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Author
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Comment
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buku
Registered User
(3/19/05 4:12 pm)
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Fairy land and Traveling at the Speed of Light
I'm doing a project for one of my classes on the similarities between traveling at the speed of light and entering fairy land, or sleeping for a long time in fairy tales. It's kinda complicated, so I don't want to go into it all right now, but I'll post more when I have it all together, if people are intested....
Right now, I need some help finding lots of tales that have the similar characteristics of people either entering fairy land or sleeping and having time move differently for the outside world than for them. Think Rip Van Winkle and Urashima Taro...I just basically want to prove the prevalence of such apects.
Any help that I can get would be greatly appreciated, thanks soooo much. :D
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Chris Peltier
Registered User
(3/19/05 7:06 pm)
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Re: Fairy land and Traveling at the Speed of Light
There's the legend of King Herla - the earliest version dating back to the 12th century, and recounted in E. M. Leather's The Folk-Lore of Herefordshire - in which Herla follows a dwarf (with goat-like attributes) into a cliff for seemingly three days, only to discover on his return that 200 years have passed.
In "Rhys and Llewellyn" a feast that lasts a couple of days translates into 200 years in the human world.
Oisin travels with Niamh of the Golden Hair to Tir Nan Og, only to discover upon his return that 300 years have passed.
An Italian version of Oisin is related in E.S. Hartland's The Science of Fairy Tales.
Stepping into Fairy Rings - and hence being compelled to join a fairy dance for apparently a few minutes - often leave the unwilling participants in a world where hundreds of years have passed.
~Chandra~
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redtriskell
Registered User
(3/20/05 11:19 pm)
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Re: Fairy land and Traveling at the Speed of Light
In some versions of Arthurian legend, Morgan la Fey is taken into Faerie to be taught. While there for what seems like only a brief while, seven years pass in the realm. There are so many stories that use this theme that I can't think where to begin. My personal favorite is Oisin, son of Finn Macoul, who is warned not to step foot on the ground when he returns to Eire. His disappointment at the weakness of the people he sees leads him to dismount from his horse and age 300 years instantly. According to some stories, St. Patrick cared for him and recorded his tales of the great Finn and his Fianna. I love the idea of Oisin's shock at the diminshment of the men of Ireland- sort of like culture shock in the extreme.
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Black Sheep
Registered User
(3/21/05 10:57 am)
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Re: Fairy land and Traveling at the Speed of Light
Isn't it interesting that time travel in British folk tales is almost always _forwards_ in time. Very Einstein.
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