Dr Simon Young discusses fairy sightings research and Marjorie T. Johnson

Dr Simon Young, an academic on the supernatural, fairy sightings and related folklore meets with me to discuss: Marjorie T. Johnson, ‘The Fairy Investigation Society’, fairy sightings research, experiences running through family generations, The Fairy Census and the academic study of fairies.
Simon is a British folklore historian based in Italy. He has written extensively on the nineteenth-century supernatural. His book The Boggart (from Exeter University Press) and The Nail in the Skull and Other Victorian Urban Legends (from Mississippi University Press) are both due out in 2022.
More info on the webpage here:
www.scarlettofthefae.com/epis...
Links to Simon's work:
independent.academia.edu/Simo...
A companion volume to accompany The Boggart is available freely here:
www.academia.edu/77981720/The...
An article concerning the life of Marjorie Johnson is available here:
www.academia.edu/36359348/You...

[@shanlynwebb]

My partner and I have seen them on seperate occasions. People laugh at me when I say they had wings and were small although larger than a dragonfly. Since seeing them, I feel now that life is worth living. Also I wasn’t on any drugs or alcohol during sighting.

[@themodernfairysightingspod8421]

Thank you Shanlyn, you are not the only one. Have you listened to The Honey Bandit on the Podcast? www.scarlettofthefae.com/episode-3-the-honey-bandit/ In that episode, my guest saw a small winged fairy and also in Red Winged Warrior: www.scarlettofthefae.com/episode-17-red-winged-warrior/ Thank you so much for commenting. You might enjoy reading Simon Young's book, 'Seeing Fairies' too. It's a collection of fairy sightings by Marjorie T. Johnson - many of them are winged. I discuss Marjorie in another of these videos with Simon Young on my channel xx

[@nealmcgloin2984]

Wow, what amazing sights they must be?. I hope that you both keep seeing and experiencing their presence. X

[@shanlynwebb]

@@nealmcgloin2984 I haven’t seen them since .. I hope it’s not because I have told people. Thank you.

[@captgray2000]

❤

[@Miss-Placed.1]

Amazing, I'd love to see a fairy ❤️ Let others laugh they are just close-minded.

[@carolshannon6449]

When I was in Ireland I woke up the second to last morning to a group of them standing at the foot of my bed, shuffling their feet and teeheeing. I sat up and they scattered and disappeared. I felt like they knew me, but I'm from the US and had never been to Ireland before, though my ancestors came from there. I was just shocked, and wondered if I imagined them, but they were so real seeming. This was in a farm house from the 1750s we were renting, outside a small village called Ardagh. It was a special place. Could've been my imagination I guess, but it didn't feel like it. They were mostly human child-sized, the tallest might have been 5 ' tall, the shortest about a foot high.

[@themodernfairysightingspod8421]

Thanks so much for sharing. Would love to chat to you about that if you ever felt like doing that: [e-mail]. I think you might enjoy listening to this episode too (haven't uploaded them all to KZbin yet): www.scarlettofthefae.com/episode-8-the-good-the-bad-and-the-tickly/

[@graceg3250]

If this happened while you were in bed while waking up and you specifically felt them on the foot of your bed, it sounds more like a hypnogogic hallucination. I’ve had those throughout my life.

[@jillinthegreen2]

I have had a few 'faerie' experiences, but one that was on glastonbury Tor was memorable. I was walking down the Tor with a friend. This friend is very down to earth and not fanciful at all. Anyway as I was nearing the bottom of the hill I was aware of an odd shaped creature with a human face, hunched with long legs that were bent as if to jump. And it did jump, back and forth across the path a few feet ahead. I watched it in silence as wasn't sure if I imagined it. When we reached the end of the path my friend said, " I've seen something really weird on the path". He described what I'd seen. Did he pick up my thoughts? Who knows. 😊

[@themodernfairysightingspod8421]

You are not the only one to have had experiences on Glastonbury Tor Jill. It is certainly a hot spot! Thanks so much for sharing. You might enjoy this particular encounter which happened at Glastonbury Tor on Samhain. It's the audio version of my podcast: www.scarlettofthefae.com/a-series-of-english-encounters/

[@jillinthegreen2]

Thank you for replying to my comment. I enjoyed the podcast very much. We live in a wonder full world. 💜

[@michaelbardill5310]

I worked on a farm in rural Ireland in the early 80s. On a near by farm there was a fairy Fort, ie ancient mound. The new owner who was not Irish, wanted to level the site, the locals gave warnings as to the possible consequences as there were fairy's still there. Anyhow first attempt to level the site, all the machine plant broke down. Next morning one of the digger drivers died in a head on collision on the way to the site. Third day, second digger driver lost his arm, ripped off by a PTO shift whilst using a tractor. Nobody would go near the fairy Fort, it's still there to this day.

