John Hyatt, 53, a man who being dubbed the Fairy Godfather has taken photographs of what he claims are fairies while out photographing the Rossendale Valley in Lancashire over the last two years. John, who lives in Rawtenstall, has posted some of his fairies images on social media and says they have sparked much debate. He also opened his "Rossendale Fairies" exhibition at the Whitaker Museum. Interestingly, he has been touched by the supportive messages and photos taken in Argentina, Finland and France, from others also claiming to have spotted the tiny mystical creatures.
Mr. Hyatt - a member of the Three Johns punk / indie band in the 1980s and 1990s, and now Director of Manchester Institute for Research and Innovation in Art and Design (MIRIAD) at Manchester Metropolitan University - insists the photographs have not been altered in any way. "It was a bit of a shock when I blew them up, I did a double take," he said."They're very small winged human forms dancing in the sunlight. I went out afterwards and took pictures of flies and gnats and they just don't look the same. People can decide for themselves what they are. The message to people is to approach them with an open mind. I think it's one of those situations where you need to believe to see. A lot of people who have seen them say they have brought a little bit of magic into their lives and there's not enough of that around. Everything gets stereotyped, whatever it is. But there are stranger things in life than fairies, and life grows everywhere."
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| The Rossendale Fairies photographed by John Hyatt |
They attracted sceptical comment from some quarters. Entomologist Erica McLaughlin, writing in the British Natural History Museum's NaturePlus Blog, suggested that the photos showed a small species of fly known as "midges", writing that these tiny insects "form mating swarms where the male will 'dance' around trying to attract the opposite sex. They have delicate wings and long legs which dangle down."
Sources:
Fortean Times Magazine Vol. 314, May 2014: "Strangedays - Photographing Fairies Up North"
Sources:
Fortean Times Magazine Vol. 314, May 2014: "Strangedays - Photographing Fairies Up North"
Pic Source:
Fortean Times Magazine Vol. 314, May 2014: "Strangedays - Photographing Fairies Up North" page 4
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