What does real crop-circle phenomena have in common with haunted places etc.
Noah's Dove
hauntings?
- unseen forces or intelligences can move objects or weave crop.
in some haunted places women with long hair have had their hair
braided by spirits.
- mysterious lights and orbs have been seen or photographed in both.
Read Linda Howe's
book "Mysterious lights and Crop Circles" Flying balls of colored
lights are also associated with
the fairy phenomena.
- people often feel watched in crop circles and haunted places.
Linda Howe and other researchers
have mentioned this. People in haunted houses often experience the
sensation of being watched,
Look up the term "Watchers" on Google web search.
- electrical interference with batteries and electrical devices.
compass will spin in some crop circles and haunted places.
- strange sounds are heard in some crop circles and haunted places.
- people can feel dread or feel sick and sometimes fear in haunted
places and in
some crop-circles. Chad Deetkin, a Canadian crop circle researcher
I know has experienced some of these
feelings.
- poltergeist activity have plagued some crop circle researchers and
people living in haunted houses and after visiting some crop
circles. Colin Andrew
experienced alarms going off for unexplained reasons in his home
after bringing home
crop samples.
Could some kind of spirit phenomena be responsible for both?
Early Crop Circles
The Hertfordshire 'Mowing Devil'
5-3-3
The earliest known crop circle, known as the "Mowing Devil," is
shown
on this woodcut from Hertfordshire, England, 1678. The inscription
on
the woodcut is as follows:

Being a True Relation of a Farmer, who Bargaining with a Poor Mower,
about the Cutting down Three Half Acres of Oats: upon the Mower's
asking too much, the Farmer swore That the Devil should Mow it
rather
than He. And so it fell out, that very Night, the Crop of Oat shew'd
as if it had been all of a flame: but next Morning appear'd so neatly
mow'd by the Devil or some Infernal Spirit, that no Mortal Man was
able to do the like. Also, How the said Oats ly now in the Field,
and
the Owner has not Power to fetch them away.
Liscensed, August 22nd, 1678.
Hemel Hempstead The Mowing Devil
Hemelonline.com your local community site
Long before crop circles caught the headlines there were fairy rings.
GORDON RUTTER explores the legends and lore of this mysterious
phenomenon, as well the various explanations which have been offered
to
account for it.
Fairy rings are, and always have been, a lot more common than today’s
more famous crop circles, but originally their origins were as
mysterious and ascribed to similar causes. Usually, a fairy ring is
visible as a noticeable circle appearing in grass. Some rings are
formed by a luxuriant growth, taller and of a darker green than the
grass at their centre.
Others seem to be the opposite: a patch of poorly-growing grass or
even bare earth in a circular pattern. When both types combine, the
luxuriant growth has an area of bare ground as an inner circle. We
now
know that fairy rings are actually produced by fungi – see panel –
but this was not always the case. As the common name for the
phenomenon
implies, they were widely explained as the result of a gathering of
fairies that ended with a circular dance. Such was the energy used in
their dancing that the ground was permanently marked.
This gives rise to some of the other common names given to fairy
rings, including fairy dances, fairy courts, fairy walks and fairy
grounds. In Sussex, fairy rings were called ‘hag tracks’, while in
Devonshire it was believed that fairies would catch young horses in
the
night and ride them round in circles. The dishevelled state of
livestock in the morning was often attributed to being
‘hag-ridden’.

The perils of straying into a fairy ring terrified rural folk in 17th
century England, as evidenced by an incident recorded by the
antiquarian John Aubrey (1626–97). Writing in 1663, he tells us that
his curate, Mr Hart, was out walking over the local downs one night
when, as he approached a known fairy ring, he was surprised to see “a
quantity of pygmies, or very small people, dancing round and round,
and
singing and making all manner of small odd noises.” Seemingly
paralysed, Mr Hart could only stand and observe until, eventually,
the
little folk observed him. They rushed towards him and surrounded him,
causing him to fall over. On the ground, the small creatures swarmed
all over him, pinching him and making tiny, rapid humming noises.
Eventually, they withdrew and, when day broke, Hart discovered
himself
in the middle of the fairy ring. He was lucky. Fairylore is full of
stories of careless trespassers whisked off to fairyland, returning
the
following day to find some 20 years have elapsed, or forced to dance
in
the circular revel until some faithful friend comes to the rescue.