[@themodernfairysightingspod8421]

I wish more folks would pay heed. Thank you. I'd love to chat to you about this. I talked to Pat Noone in 2016 and he told me of a similar situation near his farm. If you want to contact me it's [e-mail]

[@marilynzeinel-abidin1027]

Love all your stuff. I mailed you. Hope to hear back!

[@themodernfairysightingspod8421]

Oh thank you Marilyn 😊 thank you I will check my mail. I'm so behind with everything! Thanks for getting in touch.

[@knightshift1980]

Incredible interview. Ty.

[@Miss-Placed.1]

These videos/podcasts are fascinating, I'm really enjoying them and they're helping me to open my mind to possibilities, thank you! 😊😊

[@themodernfairysightingspod8421]

That is great to hear. Thank you 😊

[@MelanieMorrison_]

LOVE that you're both wearing red! That Necklace is Divine ❤‍🔥d

[@themodernfairysightingspod8421]

Thank you! :)

[@user-zo8rt6ct6n]

I’ve had many sightings of fairies. It’s like a village of them live here. Along with the fairies I’ve seen other mystical beings with them. I can see them and sometimes hear them. Some encounters were good and some not so good.

[@themodernfairysightingspod8421]

Yes, that’s it. They are not all beautiful experiences. Some are quite frightening.

[@k8eekatt]

Are you in Great Britain? Thank you for reading my question.

[@MelanieMorrison_]

So Grateful! Saved and Subscribed 🥳🙏🏽🥂 Looking forward to diving into all the resources mentioned🤗

[@themodernfairysightingspod8421]

Thank you :)

[@lucindamathews6532]

The Findhorn Foundation back in the 80s discussed “ Devas”. I have experienced Devas of the Findhorn kind but wonder how you would compare the “Devas”0f Elementals and specific trees or plants. Can you compare them please.

[@murtazaarif6507]

Commendable work by Dr Simon on the supernatural. My understanding of my own supernatural experiences is similar to Dr Simon's. I am also a rational person through which I push the boat a little bit too far sometimes but the fact that I have had shared experiences with other people shows that these were not hallucinations. For me I fit more into being sensitive which has made me open to these experiences. Having been born in Brugge and grown up surrounded by nature in the low land basin of European countries I also share his appreciation for nature. I am also not a fan of over populated soul trapping cities and suburban environments. I love rural landscapes and living.

[@jansmith8872]

Amazing guys, thanks so much for this fascinating conversation... Straight to my point, among other so called supernatural events I've had, never even considered Faeries before with my personal experiences but I was buzzed by what I always thought of as a giant dragonfly. Either that or the local RAF were testing their new smart drones, you get the point. So yeah, thanks sincerely & I'll be diving in to the podcasts & books. Much appreciated.

[@themodernfairysightingspod8421]

Thanks! I must get all my other episodes onto KZbin. Hopefully in the next month but for now they are all available on my website. Thanks so much for watching and commenting www.scarlettofthefae.com/

[@SilenceManifests]

Fascinating channel in general, have been binge listening to your encounters these past few days. Very thought provoking and insightful! Thank you for sharing Jo and guests

[@themodernfairysightingspod8421]

Thank you very much 🙂 I guess you have already been listening to the audio version, but if not...here it is: www.scarlettofthefae.com/

[@normabrien8331]

If you look into the internet there’s a picture of a little shoe which has been mended a lot, the gentleman who owns it said he found it in a forest.

[@themodernfairysightingspod8421]

yes, that was found on the Beara Peninsula. I love that story. It was made of mouse skin and there was wear on it...as if someone had been wearing it. I visited the Beara Peninsula in 2016. Fascinating place. Thank you!

[@jamesharvey8835]

There's a photo in Janet Bord's book Fairies showing one of those tiny shoes. It's extraordinary.

