal religion right? The rites and traditions tied to those stones in question, however, are lost to the ages.

The rites, maybe, but the traditions clearly aren't, given the level of concern. Also, looking again at the article, it does seem like they were trying to develop in a National Park: that's pretty hard to get permission for in any case.

I don't want to rain on anyone's pointing-and-laughing parade though. Carry on:)

I don't want to rain on anyone's pointing-and-laughing parade though. Carry on:)

*points and laughs at all displays of superstition/religion, then* :p

*points and laughs at all displays of superstition/religion, then* :p
*points and laughs at the Swede and his meatballs*:D

That's great! That story gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

If the people of the town don't want an area that they consider important to be intruded upon by developers, who is anyone else to say that why they think it is important and silly and should be ignored? If they don't want it done because of the faeries, than damn it, it shouldn't be done! :)

And if its just an excuse to stop development, it's a really fun excuse. I should see if I can convince one of my Nyoongar mates to try and stop a development because the local yowie would get pissed.

And if its just an excuse to stop development, it's a really fun excuse. I should see if I can convince one of my Nyoongar mates to try and stop a development because the local yowie would get pissed.
Yeah, two nutjobs just don't have the power than a big group of nutjobs do. Try to throw in some old people too...they have automatic repute being old and all.

I suspect they're just using it as an excuse to keep the developers from building near their homes.


The article says that the new plan is to build a park around the rock and develope homes around the park. I suspect they truely do believe in the fairies.

I don't see anything wrong with it. It's no dumber than belief in God, Vampires, Patriotism, Anal Bleaching, communism, capitalism, Loch Ness, Objective morality...

Besides maybe they've seen the 'fairies', which don't have to be winged humanoids btw, they can just be little balls of light or something - since the majority of the town believes in them. Plenty of people see unexplainable things all the time - ghosts, UFO's, Bush not making a stupid mistake in a speech...

That's great! That story gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

If the people of the town don't want an area that they consider important to be intruded upon by developers, who is anyone else to say that why they think it is important and silly and should be ignored? If they don't want it done because of the faeries, than damn it, it shouldn't be done! :)

And if its just an excuse to stop development, it's a really fun excuse. I should see if I can convince one of my Nyoongar mates to try and stop a development because the local yowie would get pissed.
This may be an argument that the Supreme Court of the U.S. can understand. Maybe we can start claiming protection for faeries instead of eminent domain when we want to keep Wal-Mart out of town.

I suspect they're just using it as an excuse to keep the developers from building near their homes.

Which would make it a brilliant move. Sometimes, in order to achieve a desired end, you have to do and say some pretty silly things. But you do what you have to do.

:p

You say dumb, I say genius. Think of the tourism potential for this town if they succeed and if it gets enough news coverage. $$$$$

DARN RIGHT! I want to go there and see this rock with my own eyes, now, and see if I can coax out a faery! :)

Yeah, two nutjobs just don't have the power than a big group of nutjobs do. Try to throw in some old people too...they have automatic repute being old and all.

Heh, yeah, old people are great. We could probably get her whole extended family involved if we could convince them that it would piss the local government off.

complete morons, they should all be locked up in mental institutions. either that or stop eating the faerie mushrooms

complete morons, they should all be locked up in mental institutions. either that or stop eating the faerie mushrooms

That's okay, I know trolls don't have souls. I hear that you can steal other people's if you wait under a bridge for long enough, though. Just make sure you don't steal a goat's soul thinking it's a human's. That could be messy.

It seems that a bunch of townspeople have halted development on a new housing project because it will harm the fairies. No, they're not being politically incorrect. They're protecting little people. A significant percentage of people in this town claim to believe in little winged fairies.

This is great news! We Americans don't seem quite as dumb anymore.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1881612,00.html

When I was living for a bit in the UK. I would always hear the stupid American hillbilly refferences in jokes and such. I simply came back and said: Where do you think all these hillbillies migrated from? End of discussion.

I would have sair "just wait for the next earthquake to have the rock moved," but that being Scotland, it'll have to be for the next ice age.

Anyway, if the people of the town don't want the rock moved for whatever reason, that should be respected. Some places have historical, religious, cultural significance. Or are just plain nice.