Explanations for fairy rings have been as wild and diverse as the
mushrooms that actually cause them. Just as fungi grow in all parts
of
the world, so fairy rings are a worldwide phenomenon and explanations
of them occur in most cultures. An early naturalistic explanation put
the blame fairly and squarely on the rear ends of cattle. During the
winter, cattle are fed with bails of hay and as they gather around
these they form a wheel-like arrangement with their heads in the
centre. Cows being cows, the natural occurs and, as they feed, they
deposit high-quality manure around the perimeter. This manure, so the
theory goes, causes the grass on which it falls to be more luxuriant.
Of course, this does not account for many rings observed where no
cattle or other animals have grazed, eg in woodland.
Shakespeare was aware of many of the folkloric aspects of fairy
rings.
For example, in The Tempest (Act V, scene i), Prospero declaims:
“You demi-puppets that By moonshine do the green sour ringlets make,
Whereof ewe not bites; and you, whose pastime Is to make midnight
mushrooms…”
Rural folk observed that their livestock often found the grass from
fairy rings to be unpalatable (Shakespeare’s “green sour
ringlets”), while some thought it was actually poisonous. t is
amusing to note that one of the earliest explanations for crop
circles
was originally applied to fairy rings. It was said – perhaps partly
in jest – that amorous hedgehogs chase each other round and round in
circles until mating ensues, causing the grass to be heavily
trampled.
This certainly made sense of those rings that looked like circular
tracks of bare earth. A subterranean variation, in the 1700s, blamed
moles racing round in underground circular tunnels, their fæces
promoting the grass growth above. Presumably those rings composed of
both luxuriant growth and bare earth were combinations of cattle
feeding above while hedgehogs ran rampant below!
The circular movement of other animals was implicated by
association:
horses and goats tied to a stake; starlings swooping in great
circular
motions; and ants or snails in majestic circular processions. One
18th-century author recounted how he sat and watched ants marching
around in circles for 30 minutes, with each ant completing 20 laps in
this manner. Even the slime from snails was blamed as engendering
loathsome toadstools by a kind of spontaneous generation. An
interesting variation on the bare earth fairy rings comes from the
Austrian Tyrol, where it was thought to be earth scorched by a
dragon.
However, just why a dragon should fly in tight circles is not
explained. In Denmark, it used to be thought that elves were made of
hot stuff and so the earth was scorched as they danced round in
circles.
In The Netherlands, the heat came from Old Nick himself. During the
night, the Devil would be abroad collecting milk from cows, storing
it
in a massive churn which he carried around with him. Even the Devil
had
to rest, and when he placed the churn, heated by the fires of Hell,
on
the ground, it left the distinctive circular scorch mark.
Explanations
from France and Germany invoke witchcraft. Called ‘ronds de
sorcières’ and ‘Hexenrings’ respectively, they are caused by
sorcerers or witches dancing round in circles (in Germany,
specifically
on Walpurgis Night). French folklore holds that an enormous toad with
bulging eyes squats in the centre of every fairy ring, a thing to be
feared by country peasants.
Fairy rings were credited with magical properties beyond the common
fairy connection; for example, associations with prophecy,
fortune-telling and luck. In the West Country and Scotland, it is
said
that a maiden can improve her looks by bathing her face in dew
collected on a May morning; but if the dew is collected from inside a
fairy ring, or if she stands in a fairy ring to collect or apply the
dew, then her appearance is turned into that of an old crone,
complete
with spots and blemishes.
Some farmers regard the presence of a fairy ring on their property
as
a sign of good luck or as a marker of treasure – treasure which can
only be found with the help of witches or fairies. In some regions,
stepping into a fairy ring will bring good luck; in others, it will
bring misfortune. It’s always wise to check up on local folklore when
venturing out, just to be on the safe side.
Aubrey, in his topographical survey of Wiltshire – written 1656-1691
–compared fairy rings to smoke rings and ringworm. Ringworm is caused
by a fungal contamination, so he was very close, but he eventually
concluded that fairy rings were caused by exhalations from the earth
of
a ‘fertile subterraneous vapour’. Instead of Paul Deveraux’s
‘earth lights’ we have what might be termed ‘earth farts’.
Despite the true origin of fairy rings becoming known as far back as
the 1790s, the phenomenon is still a beautiful and mysterious act of
nature. The rings grow slowly, with annual increases of diameter
ranging from four to 12 inches (10 to 30 cm). The exact size increase
depends upon the species of fungus and the prevailing weather
conditions. Large examples of fairy rings can be seen in many
relatively undisturbed grassland areas. Some fairy rings in the UK’s
Lake District are believed to be in excess of 600 years old. One ring
in France – formed by Clitocybe geotropa – is over half a mile (0.8
km) in circumference and it is believed to be over 700 hundred years
old. While fairy rings usually appear as changes in the colour and
texture of the grass, at certain times of the year the fungi that
cause
them appear above ground (depending upon still poorly understood
factors). Of the 60 or so species that produce fairy rings, the
majority are what we would think of as mushrooms or toadstools, but
there are other types. Puffballs can produce fairy rings; the giant
puffball can grow to a circumference of 6.5 feet (2 m), and a ring
made
up of these would be as impressive as Stonehenge.

