Envisioning Fairyland From NASA Concept Art

Article by Ty Hulse

Sometimes the best source of inspiration is simply looking at the world in a new way. 

Fairyland in folklore is very confusing, because it can be strange and normal at the same time, people often end up in fairyland without even realizing it, until something very, very strange happens. Other times, fairyland looks bizarre from the beginning, and while there are many tales about what fairyland looks like, and where it's located, in some of these it's in the sky and underground at the same time. One boy who enters fairyland in a cave can see the stars beneath his feet. Others describe the underworld as having dim star and moon light shining from the cavern roofs. Yet at the same time light defuses everything.

These are NASA' awesome concepts of massive space stations which are both inside and in the sky, and perhaps you can use them to inspire the creation of your own fairy land.

These are beautiful places where you can walk from land, up the horizon and on to the stars the way shamans were said to do in Northern Europe. Shamans would enter the world in the sky buy walking up the sky (or the world's tree, or sometimes by flying)

Although the world looks tilted, down is always strait below your feet... Except for things like the Glass Hill, or the Iron Hill, which are obstacles people have to overcome to find love, wealth, wisdom, or power in fairyland.

See cities rising up into the sky.

Raven's Shire is dedicated to helping writers and artists learn about the strange world of fairy tales, so if you have any questions or need any help understanding the fairy realm, please contact us.