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Twig Oaklyn Flewinia Thistlebottom
... is a fairy character at Renaissance Festivals around the United States.
A "charmer of children," [1] Twig plays a double-piped aulos. She doesn't speak but ....
Twig Oaklyn Flewinia Thistlebottom (or "Twig" for short) is a curious, lively woodland sprite who embodies childlike innocence and wonder. Her bashful mannerisms and graceful flitting movement create a whimsical space that she warmly invites every one to share. Playing a double piped aulos (flute), Twig mesmerizes passers-by with playful lilting jigs and slow, haunting airs. To children, she always bestows a token of friendship; a magic stone glittering with faerie dust. Young and old are left wide eyed in wonderment. Drawn to the festival by her curiosity, Twig delights in exploring her astonishing surroundings. Each day she gleefully makes enchanting discoveries as she tries to understand the perplexing and foreign customs and habits of mortals. [2]
The Character
Twig has been delighting crowds at Renaissance Festivals across America since 2003. From humble beginnings at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, her popularity has soared and her fans now number in the thousands FaceBook ( [1]). She makes regular appearances at The Carolina Renaissance Festival in Huntersville (ref The News & Observer), The Arizona Renaissance Festival (ref azcentral.com).
She has her own FaceBook ( [2]), MySpace ( [3]), and personal ( [4]) web pages where loyal fans can view her performance schedule, post photographs, and share memories of their special encounter with the friendly apparition.
Playful and gregarious but also sometimes painfully shy, Twig's tender and gentle mannerisms enrapture young children who flock to her to experience a real fairy. Her fans also include a large following of adults, whose cares fade away in the presence of the playful pixie. Through her facial expressions and movement, she communicates eloquently without ever uttering a word.
Twig gladly hands out special colored glass "fairy stones" which are sprinkled with fairy dust as a remembrance of the encounter. She also delights the crowds with her own brand of music, which she makes with her double-piped flute.
"It's like suddenly and unexpected finding a page out of a fairy tale come to life where everything is light and happiness; another dimension where words are unnecessary."(ref On the Road, Jason Davis)
The Actress
Twig is brought to life each Festival weekend by Kathy Gfeller (born, 1982)who is the fanciest fairy around [3]. Kathy grew up in the woods around the small town of Ely, Minnesota. She studied theater at Minnesota State University at Mankato [4] and joined the Ren Fest after graduating with a degree in fiber arts. [3] She found she could express herself best as a silent fairy. [4] "Twig was born out of my desire to portray what I thought a real fairy might be, and of what I always wanted to meet as a child. She is a contradiction innocent yet mischievous, bashful yet gregarious, full of music yet silent." [5]
The Author
With the help of the many fairy friendly places on the internet, Twig has become an author. With the use of start up sites like, Kickstarter. These sites help generous donaters provide funds for the production of Twig's selected project, in this childrens books. Twig the Fairy provides the story and content idea for the book, and her many fairy friends collaborate to help her finish the project. Currently she has two titles available through her personal website. The titles available are as follows:
Twig the Fairy and the Mermaid Misadventure
Twig the Fairy and the Curious Land of Real
There is another book in production currently but will be added to the list when a title is agreed upon.
References
External Links