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Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales
This is a collection of Scottish fairy tales, folk tales and legends, which have been passed on from generation to generation, and have been brought together in this one volume.
199 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
August 17, 2025
A mixed bag of prose and poem, English and Scots. Most aimed at younger readers and some so slight and short they are over before they even begin. I would have enjoyed a more adult-orientated take on the tales with more detail added. A good introduction to the subject though.
July 5, 2013
Loved it! it is very rollicking to read each story, on each passing day just before going to sleep. anyone who is interested in something which is anent Scotland, should do this daily routine. You'll see, you shall be blissful and I deem you will go back to your childhood since you can find some little pieces which belong to the gigantic wall of the mythical, legendary cliches, no matter where you have come from.
December 22, 2012
This tiny little thing of a book is adorable!
Firstly I adored the graphic representation of the Scottish accent - “aboot” (about), “leddy” (lady), “oot” (out), “ain” (one), “banes” (bones), and so many others -, I believe it added a feeling of hearing the story directly from a Scottish person.
Secondly, most of the writing really is in a “story telling” style – “There was once a Scottish laird whose name was Graham”, “In those days, Thomas was a well-known local character”, etc. – which obviously takes you back to when you were a child hearing adults telling stories.
Thirdly, I liked the violence. Some of these stories are versions of some commonly known stories, like the princess who kisses the frog and it turns into a handsome prince. Well, here, she chops off its head with an axe :D
I am sure I will return to this book to re-read some of its stories and, more importantly, it put a smile on my face.
Firstly I adored the graphic representation of the Scottish accent - “aboot” (about), “leddy” (lady), “oot” (out), “ain” (one), “banes” (bones), and so many others -, I believe it added a feeling of hearing the story directly from a Scottish person.
Secondly, most of the writing really is in a “story telling” style – “There was once a Scottish laird whose name was Graham”, “In those days, Thomas was a well-known local character”, etc. – which obviously takes you back to when you were a child hearing adults telling stories.
Thirdly, I liked the violence. Some of these stories are versions of some commonly known stories, like the princess who kisses the frog and it turns into a handsome prince. Well, here, she chops off its head with an axe :D
I am sure I will return to this book to re-read some of its stories and, more importantly, it put a smile on my face.
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September 22, 2024DNF 63%
Brukar inte DNFa böcker men till me varför Skottländska sagor är så boring? Inte det här man behöver i en slump..😶🌫️
Brukar inte DNFa böcker men till me varför Skottländska sagor är så boring? Inte det här man behöver i en slump..😶🌫️
January 5, 2024
The best collection of Scottish folk tales I've read so far. This one has both traditional and modern (19-20th century) entries from a wide range of authors. There's some wee bairnies' fables, narrative poems, and plenty of supernatural short stories ranging from the dark to the satirical to the whimsical.
Two stories stood out specially to me. 'The Grey Wolf' (George MacDonald) is a short, eerie tale about a young man who's taken in from a storm by an old woman and her daughter. It's beautifully written with subtle religious imagery and themes of wildness and lust. 'The Man in the Lochan' (Eona MacNicol) is a story of a wee village girl who befriends an old woman who's longing for an old lover. The prose is laden with nostalgia. It feels autobiographical though it shouldn't. And the ending is sweetly melancholy.
Two stories stood out specially to me. 'The Grey Wolf' (George MacDonald) is a short, eerie tale about a young man who's taken in from a storm by an old woman and her daughter. It's beautifully written with subtle religious imagery and themes of wildness and lust. 'The Man in the Lochan' (Eona MacNicol) is a story of a wee village girl who befriends an old woman who's longing for an old lover. The prose is laden with nostalgia. It feels autobiographical though it shouldn't. And the ending is sweetly melancholy.
September 29, 2023
You can take a gal out of Scotland, but you can't take Scotland out of the gal.
A fantastical and various read with segments written in Scots. An enchanted walking stick, seas that make giants grow small, brownies, kelpies, mermaids, adventures with the "good folk," and acorns used to bribe magical creatures. What more could one wish for?
A fantastical and various read with segments written in Scots. An enchanted walking stick, seas that make giants grow small, brownies, kelpies, mermaids, adventures with the "good folk," and acorns used to bribe magical creatures. What more could one wish for?
May 24, 2012
oh dear, if this book is to be believed, scotland has no good fairy tales.
December 15, 2025
Bought this book on a trip to Scotland in order to get introduced to the folklore of this part of the world and (obviously) really liked it!!
