A Queer Place - more encounters with fairies

Remember a while back I wrote about people who go missing in the woods? I wrote about how easy it is to get lost or turned around and how often people have attributed this losing of one's bearings to the supernatural...particularly 'the fairies.'

I mentioned that I'd once spoken with a man I'd met on Signal Hill, Newfoundland, while he was picking berries. And he'd told me how he got lost on the Hill one day, even though he was very familiar with all its paths, etc. He explained it as having been "fairy led." He believed this happened because he'd been picking berries without having any bread (or stones) in his pockets as payment for the fairies.

Well, here is a fascinating exchange between two men in Ireland about something similar. It might be a little hard to follow because, as in some areas of Newfoundland, the accent and colloquialisms are thick and frequent. So, good thing there are subtitles!



In case you don't want to watch the whole thing here's the upshot. So, one day John took his rifle out to do a spot of shooting...get himself a wood pigeon. He saw a "quare lookin' bird" up in a tree and shot it. A colourful "foreign lad" that Ned thinks might have been a falcon from Greenland. Or...something else? Something supernatural? Because after shooting this bird (a transgression?) John crosses into a field, that Ned calls Hell's Kitchen, and after going round it "10 times" realizes he can't find his way out of it. Johns only finds his way out by going in the same direction as the cars that he sees in the distance. My man on Signal Hill found his way out by following the path of a power line he could see in the distance.

Later, Ned talks about someone else seeing fairies in a field (a different field?) playing hurley. Hurley is an ancient game (something between hockey and lacrosse) played with hooked sticks and a ball. The man who saw the fairies hurley game, or his grown son, (not clear on that) afterwards wouldn't walk past that 'ditch' alone.

By the way, there is a grave stone at Clonca in Innishowen, Ireland that's linked to one of my ancestors. It has a hurley stick on it -- see a pic here. There's also a 12th C High Cross at this same site where a 6th C monastery once stood.

The world is indeed full of 'quare' and wonderful places!

Houdini and Doyle - family fare

Ok, today I'm giving you  a little break from the Edinburgh visit ;)

So, over the last few weeks I've managed to catch a few episodes of the new ITV Victorian detective show, Houdini and Doyle. And yes indeed, Houdini is the escape artist extraordinaire we've all heard and read so much about while Doyle, portrayed oh so charmingly by Stephen Mangan (*blush), is Sherlock author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Houdini and Doyle is definitely NOT Penny Dreadful or Ripper Street. And within a few minutes of watching the first episode I was sure a Canadian production company had to be involved. And sure enough I was right. One thing we Canadians seem to be getting fairly good at is family friendly period television fare eg) Anne of Green Gables, Road to Avonlea, Murdoch Mysteries. This one adds just a pinch of Victorian spookiness to the otherwise wholesome mix.



Interestingly, Houdini and Doyle did actually know one another. And both had an interest in the spiritualist / medium movements of their time. They came at it from opposite ends however with Doyle the believer and Houdini the skeptic.

Houdini, in fact, dedicated quite a bit of time to exposing spiritualists as charlatans whereas Doyle, well, he would not be shaken in his supernatural beliefs. So much so that he had a falling out with Houdini because Doyle was convinced the escape artist had powers he would not admit to! Read more on the Victorian web here.

Interestingly, there is a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre in Edinburgh. And it is now home of the Edinburgh Association of Spiritualists.

Supernatural Magic Secrets

The past few weeks have been full of magic for me. First I ran into a collection of old magic posters on Pinterest: Sim Sala Bim

The poster above is one of my favorites, probably because of how mysterious it is. The magician isn't named on the poster, although I read on Pinterest that his stage name was Zan Zig. He's surrounded by flying objects like the classic flowers and doves. I wonder what the significance of the steaming pan is.

Not long after discovering the old magic posters, I watched a David Blaine TV special: David Blaine Real or Magic? You might remember David Blaine as the guy who survived being frozen in a block of ice for over 60 hours. Or you might remember how he  somehow lived through being suspended above London in a plexiglass box for 44 days. With no food! He gets through some amazing feats in the TV special too. Here it is for those who missed it:




Most of the acts David performs in this video are done in front of celebrities. They give him a mix of reactions from laughing to crying to running away. I wasn't used to seeing some of these people act so freaked out. Wait until you see Harrison Ford. The show is worth watching for these reactions, no matter what you think of magic.

It's hard to make sense of what you're seeing. I think Ricky Gervais sums it up pretty well at the end of the show. In essence, we wonders what he just witnessed. Was that a trick? It has to be a trick! But how could he have done this? But it can't be real! Back and forth. In the end, he decides that whatever he witnessed was very well done.



Something amazing about David Blaine, aside from his magic tricks, is his attitude. He's very self assured and serious. He always has a confidence that he won't kill himself with these stunts even if everyone around him is cringing. There's a darkness to some of what he does. I can't explain why, maybe it's how he makes things appear on video. Or maybe it's how he doesn't seem to feel any pain or spill blood the way a normal human would. It seems supernatural.

I was reminded of that series of magic posters again during this show, because many of them had a supernatural element. Most of the illustrations on that page showed a little devil or an imp giving the magician their secrets. I could imagine one of these little critters whispering to David Blaine. "Psst... This is how you stick an ice pick through your arm."



I love all the action going on in this picture. It looks like that one little devil is getting its foot and ear ripped off! I just noticed all the little ones propping up the magician's book. I guess those little guys at the bottom are imps, fairies, or leprechauns. 

Sometimes the devil is seen as more of an assistant.


 

That wizard is kind of bored looking considering what just popped out of his cauldron.

This one covered all the bases with devils, imps, and several kinds of birds:

No devils or imps here, but it's plenty spooky. How do you think he pulled off this trick? Mirrors and a head on a string?




Would this sort of devil/imp/floating head imagery make you want to see a magician in person or scare you away? I'd like to get in a time machine and go see Blackstone, because it looks like he'd put on quite a show with all those critters running around. If the posters are any indication, a Kellar show was probably pretty classy.

I was curious to learn more about the men behind these posters. I found some videos that give a short history of Kellar and Thurston. It's amazing what some people go through on their way to the top. Talk about perseverance! Kellar must have been one tough, smart, charismatic man.

KELLAR



THURSTON



I watched some old clips of Thurston performing, but they were pretty grainy. Luckily, the man you just heard from (Jim Steinmeyer) has made another video showing one of Thurston's signature tricks. He also shares a "confidence game" that is a variation of a Thurston trick. Thurston was a con man before he was a magician, so he had a wealth of con knowledge he could apply to his magic. This is pretty cool.