Celtic/Irish fairy tales

[Moontravler]

Hi everyone

I wonder if anyone could please give me a rec for a nice scholarly work, or at least a book that takes a look at the "unsanitized" versions of Celtic and Irish fairy tales?

Be much appreciated.

 

[GOLLUM]

You seem to be asking this question a lot lately....

Interesting topic though.

Well as I have a goodish collection of the world's mythology I do have a book that delves into the origins of Celtic myths and legends as well as recounting these myths; so it could be exactly what you are after. It is called Celtic Myths and Legends. Funny that....

Anyway, it's put out by Senate and the name T.W. Roleston appears in the front cover, published 1994. It is over 400 pages of dense text incl. a handy glossary and index.

I can't say it's the best one available but it appears fairly comprehensive and certainly scholarly and contains over 40 lovely B&W illustrations

I got it on the cheap second hand but I presume you can get it online.

 

[GOLLUM]

Hang on..rummages some more.

OK, this one is more on the actual stories themselves, although it contains a nice 20 plus page overview of Celtic mythology. It's called Mammoth Book Of Celtic Myths and Legends Ed. Peter Berresford Ellis, 2002. Publisher is Constable & Robinson.

On a more general note regarding mythology from a collector's point of view, I have a beautiful leather-bound gold-gilt edged copy of the famous Bullfinch's Mythology and a PB edn. of Nathaniel Hawthorne's A Wonder Book and Tanglewood Tales.

Hope this points you in the right direction....

 

[Moontravler]

You seem to be asking this question a lot lately....

It is called Celtic Myths and Legends. Funny that....

Thanks Gollum - gosh, I wonder if I don't already have a copy of Tanglewood Tales..- was my deceased fathers, I think, so it might have gone missing somewhere along the way.. I'm checking out the others, thanks.

 

[GOLLUM]

Let us know how you fare...

Night.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

If you are looking for folk and fairy tales, rather than mythology and legend, I would recommend Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs.

It's a work often reprinted, but you can also find it online for free, Celtic Fairy Tales Index , where it comes with notes and references.

Also, Katherine Briggs's Encyclopedia of Fairies, while it is more about different species of fairies, hobgoblins, banshees, boggarts, &c. (and is an excellent reference for those interested in such), also includes stories under many of the headings.

Amazon.com: Encyclopedia of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, & Other Supernatural Creatures (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library) (9780394734675): Katharine Briggs: Books

If you want accounts of encounters with fairies and folklore beliefs about fairies, there is The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries, by W. Y. Evans-Wentz. My copy was printed in 1981, but the book was first published in 1911, so there should be plenty of editions out there. The most recent editions are apparently badly edited and printed. But ... again, you can get it online for free, if you've a mind to:

The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries Index

Moving beyond the Irish, there is Celtic Folklore, Welsh and Manx, by John Rhys. Another old one but a good one, though I only possess Volume One. (These books from the first part of the 19th century have the common virtue of being collections of lore straight from the mouths of the folk who believed it.) It's available through amazon.com, and yes ... online.

http://books.google.com/books?id=gpWZMN6Apr8C&dq=John+Rhys+++manx+folklore&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=8YlhS733Jo7AsQOIjOnBCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CBUQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=&f=false
Chapter VI: The Folklore of the Wells

 

[GOLLUM]

Yes...I should have made a better distinction between myths/legends and fairy tales.Then of course, there's also Folklore....

I can second the recommendation regarding Katherine Briggs's Encyclopedia of Fairies though.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Yes...I should have made a better distinction between myths/legends and fairy tales.

Well, there is overlap between most collections, particularly with the Irish stories, so your suggestions were useful ones, too.

 

[GOLLUM]

Yes, that's what appears to have occurred to varying degrees with the books I own. I edited the original post to include Folklore as well...