Most of the tales are compressed as to offer a great variety of stories that the reader can further explore on its own. But I found that approach perfect to non-Scottish readers like myself! (honourable mention to the number of slang I learned and the written Scottish accent I had to decipher)
Most of the tales are compressed as to offer a great variety of stories that the reader can further explore on its own. But I found that approach perfect to non-Scottish readers like myself! (honourable mention to the number of slang I learned and the written Scottish accent I had to decipher)
January 12, 2018
This is a delightful collection of Scottish tales. My favorite was "The Gold of Fairnilee," a Victorian-era fairy tale that incorporates many of the Medieval and ancient Scottish themes of faeries and enchanted wells. Highly recommended!
November 20, 2022
Eerie tales of faries, kelpies, browines and others whose mischevious ways help and hinder alike. A number of these were in Scots which was usually understandable by reading aloud where footnotes lacked. Some well known names have entries including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Robert Louis Stevenson in addition to the Robert Burns and John Buchan of the title. I enjoyed many of the tales but none really stood out for me.
February 20, 2024
Loved the rustic atmosphere and all of the kelpies, brownies, and faeries.
Favorites:
The Magic Walking-Stick - loved the narrative style!
The Gold of Fairnilee - a classic folktale with a lovely message.
Favorites:
The Magic Walking-Stick - loved the narrative style!
The Gold of Fairnilee - a classic folktale with a lovely message.
October 6, 2021
A delightful easy read, a gift of traditional tales and some new. Ideal for adults and children, good bedtime reading and reading to share for entertainment and discussion on moral thinking and values etc.
July 3, 2025
Delightful!
June 23, 2015
It was a good enough book of fairy tales and an easy read. But, I think it is probably a bit more geared towards children. That said, a couple of stories were better than the others. Tam Lin was a good one, as was The Gold of Fairnlee. My favorite two though were Assipattle and the Mester Stoorworm and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Through The Veil. It's worth a read if you like fairy and folk tales, but not the best collection I've read.
September 17, 2019
3.5 Stars.
A fun and diverting read, but apart from the one long fairytale towards the end nothing that really stuck with me. I'm certain Scottish folklore has more to offer, still. Interesting to see the similarities to some of the Grimm's fairytales and the structure and elements of the genre in itself.
A fun and diverting read, but apart from the one long fairytale towards the end nothing that really stuck with me. I'm certain Scottish folklore has more to offer, still. Interesting to see the similarities to some of the Grimm's fairytales and the structure and elements of the genre in itself.
April 12, 2017
Ich wette, dass es da draußen noch weitaus schönere Sammlungen schottischer Märchen und Volkssagen geben muss, denn diese Anthologie war eher eine Enttäuschung. Es gab leider nur ein paar wenige Geschichten, die mir gut gefallen haben, während der Rest langweilig und/oder schlecht geschrieben war.
March 29, 2017
A good book of folk and fairy tales, but nothing spectacular or unusual. A few duds. It got a bit bogged down with the "keys" on so many pages.
Not bad for a cheap used book.
Not bad for a cheap used book.
October 22, 2018
I’m trying to start reading more fairytales, in hopes that it will inspire me to start writing again. Since I have very little experience with Scottish fairytales, I thought this book would be a good way to read a few of them!
Scottish Folk and Fairytales is a collection of Scottish fairy tales, both ancient and modern. It’s got a nice mix of poems and short stories, and there’s also quite a bit of Scots inside. Luckily, there’s a dictionary at the back of the book, so it’s possible to slowly read the stories and understand what they’re about.
The first two stories in the book: The Milk-White Doo and The Well O’ The World’s End reminds me of two German tales: The Juniper Tree and The Frog Prince. But, both stories have their own take on the tale – in particular, I found The Well O’ The World’s End to be very charming, and the girl isn’t a brat who threw the frog, she’s someone who overcame her disgust and followed instructions (albeit unwillingly) and was rewarded for it. There are a few other stories in the book which have similar tropes to fairy tales from other stories, but I suppose that stories have influenced and been influenced by each other through the years, so I shouldn’t be too surprised at the similarities.
Other tales that made an impression on me were:
Tam Lin: a poem that took me two tries and a Wikipedia to understand, but had a very magical ring to it (and it was worth the effort to read it)
Assipattle and the Mester Stoorworm: This has echoes of Andromeda, with a princess being chosen as a sacrifice to a sea serpent. But Assipattle found out how to ride his father’s magic horse and with his wits, he will defeat the sea serpent.
The Grey Wolf: As expected from George MacDonald (I really should read more of his work), this is a haunting and mysterious tale. Notes at the end describe this as a reverse Red Riding Hood and I totally agree.
