Where to find fairy crosses

The best place to find them is around tree roots, as they seem to come to the surface after a heavy rain. You can keep as many as you find and typically if you are like me you will want to find all four varieties and keep the best of those. There are many reasons to go to Fairy Stone State Park , pack a picnic, hike the trails, swim at the beach, go to the playground, camp, bike, fish, paddle, special events, classes, and geocache, etc. The park offers a lifeguarded swimming beach in the summer at this acre lake.

Hundreds of years before Pocahontas father, Chief Powhatan, reined over the land that is now Virginia, fairies dance and played around springs of water with naiads and wood nymphs.

One day an elfin messenger arrived from a city far away and brought news of the death of Christ. When the fairies heard the story of the crucifixion, they wept and as their tears fell upon the ground, they crystallized to form beautiful crosses. And so goes the legend of how these unique mineral formations came to be.

In truth, they are brown staurolite, a combination of silica, iron, and aluminum. Together these minerals crystallize in twin form creating a cross-shaped formation. They are found only in rocks that have been subject to great heat and pressure such as was found millions of years ago in the geological history of the formation of the Allegheny Mountains.

Here is a polished fairy stone on a leather cord as well as raw fairy stones. If you don't find any fairy stones or wish to purchase one on a card, leather rope or as a set of earrings, then visit the park's gift shop. If you have read the article and have a question, please email nancy. Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail. Virginia Association for Parks.

Search DCR Site. Find a park What to do Where to stay. Cabins Family, group lodging Campgrounds Yurts Reserve now. Department of Conservation and Recreation. Posted Apr. Raw fairy stones fresh from a hunt. Keepsakes I keep a raw fairy stone in my handbag as a keepsake.

One unique characteristic of the trail marker tree is a horizontal bend several feet off the ground, which makes it visible at greater distances, even in snow. These distinctive characteristics convey that the tree was shaped by human activity rather than deformed by nature or disease. The legend is that Native Americans intentionally shaped these trees for navigational purposes or to mark important places, such as sacred burial grounds.

Throughout the North Georgia Mountains, a day of hiking can find you encountering one or more of these gentle bent giants in our forests. It is both highly possible and very likely that the tree was there marking a specific direction or possibly an area where a plant grew at its base that was used for healing.

For many, a hike in the woods is an adventure you remember from your childhood days. They come back from these walking expeditions with pockets filled with pretty leaves, unusual shaped stones and always a bird feather or two. As adults we reawaken that lust for exploration and here on these mountain trails, there seems to be one treasure that many are hunting: Fairy Crosses. The Legend of the Fairy Cross derives from the Cherokee Indians and thought to be over years old!

It is said that long, long, ago fairies inhabited a certain quiet and remote region in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The fairies roamed freely, enjoying the beauty and serenity of that enchanted place. When they heard the terrible details of the crucifixion, the fairies wept. As their tears fell to the earth, they crystallized into little stone crosses.

There was a belief among the Cherokee that the crosses had the power to reduce the owner invisible at will. In some instances, the tiny crosses were supposed to give the owner the power of diving into the ground and coming up again among the enemy to scalp and kill with unexpected terror. There have also been finds of very rare six point crosses.

No matter what tale agrees with you most, staurolite is becoming scarce due to its popularity. Blog About Contact. Garland Road Royalton, MN Ready to visit? Start Planning Your Trip. Fisher Interactive. Report Problems. We use cookies to offer you a better experience, analyze site traffic, and serve targeted advertisements.