Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of The Fairy Podcast, host Winslow Vail sits down with Siri Frank, a watercolor artist and mom of three here in Idaho, to talk about the hidden folk and the threads of magic that weave through cultures around the world.

Siri carries two lineages: her mother’s Oglala Lakota family from South Dakota and her father’s Norwegian roots. From one side came the teaching that we are all related and that the winged ones carry messages from our ancestors. From the other came childhood Christmases in Norway, leaving a bowl of porridge out for the nisse.

Siri also tells the story of a steep, muddy fjord hike. Before starting, she asked the land and the fairies for permission to enter the forest. At the top, just as her friend wondered how they’d ever get down, a taxi arrived with a couple offering a ride. Siri knew exactly who to thank.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Owls, hawks, and eagles as messengers, and how Siri thanks them with sage
• Asking permission before entering a forest, the ocean, or other sacred places, a practice she learned from her Hawaiian friends and family
• An Icelandic guide whose mother can see the hidden folk, and how their homes appear to us as mossy stones
• Norwegian nisser, huldrefolk, and trolls
• Black Elk’s teaching on circles, round dwellings, and how energy moves
• Her uncle’s teaching that the unseen realms are like the ocean: from above, only ripples; beneath the surface, a whole other world
• White butterflies for her grandmother, an eagle in the Black Hills, and the loved ones Siri feels close by
• The shared symbols she discovered between Lakota and Sámi traditions
• Inviting the fairies in without needing them to show up a certain way
• Keeping magic alive for kids, even when the tweens say, “Mom, it’s just a light flare”

This episode is for parents, fairy lovers, travelers, and anyone who wants to walk the land with gratitude and stay open to the magic around them.

The next time you step into the woods or the water, pause and ask permission first. You never know who might be listening.

About Siri Frank

Mom of 3, Oglala Lakota and Norwegian watercolor artist.

✨ ✨ ✨

Music Credits: "Canon in D" by Johann Pachelbel, performed and recorded by Winslow Vail.