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Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales
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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.
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Paperback, Penguin Popular Classics, 208 pages
Published
1997
by Penguin Books
(first published 1992)
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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.
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 ...more
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 ...more
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.
oh dear, if this book is to be believed, scotland has no good fairy tales.
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!
Its a good book to finish on one’s birthday ^^
Let it be said that the story pictured on the cover is not in the book. That is my primary complaint.
Other than that, pretty good! A nice balance between easily comprehensible English for the non-Scotsman and dialect; interesting stories; good length. Overall pretty enjoyable, though simultaneously not something unreasonably special.
Other than that, pretty good! A nice balance between easily comprehensible English for the non-Scotsman and dialect; interesting stories; good length. Overall pretty enjoyable, though simultaneously not something unreasonably special.
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.
Oct 13, 2016
Serena W. Sorrell
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mythology,
religious,
fantasy,
magic,
fairy-tales,
2016tbr,
anthology,
books-i-own,
historical
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.
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 ...more
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 ...more
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
...more
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 ...more
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 ...more
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
...more
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.
Nov 08, 2019
Carl
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
literature,
short-stories,
poetry,
fantasy,
gothic,
medieval,
children-s-literature,
fairy-tales
This collection has some of my old favorites and some of my new favorites. I love the story of Tam Lin and Tam O'Shanter, but now I know such delightful tales as the Kelpie, the Magic Walking Stick, Fairnilee, the Grey Wolf, the Lonely Giant, and so, so much more.
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.
Great fun
What an entertaining mix of poetry and prose. Wonderful tales, very different in form to what I'm accustomed to. Recommended
What an entertaining mix of poetry and prose. Wonderful tales, very different in form to what I'm accustomed to. Recommended
Highly enjoyable collection of Scottish tales. Would definitely recommend if one is looking for short, entertaining stories, many of which have lessons woven throughout them.
Just because I love fairy tales :)
This was a good little collection, some stories better than others. Good collection for bedtime reading.
The tales in this book are so addictive and astonishing...they are just what tales should be like - magical, mystical, fairy. One can learn much from them : about Scottish folklore; how were good and evil introduced into little children's minds; what kind of stories adults loved to tell at gatherings over a drink of mead...
And I just can't forget about the way it's written...well it is BRILLIANT...I don't know wether it's old english or scottish accent, but it gives the reader such a nice and ...more
And I just can't forget about the way it's written...well it is BRILLIANT...I don't know wether it's old english or scottish accent, but it gives the reader such a nice and ...more
Ever go back and read Grimm's fairy tales or some of the Greco-Roman myths and realize they were much darker and more gruesome than you thought as a kid? That is the effect of reading these Scottish origin fairy and folk tales, which at times are brutally gruesome. A nice little collection to plow through in an afternoon or piece by piece over a few weeks. Recommended for all who love fairy tales or Scottish folk tales.
Basically, if you want some good stories that are lovely, dark, and often funny, read this.
If you are looking for some narratives (late-18th century onwards, with a heavy twentieth century element)that are not crafted as explicit attempts to (re)create culture and add an antiquarian gloss, read this.
So read it. Then run around reciting Burns for a week or so, which is well-worth doing.
I adore reading fairytales before bed. It's the best way to have something lovely in mind while falling asleep without that "just one my chapter" craze that makes me stay up the whole night.
This is a great collection of tales. The storyteller's voice isn't as distinct as in other folk tales I've read, but the stories are great. My favorite is the Lonely Giant.
Enjoy!
This is a great collection of tales. The storyteller's voice isn't as distinct as in other folk tales I've read, but the stories are great. My favorite is the Lonely Giant.
Enjoy!
This is a brief and moderately entertaining collection, amusing in parts. Not thrilling though, it seems a little brief and light on the fantastic and bizarre - also nowhere near enough witchery for my taste. A good introduction but not as fabulous as other fairytale collections I've read.
I wouldn't recommend reading this as 'entertainment' but for historical/anthropological/literary purpose. Most are forgetable (the Conan Doyle one was particularly good). You would read this to see the storytelling way of olden times, and folklore of course. Not much more.
I found both folklore I know well and fairy tales I had never heard of and I enjoyed them all. There was also some actual literature in there, and it was a good mix.
If you like fairytales and folklore, go right ahead and give it a go.
If you like fairytales and folklore, go right ahead and give it a go.
Fun and quick-to-read short stories. Most all have a step-mother who is selfish and greedy. Many teach a simple lesson through folk tales and legends and usually have a happy ending.
Strange, rather unsettling book...
Some of these are not all that memorable but there are a couple of good ones in there. I especially liked The Lonely Giant - it's a genuinely funny and clever fairy tale.
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