A natural mushroom fungus that grows in
dark rings on grass and turf. In folklore it is said to be
the site where fairies and witches meet at night to dance
and sing. The mushroom is inedible—and animals tend
to shun it—and has a reddish, buff or tawny cap. It is
common in Europe, the British Isles and North America
and often appears after heavy rains. In Britain, fairy rings
also are known as hag tracks, in the belief that they are
created by the dancing feet of witches.
Because fairies are associated with magic, fairy rings
have magical superstitions attached to them. It is said
that if one stands in the center of a fairy ring under a full
Moon and makes a wish, the wish will come true. If one
wishes to see and hear the fairies, who often are beyond
the awareness of the five senses, one can run around a
fairy ring nine times under a full moon. However, superstition
holds, it is dangerous to do so on Samhain (All
Hallow’s Eve) or Beltane (May Eve), two major festivals of
fairies (and witches), as the fairies may take offense and
carry the mortal off to Fairyland.
Fairy rings are still associated with natural magic and
are used by contemporary Witches as sites for meetings
and seasonal festivals.
Fairies also are said to dance around stone circles.