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Biography

My name is Melissa LaRose. I am currently working toward my PhD in Ethnology at the Elphinstone Institute.

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• Graduated from Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) in Manchester, New Hampshire, USA, with undergraduate degree in Anthropology, with concentrations in cultural and social anthropology. Summa Cum Laude, September 2022
• Graduated from the University of Leeds, in Leeds, England with a master’s degree in Art Gallery and Museum Studies, 2:1 Merit, July 2024
• Volunteer at the 2025 SIEF Conference
• Student Ambassador, 2025-Present
• Student Support Specialist, 2024-present
• Presenter at the International House of Burnett Educational Series (Fairies and Second Sight)
• President and Founder of the AUSA Non-Traditional Student Forum 2025-2026
• Founder and Tour Guide of the Campus Ghost Tours (2025- Present) 
  • Email: dark.fae.queen.campustours2025@gmail.com
• Dissertation research title is:
  • Experiencing the Otherworld: Belief, Narrative and Fairy Encounters in Contemporary Society
• Presenter at the Elphinstone Institute Ethnology and Anthropology Research - PechaKucha -
  • 29th September 2026
  • Overview of my research
• Presenter at the Elphinstone Institute Ethnology and Anthropology Research (20-minute Talk) 
  • Exploring part of the research, Pilgrimages and Spiritual links to Fairies
• Interdisciplinary Symposium 2026 (28th October) 
  • 3-minute talk on Healing Trauma through Fairy Encounters

External Memberships

• Member of the ISFNR (2026)
  • Delegate at Nature in Narratives Conference (June 2026 (Iceland))
  • Connecting the Human World to the Landscape of the Fairy Otherworld: Sharing the Spiritual Tales with Fairies from a Fairy Shaman on the Isle of Skye, Scotland and Fairy Artist in Dartmoor, England

• Member of the UK Folklore Society (2026)
  • Delegate at Folklore on the Move Conference (June 2026- 黑料网)
  • Movement of Fairy Lore and Rituals through Generations and Migration

Research Overview

My dissertation is a study of how contemporary society relates to fairy lore, fairy traditions and rituals and the ways in which it has evolved and changed over the years. The research has given me the opportunity to meet interesting people involved in the fairy belief communities. These include Wendy Froud, Grace Nuth, Dr. Simon Young who along with Ceri Houlbrook, co-authored the book A History of Fairies which includes their original research from the 2014 Fairy Census Survey. This survey and the corresponding book with the compiled survey data, are part of the framework for my own research. Below you can find the link to the research from the Fairy Census Survey.

The subject of fairy belief has a slight stigma and taboo attached to it. As with any subject that is considered out-of-the-ordinary or unscientifically proven, there will be both positive and negative reactions to my research. However, this research is being conducted to bring to light that despite the uprising of modern technology and science, the cultural connections to Celtic families still resides hidden beneath modern society. The belief in the unknown still holds people to their ancestral traditions that have been a part of their familial landscape for generations. Some have chosen to bring it out into their day-to-day lives, while many choose to hide beneath the layers of complex humanity in a world that can be cruel and harsh to anything that cannot be proven, too afraid of ridicule to allow themselves to show their true belief.

I want my research to help show that there is an entire community around the world of people who share in these same beliefs in what cannot be seen. I want my research to help create the beginning of a cultural thread that might allow people to come out of hiding and find a bond to their fellow fae believers. The world, while ever-evolving and advancing, still holds negativity to such a belief. However, the world also holds a natural brilliance that many people have opted to continue to keep in their lives. The traditions and rituals maintain an importance that has held together generations for hundreds of years and I wish to prove that this belief, though some younger folks are, in fact, sceptical to their ancestral rituals, they have maintained the traditions to the land despite their scepticsism that fairies exist.

The research will show how encounters can be either elicited or spontaneous. Each encounter plays an integral role in each of the participants lives. Some participants found employment, built business ventures, discovered their spiritual paths and began to embrace unique ways of living. 

Current Research

The research is complete, but these are examples of one of the ways the anonymous questionnaires were distributed for gathering the participant data.

Knowledge Exchange

Currently I am completing a chapter which will be part of a book 'Fairy Lore across Cultures – Edited Volume' being put together by:

Maya Zalbidea Paniagua, Profesora Ayudante Doctora, Departamento de Estudios ingleses, Facultad de Filología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid 

Being published by Routledge Publishing. This is a collaboration of researchers and academics who have a knowledge and passion for fairies and fairy lore. The book represents fairies across cultures. 

My chapter is data collected from my PhD dissertation research and will show the generational passing of fairy lore, observances, and rituals. 

Teaching Responsibilities

I teach a workshop on the course SX1011 Sixth Century Sustainability as a TA in the Education department. 

This workshop is designed for first and second year students. It encourages them to begin thinking about the issues of the world including climate change, global warming, the meat crisis, air quality and pollution and other environmental factors that contribute to sustainability. The workshop helps introduce new concepts and get them thinking critically about what they can do to help combat the issues.