In fact I should have also made reference to another book I own, specifically on Folk and Fairy Tales. For anyone interested it is entitled Best-Loved Folktales - Ed. Joanna Cole, Anchor Books, 1983. It is the best representative collection of over 200 such tales covering the entire world's cultures I've ever seen and is quite a superb collection IMHO. Areas covered:
Western Europe
British Isles
Scandinavia and Northern Europe
Middle East
Asia
The Pacific
North America
Caribbean and West Indies
Central and South America.

You have to admit, that's a pretty good coverage....no?

 

[Moontravler]

Lovely, guys. Thanks so much for those online text links, Teresa. I've downloaded the texts, even though I'll be looking to purchase the originals as well.

Yes, for my current area of, er.. "investigation", I am focusing specifically on fairies and fairy-folk, but Gollum's other suggestions are also interesting and worth investigating in a general sense.

I have long been tickled by the idea of fairies and elves and where the idea of their existence comes from.

I have long held the view that as far as unicorns and dragons are concerned, that there could in fact have existed creatures which could have spawned such myths; but I keep wondering about the fairy thing, because although I believe that all myths have some spark that set them into motion, I cannot imagine what would have caused the belief in fairies to originate.

 

[Moontravler]

Sorry for double-posting, but I just want to mention that I 'm very grateful for the referral to The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries: The Classic Study of Leprechauns, Pixies, and Other Fairy Spirits ; by W. Y. Evans-Wentz as I had been eyeing it already, but it's pretty expensive at my local stores.

This was his thesis for his doctorate, so pretty much something that I'm looking for, I guess. Thanks so much..

Ok, I should log off now.. now I'm about to buy this one, just because it looks .. well... Amazon.com: Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia (9780393317923): Carol Rose: Books ...nice.

(Ok it's not just the fact that it's illustrated that is drawing me, but look at those good reviews underneath..)
Drat. I've pushed the button and now it's bought.

[Moontravler is dreading looking at this month's CC account]

 

[Clansman]

One more you may want to check out, thought its focus is more historical. The reason I am suggesting it is that the history often provides the context for the myth, legend, fairy tale or folklore. Anyway, the book is The Celts, by Nora Chadwick (originally published 1971, and then revised and updated in the 1997 Penguin edition with a new introductory chapter and more appendices. I have a Folio Society edition from 2001). Here's a link: Amazon.com: The Celts: Second Edition (Penguin History) (9780140250749): Nora Chadwick, Barry Cunliffe: Books. It is available in Kindle ($11.99) and soft cover (new $36.00), and there appear to be lots of used copies available cheap.

It is a comprehensive text that covers the origins of the Celts, ranging from the Celts in the 8th Century B.C. to the Celtic kingdoms in Great Britain (Wales, Scotland, Brittany, and Ireland), the Roman influence, post-Roman Britain, institutions, religions and mythology, the impact of Christianity (the Irish Church is of particular interest), and Celtic Art and Literature. In the Folio Society edition, there is also a list of recommended reading by Barry Cunliffe, who also wrote an introductory chapter for the 1997 edition, and this list of reading might be of particular interest to you.

This is not what you have requested, but it certainly shows the impact of what you are looking for, and also where it came from.

 

[Moontravler]

Thanks, Clansman. Celtic history is certainly a worthwhile read on its own. I want to ask you something though, and that is to comment on those two reviews towards the bottom of the page you linked to.

The one starts off like this:

A good introduction, but a bit dated, May 18, 2001
By Michael Martinez (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
Nora Chadwick is probably cited by every book on the Celts published since 1970. A lot of work has been done since then in archaeology and linguistics. Chadwick's view of the Celts is therefore a bit dated.

and the other one like this:

there are better, April 7, 2004
By AE (USA) - See all my reviews
I've heard a lot of criticism on this work: that is is confusing, jumbled, and out dated. But I personally have found it helpful in my studies, and enjoyable to read. However, for someone very new to the subject of the Celts, I'd recommend "Exploring the World of the Celts" by Simon James, instead.

Please don't be upset with me for pointing them out, I'm only the messenger.
I realise that this is most probably a subject dear to you, so I was just wondering what your opinion was on those comments.

