Places to encounter the fae after 1850
According to Jacques Vallee, fairies became scarce after 1850.
He does report one source that says they can be found at these locations:
- [[ Yosemite Valley ]] in California
- Ben Bulben (a mountain) and Ross Point in County Sligo, [[ Ireland ]]
Also, real [[ orpheus ]] vibes in the story below.
from Passport to Magonia by Jacques Vallee:
There were few places where one could still see fairies, even in Great Britain or France, after 1850. All the storytellers, all the popular almanacs, agree that, as civilization advanced, the little folks became increasingly shy. A few untouched places recommended by Wentz, however, are the Yosemite Valley in California and the Ben Bulben country and Ross Point in County Sligo, Ireland. Dublin seers are known to have made many trips to Ben Bulben, a famous mountain honeycombed with curious grottoes. At the very foot of the mountain, “as the heavy white fog banks hung over Ben Bulben and its neighbors,” Wentz was told, the following incident occurred:
When I was a young man I often used to go out in the mountains over there to fish for trout or to hunt. And it was in January on a cold, dry day while carrying my gun that I and a friend with me as we were walking around Ben Bulben saw one of the Gentry for the first time. … This one was dressed in blue with a head-dress adorned with what seemed to be frills. When he came upon us, he said to me in a sweet and silvery voice,
The seldom you come to this mountain the better, Mister, a young lady here wants to take you away.
Then he told us not to fire our guns, because the Gentry dislike being disturbed by the noise. And he seemed to be like a soldier of the Gentry on guard. As we were leaving the mountain, he told us not to look back and we didn’t.