Fairy Ring Mushroom

Handmade 925 silver pendant with opal.

Marasmius Oreades are the main figures in this pendant, surrounded by tiny oak leaves and embellished with an opal.

These mushrooms grow among the blades of grass in the countryside; in Northern Italy they are called "i gambasecca" (dry legs).

The etymology of their name comes from a group of nymphs in Greek mythology, the Oreads, daughters of Gaia, who lived in mountains and valleys. Famous for going out in throngs on joyful hunting expeditions, they are thus associated with Artemis, goddess of the hunt, the forest, wild animals, the moon, and female initiation rites.

This is not the only connection this fungal species has with mythology.

Marasmius have the peculiar characteristic of growing in a circular arrangement, creating what are known as "fairy rings."

In European tradition, it is believed that mushroom circles are magical places where "the little folk" gather to dance at night; whoever enters one of these circles is transported to the fairy realm, where time flows differently and more slowly than in our world.