Through The Veil: I didn’t know about Arthur Conan Doyle’s connections with the Scots, but he wrote an interesting story where the past and present almost meet.
The Lonely Giant: A very cute tale about a giant who has friends, but wants to meet someone his own size because it’s hard to carry out a relationship when you’re continually laughing at the ridiculous measures you need to take in order to talk to someone. The twist was pretty heartwarming too.
All in all, I really enjoyed this collection of Scottish tales. It’s got a nice balance between the mysterious, sometimes dark fairy stories and heartwarming tales of kindly good folk. I also really enjoyed the language used. Makes me want to do a deep dive into Scottish tales, but I’ve got a few more queued up so it shall have to wait.
This review was first posted here
Scottish Folk and Fairytales is a collection of Scottish fairy tales, both ancient and modern. It’s got a nice mix of poems and short stories, and there’s also quite a bit of Scots inside. Luckily, there’s a dictionary at the back of the book, so it’s possible to slowly read the stories and understand what they’re about.
The first two stories in the book: The Milk-White Doo and The Well O’ The World’s End reminds me of two German tales: The Juniper Tree and The Frog Prince. But, both stories have their own take on the tale – in particular, I found The Well O’ The World’s End to be very charming, and the girl isn’t a brat who threw the frog, she’s someone who overcame her disgust and followed instructions (albeit unwillingly) and was rewarded for it. There are a few other stories in the book which have similar tropes to fairy tales from other stories, but I suppose that stories have influenced and been influenced by each other through the years, so I shouldn’t be too surprised at the similarities.
Other tales that made an impression on me were:
Tam Lin: a poem that took me two tries and a Wikipedia to understand, but had a very magical ring to it (and it was worth the effort to read it)
Assipattle and the Mester Stoorworm: This has echoes of Andromeda, with a princess being chosen as a sacrifice to a sea serpent. But Assipattle found out how to ride his father’s magic horse and with his wits, he will defeat the sea serpent.
The Grey Wolf: As expected from George MacDonald (I really should read more of his work), this is a haunting and mysterious tale. Notes at the end describe this as a reverse Red Riding Hood and I totally agree.
Through The Veil: I didn’t know about Arthur Conan Doyle’s connections with the Scots, but he wrote an interesting story where the past and present almost meet.
The Lonely Giant: A very cute tale about a giant who has friends, but wants to meet someone his own size because it’s hard to carry out a relationship when you’re continually laughing at the ridiculous measures you need to take in order to talk to someone. The twist was pretty heartwarming too.
All in all, I really enjoyed this collection of Scottish tales. It’s got a nice balance between the mysterious, sometimes dark fairy stories and heartwarming tales of kindly good folk. I also really enjoyed the language used. Makes me want to do a deep dive into Scottish tales, but I’ve got a few more queued up so it shall have to wait.
This review was first posted here
October 20, 2021
English review below the Greek one...
Έχει πλάκα, τουλάχιστον για εμένα, να διαβάζω για τους θρύλους, τους μύθους και τα παραμύθια διάφορων λαών. Οι ομοιότητες και οι διαφορές στις παραδόσεις του κόσμου έχουν το ενδιαφέρον τους. Εδώ βρήκα αρκετές ιστορίες που είχα διαβάσει παλιότερα, κάποιες καινούριες και μία οικεία θεματολογία στις περισσότερες από αυτές.
Προσωπικά βρήκα εντάξει αλλά λίγο βαρετά τα παραμύθια που παρουσιάζουν μονίμως τις γυναίκες σαν κακές ζηλιάρες μάγισσες ή σαν πανέμορφες παρθένες που υπάρχουν κι αναπνέουν περιμένοντας τον πρίγκηπα, ωστόσο οι υπόλοιπες ιστορίες μου αρέσαν, άλλες λιγότερο κι άλλες περισσότερο. Ξωτικά, νεράιδες, θαλάσσια τέρατα, γοργόνοι, λυκάνθρωποι, δαιμόνια της λίμνης, πηγές των ευχών, θησαυρούς, μυστήριες εμφανίσεις και εξαφανίσεις, γίγαντες, αναμνήσεις από προηγούμενες ζωές, απ΄όλα έχει ο μπαξές.
Είναι μία πολύ αξιοπρεπής συλλογή που διαβάζεται άνετα σε έναν απόγευμα ή μια ιστορία μια στο τόσο ανάλογα με τα γούστα του καθενός. Το ευχαριστήθηκα.
This was a very decent collection of short stories. It's always fun to see how several myths, legends and fairy-tales are more or less similar all over the world or how others are very regional or take a very regional character. I've read some of those stories before, some were new to me, the concepts of most of them were familiar.
