The sleep of reason produces monsters; inversions, caricatures of what we know to be right and sensible. Sometimes the fancies of the night seem more substantial than the sober thoughts of daytime. The dreams of a folklorist are especially subject to this kind of inversion. Consider two magazine pieces published by that Victorian litterateur, Grant Allen of Haslemere. One is a serious contribution to folklore scholarship, while the other is its dark parody. But the night-time version is far more revealing. It says a great deal about the mind of its author; but it also tells us something about a hidden strand in twentieth-century paganism.
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We Are Star Stuff 
I am not liking as in (flowing with) but incredibly appreciative of your scholarship and on-going research.
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Thanks for sharing this interesting article!
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This is an explanation for fairy lore I have not seen before. It reminds me a bit of Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock. Not a big fan of the book, but it comes from a similar logic.
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I just looked it up – it does sound like he’s drawing from the same set of ideas.
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I’ve come across the theory of the fairies and Picts before, possibly in Fraser’s Golden Bough? It’s strange that the Victorians couldn’t seem to reconcile their extremely innocent and childlike views of the fairies along with the extremely shadowy or darker aspects of their lore.
Thanks for sharing this 🙂
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