Topic: Fairies

A new course for RuneSoup members titled "Fairies, UFOs, and Psy" explores the overlap between elusive companions and aerial phenomena. Fairies are described as beings that are only intermittently physical, often associated with Northwest European folklore and a call to an authentic, joyful life. Chris Knowles’ concept of "elusive companions" is used to bridge the gap between historical fairy encounters and modern ufology, suggesting both represent a similar interaction with the non-human world.

Historical "fairy doctors" and "cunning folk" were specialists who diagnosed conditions like being "elf struck" or suffering from fairy vengeance. An anecdote from Glamorgan, Wales, describes a farmer who offended a fairy court by bulldozing mounds, leading to a curse that manifested generations later. These stories illustrate a lost holistic understanding of the human role within a "more than human" world and the lingering effects of ancestral spiritual conflicts.

Guy Anderson discusses his research into the history of human cloning, which he links to the Cabbage Patch Kids phenomenon. He also introduces his latest work on the dark, original versions of children's stories, such as the serial killer origins of Bluebeard. The segment critiques the "Disneyfication" of folklore, arguing that the sanitized modern versions strip away important moral and historical warnings.