Elves

This is fascinating.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-27907358

In Iceland, construction of a road was stopped after it was learned that the planned route would have meant destroying an Elf settlement.

Now I'm sure that to the open minded folks on here, that might not seem like strange, but for government officials in a country to accept the reports of Elves as perfectly valid, I think that's quite interesting.

Its not just Iceland though. Apparently this sort of thing is just widely accepted in many parts of Scandinavia, and in Celtic parts of Britain and our our immediate neighbours 'superstition' about such peoples is still widespread.

Personally, I not only believe this stuff, but I know it, after my own experiences on my own land, but I just find it interesting how although it is not accepted by the pure sceptics, there are parts of the world, parts of the developed, western world at that, where these beliefs are still very widespread and in some cases, even mainstream.

[Jenny Crow]

Thank goodness there are some people - and countries - that do the right thing. I'm so glad you posted this - renews my faith in the human race

Too bad the rest of the world doesn't get it, lol.

[Arcturus]

marko pogacnik(?); a good author on nature spiriits regularly undertakes a fair bit of work on behalf of officialdom. he talks of many healing works he carried out for municipals and town councils in his book that i read. generally in places like czechoslovakia i think. been a while. encouraging and surprising i agree. he also details how you can help too. for example straightening a rivers course can darken the undines that used to inhabit it as they are tethered to the old course and cannot fulfill their works. you can use crystals to relocate them. similar to cut trees where the roots have yet to die is supposedly a very painfull scenario for the...ive forgotten what inhabits tres, headmush. you know what i mean though. soyou can move them too. cool share thanks.

elves were one of the first nature spirits i saw. they appeared serenely meditative. perhaps because it was early morning...they might have been sleeping.

Originally Posted by vecta3

ive forgotten what inhabits trees

The name depends on who's naming them, but the name I know them by would be either nymphs or dryads.

Cutting a tree while it is alive is ok, if you do it right, and at the right time. Some trees can become very tangled and disease can get it due to lack of light and air circulation. You generally do it in winder when the tree is dormant though. In practical terms that is because the wood is lighter and so easier to handle, and there are less pathogens around in winter, so less chance of disease entering the wounds. If you keep an open enough mind, you will just know whether or not it is ok to cut the tree. When I do tree maintenance on my land, I put the saw where I think I should cut, and then wait for a minute or so. Something just tells me whether or not I should cut there. Many times I have changed my mind, feeling I've been told that no, I've got it wrong.

[norseman]

Not the first time this has happened in Iceland - odd but beautiful people.

Elves - the Elder Race - the Green Spirits of Nature. They left Britain when iron was invented and we chopped down their "home" - the ancient woodlands and forests of Britain. They figure in the oral traditions of the Cunning Folk as the teachers of the original shaman. Also, in oral traditions, is mention of hybrid races [ e.g. Tuatha de Danaan ] who still exist and maintain connections with the Cunning Folk.

[Arcturus]

hi, thanks for reply Badger1777. I certainly go with waiting for the tree to let you know. I think showing the tree your intent is greatly helpfull to it and would sidestep some, or all, of the suffering for it. I was more referring to cutting down a whole tree than branches but the same as what you say could hold for that of course. check out biodynamics and pruning if you like, they have some cool ideas on it i think. i think the trees pogaknic reported on in his book were just felled without thought.

one thing, they say (bio-dynamic agriculture), that you may know or be interested in, is the idea that you should, when you can, cut/prune when the moon is on a descending path. Alternatively a waning moon will, supposedly, be ok too. this, incase you don't know, is because the sap inclines to sink during the descending/waning moon and rises during the ascending/waxing moon. if you cut it whilst the sap is rising in the tree, it will, supposedly, bleed energy and sap out of the cut branch. it heals better on the descend/wane. i can see some logic to it. tree health is an interesting topic to me for some reason. i highly recommend viktor schaubergers insights on trees and forests.

Originally Posted by vecta3

I was more referring to cutting down a whole tree than branches but the same as what you say could hold for that of course.

I hate the idea of cutting down a whole tree. I've done it on my land, when its been absolutely necessary, because its storm damaged and is threatening to fall over and tear a chunk out of the ground for example, but I don't like doing it. Lucky for me, most of the trees on my land are of species that will readily regenerate from a stump. I have more hawthorn and blackthorn than any other type (check out the folklore with those two species, you have to be very careful indeed with them).

check out biodynamics and pruning if you like, they have some cool ideas on it i think. i think the trees pogaknic reported on in his book were just felled without thought.