Oh, I get it! You can only destroy nature if they faeries don't live there! Got it. :P See, in my town, when we want to save some land from being destroyed, we're all like, "No!!!! That's that last undeveloped portion of the Detroit River and is a valuable wetland! Rare birds and fish live there!!!!" Then the developers are like, "But we're building luxury condos and a golf course!!!!"
Then we're all like, "But it's irreplacable!" Then they're all like, "Screw you guys, you lot of hippies." Then we're all like, "Lawsuit, bitches!" And after a year or so they made the site protected. If we had just said the marsh nymphs lived there, we would have been considered mad and no one would screw with us!

Oh, I get it! You can only destroy nature if they faeries don't live there! Got it. :P See, in my town, when we want to save some land from being destroyed, we're all like, "No!!!! That's that last undeveloped portion of the Detroit River and is a valuable wetland! Rare birds and fish live there!!!!" Then the developers are like, "But we're building luxury condos and a golf course!!!!"
Then we're all like, "But it's irreplacable!" Then they're all like, "Screw you guys, you lot of hippies." Then we're all like, "Lawsuit, bitches!" And after a year or so they made the site protected. If we had just said the marsh nymphs lived there, we would have been considered mad and no one would screw with us!

Yeah if they thought you were mad they might think that you'd kill them and use their organs as a sacifirce to the Marsh Nymphs. I don't know about you but I don't want to lose my internal Organs just to build some stuff.

When I was living for a bit in the UK. I would always hear the stupid American hillbilly refferences in jokes and such. I simply came back and said: Where do you think all these hillbillies migrated from? End of discussion.
BAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAAAAA!

Very nice!

That entire town just made my purge list.

What towns made your binge list?

When I was living for a bit in the UK. I would always hear the stupid American hillbilly refferences in jokes and such. I simply came back and said: Where do you think all these hillbillies migrated from? End of discussion.

I think you'll find that the Midlands is a myth, which would be the only place in Britain they'd have come from. Had it existed.

did they migrate from Poland?
Bavaria?
Australia?

DARN RIGHT! I want to go there and see this rock with my own eyes, now, and see if I can coax out a faery! :)
And catch it and put it in a jar so it can heal you after you are in a fight with a flying eyeball creature.

What towns made your binge list?
All of the rest.

All of the rest.
Ahhh so you binge more then you purge

Good

Thats a lot healthier for you

Ahhh so you binge more then you purge

Good

Thats a lot healthier for youIt also makes my ass look fat.

Just remember not to cut down any Hawthorn bushes and the fairies should leave you alone.

It seems that a bunch of townspeople have halted development on a new housing project because it will harm the fairies. No, they're not being politically incorrect. They're protecting little people. A significant percentage of people in this town claim to believe in little winged fairies.

This is great news! We Americans don't seem quite as dumb anymore.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1881612,00.html

A couple of pointers:

1) The US has it's share of fairies too... both imported, and native... almost EVERY culture that has existed, has had tales of 'little people' or some kind of 'fairie folk'. Native 'American' folk might be the Mekumwasuck, Nagumwasuck, Yunwi Tsundsi, Yunwi Amai'yine'hi, Tunghat, Pu' Gwis, Numuzo'ho, May-may-gwya-shi, Chenoo... even Kachina could be considered.

2) One should remember that MOST cultures have 'significant' areas... burial grounds, sacred sites. One has only to look at the fact that MOST American apartment buildings have no thirteenth floor, to see the impact of myth on practise. (Thirteen is unlucky, because Judas was the thirteenth man at the table).

3) In Celtic lore, there is often little real difference between Gods and Fairies.... for example, the 'fairy' called Morgana, is the goddess "Morrigan". (It is possibly worth noting that, at least ONE fairy has been canonised by the Catholic Church... in the form of St. Bridget).

This is great news! We Americans don't seem quite as dumb anymore. No, everybody knows you just worship big fairies on currency and in pledges and hymns and so on, instead. :p


HAHAHA! What a comeback!

The villagers can actually do this? Must be some crazy laws if projects can be halted because of mythical creatures.

A couple of pointers:

2) One should remember that MOST cultures have 'significant' areas... burial grounds, sacred sites. One has only to look at the fact that MOST American apartment buildings have no thirteenth floor, to see the impact of myth on practise. (Thirteen is unlucky, because Judas was the thirteenth man at the table).



In China fourteen is unlucky because Judas was actually the fourteenth disciple, the thirteenth was chinese.

I am now Quite Deadly!