Faeries In Oconee County?

While traveling to work a few days ago I happened upon an arc of mushrooms that was not there the day before. A large arc of mushrooms now grew in the middle where there was only grass the day before.

Some scientists will say that it is merely the capriciousness of nature, the accidental placement of mushroom spores in the shape of a circle or an arc. But science cannot prove it. There are other theories, none of which science has yet proven.

But many believe that these rings, or arcs, are the results of creatures of myth and legend. Celtic and Scandinavian lore say that these rings are the results of faeries, or elves, or even pixies dancing. French mythology calls them ronds de sorcier,  the result of some sorcerers magic. In Germany they were known as hexenringe, or witches rings, the result of witches dancing on Walpurgis Nacht. Dutch tradition claims they are the marks of where the Devil used his milk churn and Tyrolian legend claims they are made by dragon's breath.

Almost all Faerie ring lore paint Faerie rings as dangerous places, warning that anyone entering one of them will suffer some form of harm from mild bad luck to death. However, a there are a few tales of those entering having good fortune including wealth, bountiful harvests and large families.

They have been the subject of poetry, of songs and of art. Shakespeare wrote about Faerie Rings in A Midsummer Nights Dream:

And I serve the fairy queen,

To dew her orbs upon the green

Throughout history men and women have wondered over Faerie Rings. They have looked to them for luck. They have avoided them for fear of bad luck. Many have claimed to have been trapped inside in a seemingly endless dance at the mercy of the elves and faeries.

So, are they a natural but unexplained phenomenon? Or are they the result of creatures we think of as nothing more than myth?

I don't know, I didn't see any Faeries, after all, they only come out at night. But maybe they were Pixies and able to hide under the mushroom caps and behind the stems. Maybe I needed to actually enter the ring. But if I had, I might still be there, trapped in an endless dance, at the mercy of the faeries, waiting for someone else to stumble upon the ring and take my place.

Are there Faeries to be found in Oconee County? I can only say perhaps.