In northern Scotland, on the Isle of Skye, there is an enchanted place where fairies and other creatures are said to roam. Fairy Glen has a long history, both geologically and culturally.

Let's get into the story of where the name - Fairy Glen - came from. To begin with, A 'glen' is a narrow valley, but not just any narrow valley, it refers to specific geological formations that are largely unique to Scotland. This glen is near the northern coastal town of Uig. The landscape is characterized by the presence of distinctly smooth hills with flat, grassy tops. In between these outcrops, there are lochans (little lakes).

In folklore, quite universally, fairies live near little bodies of water in grassy fields. On the Isle of Skye, the little lochans are appropriately called Fairy Pools. Before getting into the folklore, some context and background are useful to know.

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In architecture, designing an area with a clear locus of attention is a remarkable feat. Fairy Glen has a natural point of focus. Upon arriving, visitors' eyes are immediately drawn to a towering castle in ruins. This is Castle Ewan, and it is the most prominent feature in Fairy Glen. Upon closer inspection, however, it becomes apparent that Castle Ewan is not a castle at all, but rather an unusual outcrop of basalt (volcanic) rock. Despite being a natural structure, this rock tower enjoys the title of a castle.

Much of the landscape, including the rolling hills, was formed in the last Ice Age when glaciers carved the land and smoothened it over millennia. After the ice age, the area is said to have been inhabited by hunter-gatherers as early as the 7th century BC. From at least this early, humans have recognized the land for its spiritual significance.

Numerous Pictish Stones have been found on the Isle. These are stones with symbolic inscriptions that were erected by the Picts, a group of people who lived there in late antiquity - 4th century AD. The stone carvings strongly suggest that the Picts were polytheistic and believed in magic.

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Archaeologically speaking, the magical tradition began with the Picts and has continued ever since, right up to this day. The spiritual attraction is palpable. Fairy Glen fills visitors from all over the world with an inexplicable compulsion to make stone spirals and conduct sacred rituals such as marriages, meditation circles, and full moon gatherings.

There is some controversy regarding the concentric circles and spirals in Fairy Glen. In modernity, they have largely been considered a nuisance brought in by superstitious tourists, yet no one knows exactly why or when the circles started appearing.

Some scholars suggest that the circles of Fairy Glen were created by Pictish wizards for the purpose of amplifying magic. Others speculate that the origins have something to do with fairy magic.

Today, most references to fairies are recorded by the MacLeod's. The MacLeod's were a prominent clan on the Isle of Skye who lived in Dunvegan Castle. In fact, the MacLeod family history is explicitly tied to fairies in several ways, the most prominent of which is typified by the Fairy Flag. Additionally, several locations around the Isle are named after fairies, probably by the MacLeod's themselves.

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There are a couple of legends regarding the Fairy Flag. What they all have in common is fairies and the magical powers that the flag supposedly possesses. It is a square flag made of silk from the far east. There are spots all over it that are called 'Elf dots'. The flag is said to have three magical properties.

The first property is that the flag bearer will attract an army of men whenever the flag is unfurled. The second property is that by placing the flag on a marital bed, fertility is ensured. Thirdly, the unfurling of the flag will bring herring (fish) to the loch.

According to legend, many centuries ago, the chief of the MacLeod's got married to a fairy, who presumably came from Fairy Glen or one of the Fairy Pools. After a few years of joyous matrimony, the fairy was compelled to return to her own world. The chief walked her all the way to Fairy Bridge - a few miles away from the castle - where they parted ways. As a gift of love and remembrance, the fairy gave the chief the Fairy Flag, a gift that would provide military victory and also prophesize the future.

Another legend states that one of the MacLeod's went to the Holy Land (somewhere in the Levant) to participate in the crusades. While there, he had to cross a raging river or face certain death. A fairy living in the river helped him across. The two of them fell in love, but their union was impossible. Before MacLeod left for Scotland, the river fairy gifted him the flag but warned him not to unfurl it for a year, for if he did, he would have an immediate army, but no life would be born on his land.

Indeed, he brought it back to the Isle of Skye, only for his wife to unfurl the flag. They were victorious in military endeavors, that year, no child was born and no crops were grown.

Overall, Fairy Glen is a magical place. Whether the magic of the Glen was wielded by hunter-gatherers, Pictish wizards, or Gaelic clans, one thing is clear, there is something otherworldly about the area, and the only way to know the truth is to physically go there and find out. Thousands of others will attest to the fact that, though mortals cannot prove the existence of fairies, we can certainly feel their essence.

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