-F-

 

Fairy:

A broad term used to describe a large variety of supernatural creatures. Most fairy folklore originated in Britain,

Ireland and Europe.

 

Fakir:

An Indian holy man who lives by begging and is said to possess magical powers.

 

Familiar:

In English witchcraft, spirits in the service of witches or magicians. Usually visible as, for example, a cat or dog.

 

Fan death:

The belief that sleeping in a closed room with a running electric fan can cause death.

 

Fascinate:

The act of casting a spell or throwing the evil eye on a person.

 

Feng shui:

Chinese study of hidden forces and currents thought to be present in the earthly environment.

 

Fetish:

An object used to represent and create a bond with the spirit world. Common fetish objects include

dolls, stones, animal teeth and claws.

 

Findhorn:

A spiritual community founded in 1962, in northern Scotland. The community garden was said to produce

superior crops due to supernatural assistance.

 

Flying rods:

A phenomena in which mysterious rod-shaped objects appear in video footage or photographs.

 

Forer effect:

The tendency of people to interpret statements about personality traits as being accurate for them

personally, even when they are not.

 

Fortean phenomena:

An umbrella term to describe any paranormal phenomena. Named after researcher Charles Fort (1874-1932)

who spent much of his life cataloguing such phenomena.