I think I enjoyed most The Lonely Giant by Alasdair MacLean not so much about the theme but because of the witty narration, Through The Veil by Arthur Conan Doyle was a nice re-read due to its theme and had potential to develop into a longer story, the themes of people kidnapped by the fairies are always fun -and Andrew Lang felt he had to include most elements of such paranormal in the longer story of the book, The Gold of Fairnilee- , while stories about kelpies, brownies, sea monsters, werewolfs and mermen are always fun.
Still decent but less keen to me are the fairytales that present all the female characters like jealous evil witches or dump beautiful young virgins waiting to become some prince's award.
All in all, a pretty fun book easy to read in one afternoon or every now and then depending on your mood!
Έχει πλάκα, τουλάχιστον για εμένα, να διαβάζω για τους θρύλους, τους μύθους και τα παραμύθια διάφορων λαών. Οι ομοιότητες και οι διαφορές στις παραδόσεις του κόσμου έχουν το ενδιαφέρον τους. Εδώ βρήκα αρκετές ιστορίες που είχα διαβάσει παλιότερα, κάποιες καινούριες και μία οικεία θεματολογία στις περισσότερες από αυτές.
Προσωπικά βρήκα εντάξει αλλά λίγο βαρετά τα παραμύθια που παρουσιάζουν μονίμως τις γυναίκες σαν κακές ζηλιάρες μάγισσες ή σαν πανέμορφες παρθένες που υπάρχουν κι αναπνέουν περιμένοντας τον πρίγκηπα, ωστόσο οι υπόλοιπες ιστορίες μου αρέσαν, άλλες λιγότερο κι άλλες περισσότερο. Ξωτικά, νεράιδες, θαλάσσια τέρατα, γοργόνοι, λυκάνθρωποι, δαιμόνια της λίμνης, πηγές των ευχών, θησαυρούς, μυστήριες εμφανίσεις και εξαφανίσεις, γίγαντες, αναμνήσεις από προηγούμενες ζωές, απ΄όλα έχει ο μπαξές.
Είναι μία πολύ αξιοπρεπής συλλογή που διαβάζεται άνετα σε έναν απόγευμα ή μια ιστορία μια στο τόσο ανάλογα με τα γούστα του καθενός. Το ευχαριστήθηκα.
This was a very decent collection of short stories. It's always fun to see how several myths, legends and fairy-tales are more or less similar all over the world or how others are very regional or take a very regional character. I've read some of those stories before, some were new to me, the concepts of most of them were familiar.
I think I enjoyed most The Lonely Giant by Alasdair MacLean not so much about the theme but because of the witty narration, Through The Veil by Arthur Conan Doyle was a nice re-read due to its theme and had potential to develop into a longer story, the themes of people kidnapped by the fairies are always fun -and Andrew Lang felt he had to include most elements of such paranormal in the longer story of the book, The Gold of Fairnilee- , while stories about kelpies, brownies, sea monsters, werewolfs and mermen are always fun.
Still decent but less keen to me are the fairytales that present all the female characters like jealous evil witches or dump beautiful young virgins waiting to become some prince's award.
All in all, a pretty fun book easy to read in one afternoon or every now and then depending on your mood!
January 13, 2022
For the most part I liked this collection of stories. The only thing that wasn't as good was the story about Randal and his family. The writer of this story claimed the boy lived alone, but he also had his parents, a nanny and other servants and then he had Janie a little later and other children to play with. As the retainers had kidnapped Janie I don't know how later they found out her name if they had indeed set fire to her family's home. Nor how after the absence of ten years Randal marries Janie they have a family and yet somehow their house is derelict? The end of the story makes it seem that the family line continued even though at the beginning it made it seem like it shouldn't have been? Other than that this was a very interesting collection.
February 9, 2018
Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales is a pretty good book. The book has about 20 stories in it. My favorite story was The Milk-White Doo which is about a young boy turning into a doo and pulling a prank on his mean Step-mother. The story uses a lot of old English and words that aren’t used that much anymore so sometimes it’s hard to understand. You have to at least be slightly into fairytales or folklore to like this book or you aren’t gonna have a fun time reading it. That’s why I gave it a 3/5 because I think folklore can be I retesting sometimes. Else you get bored with all the meanings and representation and morals. Overall it wasn’t a terrible book and it wasn’t a super great book.
October 8, 2018
Some of the stories have a familiar feel to them.
Gold-tree and Silver-tree brought forward thoughts of Snow White and I've read several iterations of Tam Lin.
