Twig the Fairy
Encyclopedia
Twig Oaklyn Flewinia Thistlebottom, better known as Twig the Fairy, is a fairy character at Renaissance fair
s around the United States
. A "charmer of children", Twig entertains passers-by with jig
s and air
s played on a double-piped aulos
. She occasionally offers a glass stone glittering with "faerie dust" as a token of friendship to children who approach her. The actress who plays Twig describes Twig's character as a "shy and gregarious—kind of a woman-child: innocent, mischievous, playful." Twig is a silent character because, according to the actress who plays her, "talking takes away a bit of the mystery" of fairies.
in 2003. Since then, Twig has appeared at Renaissance festivals across America. She makes regular appearances at the Carolina Renaissance Festival
, the Arizona Renaissance Festival
, the Scarborough Renaissance Festival
, the Colorado Renaissance Festival, and the Minnesota Renaissance Festival
, among others. Twig has appeared twice on the cover of the nationally-published Faerie Magazine
and has more than 200,000 followers on Facebook
.
town of Ely, Minnesota
. She studied theater, fiber art
s, and history at Minnesota State University
at Mankato
. Kathy joined the renaissance festival circuit as a performer after graduating with a degree in fiber arts and sculpture, finding that she could express herself best as a silent fairy. According to Kathy, "Twig was born out of (her) desire to portray what (she) thought a real fairy might be, and of what (she's) always wanted to meet as a child. (Twig) is a contradiction: innocent yet mischievous, bashful yet gregarious, full of music yet silent."
was issued by Twig to celebrate the book's publication. In an interview with Ms. Gfeller in Minnesota Monthly
magazine, she announced that she is working on a second book.
Renaissance Fair
A Renaissance fair, Renaissance faire, or Renaissance festival is an outdoor weekend gathering, usually held in the United States, open to the public and typically commercial in nature, which emulates a historic period for the amusement of its guests. Some are permanent theme parks, others are...
s around the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A "charmer of children", Twig entertains passers-by with jig
Jig
The Jig is a form of lively folk dance, as well as the accompanying dance tune, originating in England in the 16th century and today most associated with Irish dance music and Scottish country dance music...
s and air
Air (music)
Air , a variant of the musical song form, is the name of various song-like vocal or instrumental compositions.-English lute ayres:...
s played on a double-piped aulos
Aulos
An aulos or tibia was an ancient Greek wind instrument, depicted often in art and also attested by archaeology.An aulete was the musician who performed on an aulos...
. She occasionally offers a glass stone glittering with "faerie dust" as a token of friendship to children who approach her. The actress who plays Twig describes Twig's character as a "shy and gregarious—kind of a woman-child: innocent, mischievous, playful." Twig is a silent character because, according to the actress who plays her, "talking takes away a bit of the mystery" of fairies.
Character
The character of Twig debuted at the Minnesota Renaissance FestivalMinnesota Renaissance Festival
The Minnesota Renaissance Festival is a Renaissance fair, an interactive outdoor event which focuses on recreating the look and feel of a fictional 16th Century "England-like" fantasy kingdom...
in 2003. Since then, Twig has appeared at Renaissance festivals across America. She makes regular appearances at the Carolina Renaissance Festival
Carolina Renaissance Festival
The Carolina Renaissance Festival is a Renaissance Fair held annually in October and November in the town of Huntersville, North Carolina. Its setting is the invented village of "Fairhaven" and is one of the largest Renaissance festivals in the country. The faire brings in an average of 160,000...
, the Arizona Renaissance Festival
Arizona Renaissance Festival
The Arizona Renaissance Festival is a medieval amusement park and Renaissance fair in Arizona located in Apache Junction east of the Phoenix metro area near Gold Canyon...
, the Scarborough Renaissance Festival
Scarborough Renaissance Festival
Scarborough Renaissance Festival, more commonly known as Scarborough Faire, is a renaissance fair in Waxahachie, Texas.Scarborough Faire's first run was in 1981. The festival is open Saturdays and Sundays from the first weekend in April until Memorial Day Monday. The festival is historically...
, the Colorado Renaissance Festival, and the Minnesota Renaissance Festival
Minnesota Renaissance Festival
The Minnesota Renaissance Festival is a Renaissance fair, an interactive outdoor event which focuses on recreating the look and feel of a fictional 16th Century "England-like" fantasy kingdom...
, among others. Twig has appeared twice on the cover of the nationally-published Faerie Magazine
Faerie Magazine
Faerie Magazine is a quarterly fantasy magazine focusing on faeries and the subcultures and industry surrounding the fantasy genre.Based out of Maryland, Faerie Magazine first appeared in Spring 2005...
and has more than 200,000 followers on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
.
Actress
Twig is portrayed by Kathy Gfeller, an actress from the small North WoodsNorth Woods
The Laurentian Mixed Forest Province, also known as the North Woods, is a forested ecoregion in Canada and the United States. In Canada it is found in Ontario around the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence River through Quebec to Quebec City...
town of Ely, Minnesota
Ely, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,724 people, 1,912 households, and 916 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,369.5 people per square mile . There were 1,912 housing units at an average density of 703.2 per square mile...
. She studied theater, fiber art
Fiber art
Fiber art is a style of fine art which uses textiles such as fabric, yarn, and natural and synthetic fibers. It focuses on the materials and on the manual labour involved as part of its significance.-Fiber:...
s, and history at Minnesota State University
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Minnesota State University, Mankato is a public four-year university located in Mankato, Minnesota, a community of 53,000 located southwest of Minneapolis-St. Paul. As of Fall 2011, the student body is the third-largest in the state of Minnesota with over 15,000 students...
at Mankato
Mankato, Minnesota
Mankato is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 39,309 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest city in Minnesota outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The county seat of Blue Earth County, it is located...
. Kathy joined the renaissance festival circuit as a performer after graduating with a degree in fiber arts and sculpture, finding that she could express herself best as a silent fairy. According to Kathy, "Twig was born out of (her) desire to portray what (she) thought a real fairy might be, and of what (she's) always wanted to meet as a child. (Twig) is a contradiction: innocent yet mischievous, bashful yet gregarious, full of music yet silent."
Works
Ms. Gfeller published her first Twig the Fairy book in December of 2010. It is a photo-illustrated children's story entitled "Twig the Fairy and the Curious Land of Real". A thematic coinCommemorative coin
Commemorative coins are coins that were issued to commemorate some particular event or issue. Most world commemorative coins were issued from the 1960s onward, although there are numerous examples of commemorative coins of earlier date. Such coins have a distinct design with reference to the...
was issued by Twig to celebrate the book's publication. In an interview with Ms. Gfeller in Minnesota Monthly
Greenspring Company
The Greenspring Company is the for-profit subsidiary of the non-profit American Public Media Group, and the parent company of the for-profit organization Greenspring Media Group, publishers of Minnesota Monthly and other publications...
magazine, she announced that she is working on a second book.