[@markdpricemusic1574]

Many thanks to both of you for this video - fascinating material. Dr . Young you might like to look at the work of Prof. Kate Adams (at Leeds Uni I think) who has extensive work on children's Spirituality and the (almost universal) phenomena of invisible friends... plus talking to 'Angels' and other entities. Of course the huge problem is hermeneutics....we have loads of ''data'' ! But the question Jo raised at 27 mins in is an impossible one.... the ''what is..'?' question. It is the question which plagues people investigating things as diverse as UFOs and DMT entities. I strongly agree with you that empirical observation is crucial... but... also.... how one makes ''empirical sense'' of thing largely depends on prior ontological commitments,. ''Seeing is believing'', but it is also the case that belief conditions what we CAN see. Even hard -arsed physicists have more or less agreed on that point since the Copenhagen Interpretation of the double-slit experiment. So, a certaint level of ''fabulation'' is here to stay :) There were Nazi scientists who genuinely believed they could see the differences between Aryan and Jewish blood under the microscope.... see also Wilhelm Reich's observations on (what he thought was) ''orgone energy''. I had a friend who was pretty much an athetist materialist but deliberately tried to induce ''mystical' experiences and made much progress in that direction, including ''entity encounters''. And he was the most sober person I ever met, he was terrified of alcohol, let alone psychedelics! If you are interested in that, let me know and I can point you towards his journals on the topic. As you both rightly say, ''something'' is deffo-lutely going on... but pinning down ''what it is'' seems as elusive as ever! Thanks again for this! M X

[@beans100]

Thoughtful comment, thank you.

[@ufobigfoot4002]

I just want to tell you how much I love your show!! Thank you!

[@themodernfairysightingspod8421]

thank you so much! 😊 I'm so happy to hear that it resonates with people.

[@jamesharvey8835]

Thank you! Greetings from Vermont, USA- home of Bernie Sanders. The podcast looks really interesting and i will come back for more. Your interview was very good. The only question that you missed was: 'what were your hallucinations like?' Do ask him if you have a chance. He would probably rather not say, but it's worth try.

[@williamkauffman5745]

nice discusssion

[@MsAmber444]

I bought a fairy pendant and her name was poppy. I would leave a bowl of water under tree out front for birds. One day a little girl walked past with her mum, she was 2 or 3. She said poppys drink from there. Her mum said she meant puppies but I knew she meant fairies.

[@christinecook5594]

Thank You!!!

[@kernowarty]

This was a fairy interesting interview.

[@belledonnalla8938]

I thought fairies were a fairytale until we saw one in the garden.

[@nowbacktoyourprogram]

Where?

[@themodernfairysightingspod8421]

Thank you. It's hard to get your head around it...until you see one! Quite a lot of people see them. You are not alone :)

[@nowbacktoyourprogram]

@themodernfairysightingspod8421 I saw one too. I was wondering what part of the world she saw one.

[@nealmcgloin2984]

I truly do believe in the 'good people' i dont call them the ' F' word to describe them but that is more to do with my cultural Irish background. I believe also that if St Bernadette could witness the virgin Mary then surely much older beings could and do make contact with people. 😊

[@themodernfairysightingspod8421]

Thanks for your comment. Interestingly, the new episode release (on audio on my website or on any podcast apps The Modern Fairy Sightings Podcast) this Sunday is with Amanda Mariamne Radcliffe, who had experiences with The Lady which is comparable somewhat with BVM (Blessed Virgin Mary)/Marian visions.

[@nealmcgloin2984]

I truly cannot thank you enough for this wonderful and informative channel. I do believe in the 'good people' and I do believe in the old ways and beliefs and to find like-minded people like on your channel, I feel so blessed, and for that, many thanks. ✨️ As for the Blessed Virgin Mary visions I find it so fascinating how she seems to want to visit mainly young girls pre adolescent to convey her messages through them as in Bernadettes case and they become part of the religious community and become serious 'Marian's in their personal devotion to her'. As for the 'good folk' I truly believe and even on occasion still open an Eddie Lennihan book or for the umpteenth time read the secret commonwealth and wonder what truly happened to the Scottish believer and minister Robert Kirk?. Many thanks again for your brilliant channel and may you have their blessings. ✨️

[@beans100]

I would't have given these encounters much credence before I began to read about UFO encounters & other paranormal phenomenon two or three years ago. Always loved to hear the stories, & respected the folk traditions from which they spring, though. Hard to study this phenomenon, as it (seemingly deliberately) keeps itself to the edges of human social & scientific awareness via mostly affecting individuals or small groups, & not leaving physical evidence. A baffling mystery that I doubt we will unravel in my lifetime. But it is strangely liberating in a way to know that the universe, far from being barren, is teeming with life, albeit in forms we don't understand. Cheers.

[@themodernfairysightingspod8421]

Thank you for your thoughtful comment.

[@NightingaleAndRose]

Thank you for this interesting video. I am currently reading through Marjorie T Johnson's book. What I fail to gather is how exactly were those testimonies communicated to her? By means of mail? Did she encounter any of those people in person and interview them? Even in the case of several eyewitnesses, how can we be certain it is not mere hearsay, and that no foul play was involved? Since we have nothing but their word to go with; no photographs, videos, no mass sightings. Moreover, given the lack of proper documentation of such ocurrences, why not simply assume them to be pranks?

