Mummified Fairy: Real or Hoax?

A couple of weeks ago, I asked all my readers and visitors if they thought little people existed which resulted in mix views. Steve suggested a link to a Leprechaun webcam which prompted me to do a little more research on little people possibly for future posts.

I discovered a website ran by a guy named Dan Baines. He stated that an anonymous man found the remains of an actual fairy in the Derbyshire countryside while walking his dog. Everything on this web page from the photos to the details of the investigation showed that this could be the real deal and it almost swayed me to believe it is.

Dan emailed Stephen Wagner, the guide on the Paranormal section of About.com, which he mentioned it on the site and many readers had their doubts (including me) while others thought it was real. A writer named Matt Posner wrote an article containing a detailed analysis of the photos and the figure for the website.

A day later, on April Fool's Day, Dan Baines revealed that the alleged mummified remains of a fairy was indeed a hoax. His explanation for it:
"Alas the fairy is fake but my interest and belief has allowed me to create a work of art that is convincing and magical. I was also interested to see if fairy folklore is still a valid belief in modern society and I am pleased to say that yes it is! I have had more response from believers than I ever thought possible."

I don't believe that a person should use their art and magic skills to create a fake mythical creature just to see if people still believe in it. This possibly was all just an April Fool's Day joke, but it still burns me.

This goes out to Mr. Baines. I know you apologized for the possibility that you may have offended people with this. Personally, I don't accept your apology and this is why. If you had specifically stated that this was all done for April Fool's Day, I probably would have just brushed it off and not worried about it.

However, the fact that you stated on your website that you created it to see if people were still interested in fairy folklore is what has me a bit mad. Of course, people were going to be interested in it. If it was real, it would have been one of the best discoveries of the century.

You could have visited a few websites, read a few books or whatever to find out the interest of fairy folklore. Instead you decided to create a mummified fairy and pass it off as a real one. You're no better than those who create fake ghost footage, EVPs, etc. It's people like you who make it hard for specialists in the paranormal and cryptozoology to keep their fields legitimate and I have no respect for you because of it. Considering you are now selling the fake fairy on eBay, it adds more evidence to the belief that it was all for fame and fortune. I hope it was worth it.

I congratulate you on a nice piece of art, but it should have stayed just that, a piece of art.


Just my opinion....

Comments

Anonymous said…
Totally agree with you, this guy Dan Baines is an A#@Hole!

Popular posts from this blog

Black Aggie

Reader Submission - The Creeper

Edna Collings Bridge