The Wife of Bath begins by stating that long ago during the days of King Arthur's rule, England was a magical place. The land was full of fairies and elves, and the Elf Queen and her court could often be found dancing in the green meadows of the countryside.

Yet hundreds of years later, the magical world of fairies and elves has disappeared, and it is no longer possible to experience this once enchanted world. Instead, the forest is crowded with friars and priests where it was once possible to find fantastical creatures. These "holy" men populate every imaginable space: cities, castles, hallways, dairies, and barns. The friars and priests find it necessary to bless every possible space, and their presence inundates every piece of England's land and every stream in the countryside. They crowd the area like the specks of dust visible in a ray of sunlight, bouncing around in seemingly endless quantities.

There used to be space for elves and fairies, but that space has been claimed and repurposed for the uses of the holy men. Therefore, the magical creatures that once flourished in the forests have been pushed out of England; the friars have purged them from existence with the saintly prayers and the blessings they have poured out over a once magical land.