Small preview of a small book I am working on that covers the extensive Folklore found in Northen Europe.

The land of fae is said to be home to a variety of strange creatures. The following story shows that fairies are not simply little beings with wings.

“The Ent”

Subject: Female, 40-50 years old

Time: 10-11pm (early 2000’s)

Place: In a town outside of a town centre (Devon, England)

I was sitting on my stairs on the telephone looking out of the hall window that looks across my front garden (no hedges), and onto the second main route into town. Time would be approximately 10.30 pm but visibility is good on the road as it is the secondary main route into the town centre.

The road was quiet as it is a seaside town and it was out of season. The road is well lit by streetlights. As I was talking on the telephone I watched a ‘tree-man’ walk slowly down the road. There were no hedges in my field of vision and I could clearly see any foliage that is across the road in the gardens opposite as ‘he’ walked past them.

This tree-man took so long (approximately up to two minutes) to pass I actually had time to mention it to my husband on the telephone and describe what I was seeing.

The figure was approximately seven-foot tall and slim. I could clearly see a trunk-like body from the waist up, branch-like arm. [It had a] haggard/wizened face. It seemed old, with short, stumpy branches coming from the top of the head and sides. [These top branches] were not like a true tree. They didn’t seem to taper down into twigs. A few leaves scattered on the body and arms.

it walked in a measured way, as though putting one foot down and then making effort to pull forward, arms swinging. The figure was slightly leaning forwards. It passed my field of vision and I stood up to look down the road, but next door’s hedge blocked my view. I did not feel it was threatening in any way, but it just seemed to be going about its business.

[End]

Trees play an interesting role in folklore. There are two trees in particular which are said to work well against witches. One of these is the mountain ash (aka: rowan).

>the spells were vain, the hag returned, to the queen in sorrowful mood

>crying that witches have no power, where there is row’n-tree wood

This is the reason for the custom of carrying around a wand of ash/rowan. People used these wands for stirring butter and driving their cattle. Indeed, ash is said to work against not only witches, but all forms of evil.

Another tree worth mentioning in this regard is the hazel. It is said to render witches powerless.

Here is another story involving a tree-man:

“Another Ent”

Subject: Male, 50-60 years old

Time: 3pm-6pm

Place: Hampshire, England

It was a late Summer’s day in 2007. [I was with a friend] walking the dog.

We were in a clearing, when I spotted what looked like a tree rushing across fields towards us, and as it crossed the path before us into the next field, I could see there was a friendly, smiling face in the bark.

We both had the same experience and described it to each other the same way. It was about ten feet tall. The dog stopped and looked up at it too.