Btw, do you know anything about Barry Cunliffe?

 

[Moontravler]

I just have to share this with you guys. Look what I found!!!!

Untitled Document

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I've read several of the books on that list and many of those are quite good. But if you're getting Briggs, you won't need Keightley, since they cover much the same ground and she does it better.

Those I haven't seen do intrigue me, so thanks for the link.

I have long been tickled by the idea of fairies and elves and where the idea of their existence comes from.

Here are some sites that, besides being of interest in themselves, will offer some ideas on that subject if you do a little digging around them:

SurLaLune Fairy Tales: Introduction to Fairy Tales and Folklore

About the Endicott Studio . . .

 

[Moontravler]

Thank you Teresa, I've bookmarked those. They do look interesting, and a useful resource to have

 

[Clansman]

Thanks, Clansman. Celtic history is certainly a worthwhile read on its own. I want to ask you something though, and that is to comment on those two reviews towards the bottom of the page you linked to.

The one starts off like this:

and the other one like this:

Please don't be upset with me for pointing them out, I'm only the messenger.
I realise that this is most probably a subject dear to you, so I was just wondering what your opinion was on those comments.

Btw, do you know anything about Barry Cunliffe?

Hey, I'm not upset at all (I guess my screen name is a giveaway to my origins, but it was actually chosen as an homage to the Clansmen in Janny Wurts' epic series The Wars of Light and Shadow.). I just happen to have Chadwick's book, which is dated, no question, given the recent digs in Britain, Ireland and elsewhere. But my understanding is, and this appears even in those reviews, that it is a seminal work on Celtic history and anthropology, and cannot be dismissed casually just because it is almost forty years old. This is the only book on the subject that I have, and I got it because I liked the volume in addition to the subject (it is a beautiful embossed Folio Society edition, so I could not resist). I had no idea who Nora Chadwick was when I bought it, and I have found it very readable. Its more up to date successors may be more accurate, but might be less readable. I hate, I hate, I hate dry history (and this is from a graduate in History).

Waaaay back when I was in uni, there were no celtic history courses, except a 300 level I took in my last year on the history of Ireland. I imagine that there are loads of course on celtic history, given the revival in celtic culture generally (celtic music, for instance, has had a massive revival in Canada, particularly from our Eastern-most provinces, especially Nova Scotia and Newfoundland & Labrador).

I have no idea who Barry Cunliffe is. You could probably get this book for a song in the Penguin paperback, as it appears to have been assigned reading for uni courses.

 

[GOLLUM]

Lovely, guys. Thanks so much for those online text links, Teresa. I've downloaded the texts, even though I'll be looking to purchase the originals as well.
Yes, for my current area of, er.. "investigation", I am focusing specifically on fairies and fairy-folk, but Gollum's other suggestions are also interesting and worth investigating in a general sense.

Glad I could be of some use.....

It looks as if you've got a lot of handy resources to go on with now. Of course, everyone here knows how much time Teresa likes to spend "away with the fairies", so I'm not surprised with the level of detail provided.....

Sprints past Usain Bolt on the way to underground lair....located far beneath the Misty Mountains....

P.S Do what I do following any buying spree. Wear a very thick pair of dark glasses when retrieving your CC account and think of England or maybe Faerie in this case....This community announcement was brought to you by Chrons, your home away from home where wealth and poverty are just alternate states of mind.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Why, I ask myself, is my entire bookshelf suddenly online ...

Another possible resource, Legends and Romances of Brittany, by Lewis Spence. A long chapter on the Fairies of Brittany (including a brief section on Fairy Origins). Also a chapter on Demons and Sprites of Brittany, which in another book might well be included among the Unseelie fairies.

Legends & Romances of Brittany by Lewis Spence - Project Gutenberg

with the same illustrations as my old Dover edition.

 

[GOLLUM]

Because you're The Goblin Princess?.....

Some really good resources are being quoted here, so I'll probably look at picking some of these up myself now.