I think my favorite story in this collection is The Lonely Giant by Alasdair MacLean which is about...you guessed it! a lonely giant. It's a predictable tale, so one that you already know what will happen and how it will end. But it was sweet.
Overall, I can't say that I was enthralled or impressed by the collection, but it was interesting and I'm glad I got to read them. :)
Gold-tree and Silver-tree brought forward thoughts of Snow White and I've read several iterations of Tam Lin.
I think my favorite story in this collection is The Lonely Giant by Alasdair MacLean which is about...you guessed it! a lonely giant. It's a predictable tale, so one that you already know what will happen and how it will end. But it was sweet.
Overall, I can't say that I was enthralled or impressed by the collection, but it was interesting and I'm glad I got to read them. :)
February 13, 2019
It took me about a month to read through this book. I truly enjoyed the stories. I like short stories and fairy tales. These were very fun to read. And, the shortness of each story made it easy for me to read real quick for a short break between getting things done for work or at home. I don't know that I could pick my favorite. I really liked the one where the girl cut off the frog's head, as it made me laugh. Really, the girl was just disgusted by the frog, but felt obligated out of politeness to do the earlier things it requested. I think she was relieved to get rid of it. :)
July 25, 2023
After reading a book about Native American folklore, and German folklore, I decided to try some Scottish tales too.
I read this book in bits and pieces, spanning over a course of 6 months. I honestly skipped over most of the Scottish poetry and dived more into the folktales. Interestingly how the fairies go from good to evil, which is common in Native American folklore too.
I'd love to read this book transcribed fully into modern English, and I'd likely be more inclined to give it a fourth star.
I read this book in bits and pieces, spanning over a course of 6 months. I honestly skipped over most of the Scottish poetry and dived more into the folktales. Interestingly how the fairies go from good to evil, which is common in Native American folklore too.
I'd love to read this book transcribed fully into modern English, and I'd likely be more inclined to give it a fourth star.
December 30, 2025
Amazing stories. I admit that I needed to be in the right headspace each time I read because sometimes the repetition (in a single story) made it a bit difficult to follow without getting sleepy. I realize that a lot of these stories have been passed down orally and tried to imagine someone telling me each tale with the pauses, drama, facial expressions, etc... I know the repetition would work beautifully that way.
It's not a book to read in one sitting (hence why it took me so long). Each section and story is to be savored and mulled over.
It's not a book to read in one sitting (hence why it took me so long). Each section and story is to be savored and mulled over.
August 24, 2021
Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales was a pleasing collection of stories covering a range of styles and themes. My personal preference was for the tales in the opening section, as well as the longer work
"The Gold of Fairnilee". But there will be something here to appeal to everyone, and it is interesting to see how the tales both differ and correlate with such stories from other areas in the UK and other countries. A worthwhile addition to the library of any folklore devotee.
"The Gold of Fairnilee". But there will be something here to appeal to everyone, and it is interesting to see how the tales both differ and correlate with such stories from other areas in the UK and other countries. A worthwhile addition to the library of any folklore devotee.
July 26, 2018
The first part of the book was filled with quite traditional fairy tales that were very enjoyable to read as a break from the negativity and stress of the modern world- for a few minutes it was okay to think and feel like a child again. The later stories were enjoyable as well, but, for whatever reason, did not have the same nostalgia factor for me.
April 12, 2024
All the stars.
FINALLY something I can wholeheartedly say was excellent cover to cover.
I loved every single entry.
I read the longest tale last, and the fairy vibes and mystical magical presence was wonderful. I loved everything about this.
This edition is stunning too, floppy and the font is great.
FINALLY something I can wholeheartedly say was excellent cover to cover.
I loved every single entry.
I read the longest tale last, and the fairy vibes and mystical magical presence was wonderful. I loved everything about this.
This edition is stunning too, floppy and the font is great.
July 3, 2025
These were pretty fun and all stories I'd never heard before. The Magic-Lore part was my favorite, but I also enjoyed Assinpattle and Mester Stoorworm from the Giants and Monsters part.
Reading this tiny bits at a time during my daughter's lessons was OK since most of the stories were short enough to finish in a sitting.
Reading this tiny bits at a time during my daughter's lessons was OK since most of the stories were short enough to finish in a sitting.
September 18, 2019
Not good, not bad, just a little disappointing. A compendium of short stories, fairy tales and poems collected from the Scottish cannon. Worth a read if you are new to the genre, but best avoided if you are well versed in Celtic fairy tales. The first section is more ghost stories than fairy tales. This is a book that you can dip in and out of but not compelling enough to read cover to cover.
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