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Mysterious Creatures 103

to the defense of Elsie Wright and Frances Grif- www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/local_london/news/
fiths, the two little girls who allegedly pho- weird/2001/february12/ed01120201.htm.
tographed fairies in the famous Case of the Cot- Rose, Carol. Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins:
tingley Fairies in 1917. Doyle became convinced An Encyclopedia. New York: W. W. Norton, 1998.
that fairies are genuine psychic phenomena and
that just as some people can act as mediums and
others have unusual powers of extrasensory per- Gnomes
ception, so do others—especially certain chil- Traditionally, gnomes are most often repre-
dren—have the ability to see fairies. Concerning sented as gnarled, wrinkled, hunched old men
fairies themselves, Doyle theorized that they are who have been assigned to guard some ancient
constructed of material that emits vibrations treasure. Over the years, the entities have been
either shorter or longer than the normal spec- confused with images of mischievous elves,
trum visible to the human eye. fun-loving fairies, or dwarves working in dia-
Although in the 1980s it was revealed that mond mines, but classically, the role of the
the two girls had quite likely faked the pho- gnome is that of a supernatural guardian who
tographs of the fairies, in 1997 a motion pic- can release the treasures of the earth to the
ture entitled Fairy Tale: A True Story chose to earnest alchemist or magician. The gnome,
emphasize the magical qualities of the Cotting- according to the alchemists of the Renais-
ley incident. Charles Sturridge, the director, sance, had the ability to move through the
was quoted in Premiere, November 1997, as earth in a manner similar to a human moving
saying that he didn’t want to make a film about through air or a fish through water. The
whether or not the two young girls had faked alchemist would seek to invoke the energy of
the fairy photographs. Sturridge emphasized the salamander, a lizardlike entity whose ele-
that his film was really all about, “The need to ment was fire, and the gnome, whose element
believe beyond what you can see.” Interesting- was earth, and combine their energies with air
ly, yet another film about the Cottingley and water to create gold from base metals.
fairies, Photographing Fairies, appeared in 1998, The name applied to the guardian of the
and director Nick Willing chose to depict the earth’s treasures is thought to be derived from
elemental beings primarily as spirits. the Greek “genomos,” earth-dweller. Popular
images of little men and women with pointed
M Delving Deeper hats who inhabit flower gardens and forests
Bord, Janet. Fairies: Real Encounters with Little People. have most likely confused gnomes with elves.
New York: Dell Publishing, 1998.
Chollet, Laurence. “Under the Fairy Influence.” The M Delving Deeper
Record, March 14, 2001. [Online] http://www. Bord, Janet. Fairies: Real Encounters with Little People.
bergen.com/yourtime/lc14200103146.htm. New York: Dell Publishing, 1998.
DuBois, Pierre, with Roland Sabatier and Claudine DuBois, Pierre, with Roland Sabatier and Claudine
Sabatier, illustrators. The Great Encyclopedia of Sabatier, illustrators. The Great Encyclopedia of
Fairies. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000. Fairies. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000.
Froud, Brian. Good Faeries, Bad Faeries. New York: Froud, Brian. Good Faeries, Bad Faeries. New York:
Simon & Schuster, 1998. Simon & Schuster, 1998.
Jones, Alison, ed. Larousse Dictionary of World Lore. Jones, Alison, ed. Larousse Dictionary of World Lore.
New York: Larousse, 1995. New York: Larousse, 1995.
Keightley, Thomas. The World Guide to Gnomes, Keightley, Thomas. The World Guide to Gnomes,
Fairies, Elves, and Other Little People. New York: Fairies, Elves, and Other Little People. New York:
Random House, 2000. Random House, 2000.
Mack, Carol K., and Dinah Mack. A Field Guide to Mack, Carol K., and Dinah Mack. A Field Guide to
Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subver- Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subver-
sive Spirits. New York: Henry Holt, 1999. sive Spirits. New York: Henry Holt, 1999.
“More Than Just a Fairy Story.” The Kingston Rose, Carol. Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins:
Guardian, February 12, 2001. [Online] http:// An Encyclopedia. New York: W. W. Norton, 1998.

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