[@Ontologistics]

Academia does not need to be empirical, as Simon Young keeps repeating. Mathematics, for example, is not an empirical science yet is most definitely part of academia.

[@judithtrigg1694]

Can you tell me what I saw .I was camping all of sudden the tent was covered in coloured lights big and small.the energy was very powerful and they were flying around .this carried on all night .could hear a high pitch tinkling. Are these fairy's?.

[@patriciarobinett1235]

My fairy story came when a woman client came to my hypnotherapy office to explore why she was afraid of committing to her boyfriend who wanted to marry her. He was a very good man and she loved him dearly but still, she was afraid of marrying him. She relaxed into that "twilight" state and saw herself as a tiny little being who was kept in a bell jar on a desk in a very luxurious office, as if in a castle or mansion. She had been captured and the owner of the office kept her as a "pet", but she desperately wanted to be free, to be outside, in nature again. At one point, a maid came into the office to clean and she accidentally tipped over the bell jar. The fairy flew up the fireplace chimney and was at last, free! She was so happy to be outside in the sunshine. A tear came to my client's eye and rolled down her cheek. The relief tear is the best way to know when someone is free of an ancient fear. It doesn't require big tears, no shaking sobs; just one little tear. Due to my client's simple story and her sincere tear, I cannot doubt that fairies exist.

[@themodernfairysightingspod8421]

lots of symbolism there and in both dreams and therapy (and life if we are paying attention :)) the Universe speaks to us in metaphors. Thank you! 🙏

[@regw8815]

Please describe what fairies are and types of fairies. Spirits, supernatural, vs good and bad angels.

[@jeanettewu2537]

Fairies are a huge general class of beings. Strictly speaking, "fairies" should only refer to supernatural spirits in the British Isles and Anglo, Scots, or Irish-descended areas in North America. This is because every culture has their own word for living humanoid supernatural beings. In England and anglophone areas, there's both the Celtic-based "fairy" and the Germanic "elf", sometimes used interchangeably. And even then, Catholic-based folklore, Spiritualist-based folklore, and pre-Christian documents give different explanations for why fairies exist.

[@ReltubTheWiz]

37:00 I think you are making the distinction between quantitative and qualitative research. I think you have taken a narrow perspective of quantitative research. Qualitative research uses the values of empiricism, but in a different and no less valuable way.

[@melrichardson2392]

Yes they do exist ,so do elves, and Dragons people have seen them , themselves, fairies can change into dragonflies and butterflies,makes me laugh people want to see them but don't believe think about it.

[@slyrett]

I would like to propose a survey question. Please reply as a test This is a potential survey question. Please answer honestly. 1. What mystical magical creature do you identify as? A. Princess B. Faerie/pixie C. Dwarf D. Witch E. Elf F. Mom G. Pirate M. Mermaid H. Other ______ I. None of the above (human) My answer is E

[@user-me8ot1iw1q]

A pirate is not a mystical, magical creature

[@AlA-ok5jh]

Demons or evil spirits can change their appearance. Sometimes a demon can look like an alien from space or like a famous or known person or yes including fairies. Ephesians 6:10-20 Deuteronomy ch 18:10-12 Scripture ( Bible) even says the devil can transform himself into a angel of light. Satan is a liar and deceiver. In fact his favourite trick is to have us think he does not exist. The occult is an area we open the door to the demonic powers. Namely tarot ouija astrology astral projection mediums spells divination satanism Wicca ….on and on.. Doreen Virtue was a psychic and well known new age expert but she had a true encounter with Jesus ! She now is a Christian and knows Satan is out to destroy people who are into cults occult evolution new age drugs crime porn adultery fornication love of pleasures more than lovers of God ,gluttony , depression/suicide …other bondages and sin power.. Only Jesus is the way truth and life same yesterday today and forever. Put your cares on Jesus because He cares for you. We are in a supernatural war as there is sin and demonic power in this world. That is why the world has had past and present problems.

[@shopkinsillystories5009]

ah, the old slur...

[@flybroon]

The hallucination theory is a non starter. If experiences with non human creatures were mere hallucinations we would be bogged down with giant spider accounts.

[@radicalcartoons2766]

"Believe it or not", there are many accounts of this, connected with Sleep Paralysis. I've even heard a Medium (on the UFO chronicles podcast) who claims to banish these nasty apparitions for people. She calls them "Astral spiders". I've had this myself, it could be an evolutionary benefit, (seeing creepy things at night, when we're half asleep), to wake us up if we hear a noise, in case of danger.