Why Faeries? Why Flora?

Pink Fairy with Blossom -
Elizabeth Moore Golding

Ever since I was a child, I was fascinated by the diminutive. Miniature villages, models, dollhouses, and...yes...fairies, always drew my full attention which, if you knew me, you would know that is difficult to do. There was something so, might I say, magical about a world so small and all the little people, or creatures, that may live in it. Perhaps it was too many episodes of The Friendly Giant that I watched as a toddler (although I really don't think you can watch too many episodes of this sweet show) that influenced me. Or maybe it's just that small is often overlooked in a fast-paced world and if we stop to look, we find all sorts of delightful things.

A fairy, according to folklore, is a magical spirit who exists in likeness to a flower, insect, or other small creature. She is a problem solver, helper, fixer, and protector of nature.1  In some stories fairies were known to interfere in human lives by using their magic, but in most instances, they are benign creatures. They seem particularly delicate in comparison to elves or nymphs and the concept of gnomes holds no allure to me at all. I think, likely, that it is the fairy's association with flowers and my affinity to the garden that connects us on the level of imagination and creativity.

Flora Goddess of Spring - Jay DePalma

Flora is a botanical term we use to describe all plant life indigenous to a particular area. The word was, however, derived from the name of an ancient goddess of the Sabines. In their mythology, Flora is the goddess of flowering plants, especially those that bear fruit. She is a fertility goddess and was invoked by the Sabines to ensure a fruitful harvest and to drive away any diseases that might cause their crops to fail. Later she was adopted by the Romans and she became known, simply, as Flora, Goddess of Flowers and Springtime.

Her powers gave charm to youth, sweetness to honey, and fragrance to flowers. Flora in her generous nature gave mankind countless varieties of flowers, honey, and seeds.2

Every year, even by some to this day, Flora is celebrated during the festival of Floralia - a feast which coincides with the blossoming of spring flowers.

In my fairies I try to combine the feminine - the goddess, the diminutive, the flowers. A little of the Flora and a little of the Faery. I hope that their recipients will derive from them a positive energy and a connection to nature. They might even view their fairy as a talisman or charm. At the very least, they can appreciate it as a decorative piece. But however they are perceived,  it will not change my enthusiasm toward creating them. I look forward to further developing them and making them unique and well crafted. I think it is a project which will hold my attention and enjoyment for quite some time to come.

So why faeries and why flora? I say...why not?