In recent times, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a firm believer in the
existence of fairies, could not fully let go of the old beliefs
associated with fairy rings. While admitting they were simply a
fungal
growth, he wrote (in The Coming of the Fairies, 1923): “It might be
asserted and could not be denied that the rings once formed, whatever
their cause, would offer a very charming course for a circular
ring-a-ring dance. Certainly from all time these circles have been
associated with the gambols of the little people.”
In the lore of Scandinavia, Scotland, and Ireland, when
God cast out the arrogant angels from heaven, they became the evil
spirits that plague mankind, tormenting us and inflicting us with
harm. The ones who fell into hell and into caves and abysses
became
devils and death-maidens. However, those who fell onto the earth
became
goblins, imps, dwarfs, thumblings, alps, noon-and-evening-ghosts,
and will-o'-the-wisps. Those who fell into the forests became the
wood-spirits who live there: the hey-men, elves, the wild-men, the
forest-men, the wild-women, and the forest-women. Finally, those
who fell into the water became water spirits: water-men, mermaids,
and merwomen.
These angels were condemned to remain where they were, becoming
the
faeries of seas and rivers, the earth, and the air.
The following is from the book "The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries'
published in 1911/ and a quote form a web site on theories of
fairy
origins.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/ne u/celt/ffcc/
Taking Evidence (Section I, Chapter II, part 2)
III. IN SCOTLAND
Introduction by ALEXANDER CARMICHAEL, Hon. LL.D. of the University
of
Edinburgh; author of Carmina Gadelica.
The belief in fairies was once common throughout Scotland --
Highland
and Lowland. It is now much less prevalent even in the Highlands
and
Islands, where such beliefs linger longer than they do in the
Lowlands.
But it still lives among the old people, and is privately
entertained
here and there even among younger people; and some who hold the
belief declare that they themselves have seen fairies.
Various theories have been advanced as to the origin of
[85]
fairies and as to the belief in them. The most concrete form in
which
the belief has been urged has been by the Rev. Robert Kirk,
minister
of Aberfoyle, in Perthshire. (1) Another theory of the origin of
fairies
I
took down in the island of Miunghlaidh (Minglay); and, though I
have
given it in Carmina Gadelica, it is sufficiently interesting to be
quoted here. During October 1871, Roderick Macneill, known as
'Ruaraidh
mac Dhomhuil, then ninety-two years of age, told it in Gaelic to
the
late J. F. Campbell of Islay and the writer, when they were
storm-stayed in the precipitous island of Miunghlaidh, Barra :--
'The Proud Angel fomented a rebellion among the angels of heaven,
where he had been a leading light. He declared that he would go
and
found a kingdom for himself. When going out at the door of heaven
the
Proud Angel brought prickly lightning and biting lightning out of
the
doorstep with his heels. Many angels followed him -- so many that
at
last the Son called out, "Father! Father! the city is being
emptied!"
whereupon the Father ordered that the gates of heaven and the gates
of
hell should be closed. This was instantly done. And those who were
in
were in, and those who were out were out; while the hosts who had
left
heaven and had not reached hell flew into the holes of the earth,
like
the stormy petrels. These are the Fairy Folk -- ever since doomed
to
live under the ground, and only allowed to emerge where and when
the
King permits. They are never allowed abroad on Thursday, that
being
Columba's Day; nor on Friday, that being the Son's Day; nor on
Saturday, that being Mary's Day; nor on Sunday, that being the
Lord's
Day.
God be between me and every fairy,
Every ill wish and every druidry;
To-day is Thursday on sea and land,
I trust in the King that they do not hear me.
(1) It was the belief of the Rev. Robert Kirk, as expressed by him
in
his Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies, that the
fairy
tribes are a distinct order of created beings possessing human-
like
intelligence and supernormal powers, who live and move about in
this
world invisible to all save men and women of the second-sight (see
this
study, pp. 89, 91 n).
[86]
On certain nights when their bruthain (bowers) are open and their
lamps
are lit, and the song and the dance are moving merrily, the
fairies
may
be heard singing lightheartedly : -
Not of the seed of Adam are we,
Nor is Abraham our father;
But of the seed of the Proud Angel,
Driven forth from Heaven.'