Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darling readers!   Today’s post is going to be talking about some different magickal forests from around the world.   I will break it down place by place and give some of my thoughts about them!

Brocéliande Forest: Officially named the Paimpont Forest in Brittany, France: 

~This forest is famous as the setting of the French Arthurian Romances from the time of Chretien de Troyes onward.   It is a truly lovely forest where even the photos of it scream magick!   This is where we find one of the locations of Merlin’s Tomb.   The Tomb is the setting of Merlin’s imprisonment by the Lady of the Lake, often depicted in paintings as the “Beguiling of Merlin.”   This is also the forest that famously contains Morgan le Fay’s Val Sans Retour or Valley of No Return!   The Val Sans Retour is where Morgan le Fay trapped Knights who were unfaithful in love.   Although I have not been lucky enough to visit this forest, it is one of the major places on my list of dream vacations.

Faery Forest in Glastonbury, UK:   

~This one is really unique, as there is no real consensus over whether or not this place actually exists.   While many people have been to this forest, some do not consider it part of Glastonbury, or find it nearly impossible to locate!   I first heard of this Faery Forest when my herbalism teacher, Suzanne O’Gara mentioned it during our class, even theming last month’s lessons around the energy of this location.    I think the fact that there is debate over whether or not this Faery Forest is real makes it all the more Faery, in that it truly seems to exist in the liminal!

The Black Forest in Germany:

~Ah, how could I not include the setting of the Grimm’s fairytales as an iconic Faery Forest?   This is one of the darker Faery Forests on this list, as it has quite a creepy reputation.   Much said about this forest seems to relate to it embodying much of the energy of the famed tales set within it!   That does not discourage me from wanting to visit one day if I ever get to Germany!   I love the idea of visiting an eerie forest, as I also adore spooky and haunted locales.     

Bushkill Falls Lehman Township, Pennsylvania, USA:

~This is one of two places on this list of Faery Forests where I have been physically.   It is a beautiful series of forest trails, with waterfalls, hence the name.   Bushkill Falls is truly a place of magick, as the falls themselves can be seen as liminal spaces that can be portals into the Otherworld!   This is true of all sorts of waterways, but from personal experience, I can say that being near the falls definitely feels like you can be transported into the Faery realm.   While smaller than the more famous Niagara, if you are close to these falls I think they are definitely worth the day trip to explore the magick of these forest paths!  

Penn’s Cave Centre Hall, Pennsylvania, USA:

~My final entry here is the second place I have been, and technically it is a cheat as this is not a forest but a huge cave!    This is a very interesting place to visit.   Going through the cave in the boats feels much like going into the depths of the Underworld.   Caves are symbolic places of liminality, much like any waterway, even if they do not have water.   As this cave has water, it is even more spiritual to see all of the beauty of this dark cavern!   This liminality of space that Penn’s Cave has makes it truly feel like a portal to Faery. 

~I hope you have enjoyed reading my thoughts on these Faery Forests.   Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! 

Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is from the Broceliande Forest.   I found the image on https://tourisme-broceliande.bzh/en/la-foret/.

Tarot Note: I have launched a page offering tarot and oracle readings for those interested in these services!    I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon!  Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/

Further Reading

• https://www.france-voyage.com/tourism/paimpont-forest-955.htm
• https://tourisme-broceliande.bzh/en/la-foret/
• https://whiteroseofavalon.life/2022/01/17/broceliande-enchanted-forest-of-morgen-le-fay/
• https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Glastonbury/
• https://www.lonelyplanet.com/germany/black-forest
• https://www.visitbushkillfalls.com/
• https://www.pennscave.com/