I'll check that out, thanks. Trees felled without any consideration, that's something that genuinely breaks my heart. I don't consider myself to be the stereotypical "tree hugging hippy", but I do see trees as very powerful life forms (much as the ancient Celts and other races did I think - as an aside, are you aware of Yggdrasil? I might not have spelled that right).

one thing, they say (bio-dynamic agriculture), that you may know or be interested in, is the idea that you should, when you can, cut/prune when the moon is on a descending path. Alternatively a waning moon will, supposedly, be ok too. this, incase you don't know, is because the sap inclines to sink during the descending/waning moon and rises during the ascending/waxing moon. if you cut it whilst the sap is rising in the tree, it will, supposedly, bleed energy and sap out of the cut branch. it heals better on the descend/wane. i can see some logic to it. tree health is an interesting topic to me for some reason. i highly recommend viktor schaubergers insights on trees and forests.

What thing I've learned since buying my piece of land, is that whereas in many areas of life, you take the science as gospel and the folklore with a pinch of salt, when it comes to land management it is the other way round, although I'm sure those that manage land with the aid of monstrous machines and tonnes of chemicals will be able to make the scientific way work, for me with my basic hand tools and a few friends, it is very much a case of working with nature if there's to be any hope of success. That said, I'd be slightly (but only slightly) sceptical about the phases of the moon having any significant bearing on sap levels within a tree. Trees are very active at night, regardless of the moon phase. During the day they are busy doing photosynthesis to make starches from nothing but sunshine, water and minerals from the ground and air. Night time is when most of that starch gets put to use in making the tree grow, and byproducts of the biochemical processes have to be expelled, and we all get a lovely top up of oxygen. As the tree is very active at night (in the growing season), I can't see that moon phases would have a direct affect.

I have just thought of a potential indirect effect though. More research is needed I think, but I wonder if certain nocturnal insects are more active during certain phases of the moon, perhaps because of the fluctuations in light levels. Potentially such insects could carry disease pathogens around, which would mean you'd want to do any tree work when those insects were not as active. I might see if there's been any studies along those line.

In any case, for most tree species, and certainly the default rule of thumb unless there is contrary advice specific to a species, is to only do the work when the tree is dormant. Typically between November and February in the northern hemisphere. I personally prefer to do it in December in January, late enough into the dormant season to be sure the trees are dormant, but early enough into it to be sure that the weather will have had time to dry and seal the wounds before the tree starts to wake up for the new year.

[froebellian]

I love the fact that this is taken seriously.

Elves and Unicorns exist. Not so sure about the fairies...

Originally Posted by froebellian

Not so sure about the fairies...

Oh those ones definitely exist. They steal my tools when I'm working on my land. They like metal objects. You put something down for a second, and look again and its gone

They also dictate what will or will not work. Horticultural science goes out of the window on my land. The land itself tells me what jobs to do, and if I deviate from what I'm told, my projects just fail.

Oh, also on the Isle of Man, there is a bridge right next to a know faery dwelling. If you don't acknowledge them by waving or saluting or just saying hello as you pass, then be it on your own head. A mate of mine went over with a group of bikers. They all waved as they passed except one, who refused to entertain such 'superstitious rubbish'. He got about half a mile further before his bike broke down. Petrol tank bone dry despite having just filled up a few miles before.

[froebellian]

Originally Posted by Badger1777

Oh those ones definitely exist. They steal my tools when I'm working on my land. They like metal objects. You put something down for a second, and look again and its gone

They also dictate what will or will not work. Horticultural science goes out of the window on my land. The land itself tells me what jobs to do, and if I deviate from what I'm told, my projects just fail.

Oh, also on the Isle of Man, there is a bridge right next to a know faery dwelling. If you don't acknowledge them by waving or saluting or just saying hello as you pass, then be it on your own head. A mate of mine went over with a group of bikers. They all waved as they passed except one, who refused to entertain such 'superstitious rubbish'. He got about half a mile further before his bike broke down. Petrol tank bone dry despite having just filled up a few miles before.

Do they put up a warning sign for out of towners?
I used to have my own elf, who is back with me in this incarnation! Really!!!