Fairy ring
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A fairy ring, also known as fairy circle, elf circle, elf ring or pixie ring, is a naturally occurring ring or arc of mushrooms. They are found mainly in forested areas, but also appear in grasslands or rangelands. Fairy rings are detectable by sporocarps in rings or arcs, as well as by a necrotic zone, or a ring of dark green grass. Fungus mycelium is present in the ring or arc underneath. The rings may grow to over 10 metres (33 ft) in diameter, and they become stable over time as the fungus grows and seeks food underground.
A fairy ring (possibly Chlorophyllum molybdites) on a suburban lawn in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Two fairy rings marked by uneven grass growth (small one in foreground, much bigger one in background). The lush green arcs of grass betray the presence of underground fungal mycelia.
Fairy ring in a courtyard (Trinity Great Court)
Profuse ring of Clitocybe nebularis
Elf
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An elf is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic Poetic Edda and Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda.
Ängsälvor (Swedish "Meadow Elves") by Nils Blommér (1850)
Title page of Daemonologie by James VI and I, which tried to explain traditional Scottish beliefs in terms of Christian scholarship
Alden Valley, Lancashire, possibly a place once associated with elves
Glasgow Botanic Gardens. Kibble Palace. William Goscombe John, The Elf, 1899.