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The Fairy Mythology
Reproduction of the The Fairy Mythology by Thomas Keightley
460 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1828
54 people are currently reading
2038 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Keightley
381 books16 followersIrish writer known for his works on mythology and folklore
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 10, 2014
Finally finished it! Enjoyed it so much. A great collection of folklore from all over the world.
I will caution: not a book to read if you're looking for something light. I was sometimes frustrated by the lack of English in certain sections. Almost all of the Spain section I couldn't read because so much of the text was in Spanish. There was a lot of German and Latin going on as well. Although I could read some of the Latin and figure out part of the French... I was completely lost in the Spanish and German. This book is definitely written for the mythologist who has dabbled in the appropriate languages. I definitely need to learn more language stuff pronto.
For those not afraid of a little non-English and looking to expand your knowledge on the literature written about Faerie-folk: I highly recommend this book.
I will caution: not a book to read if you're looking for something light. I was sometimes frustrated by the lack of English in certain sections. Almost all of the Spain section I couldn't read because so much of the text was in Spanish. There was a lot of German and Latin going on as well. Although I could read some of the Latin and figure out part of the French... I was completely lost in the Spanish and German. This book is definitely written for the mythologist who has dabbled in the appropriate languages. I definitely need to learn more language stuff pronto.
For those not afraid of a little non-English and looking to expand your knowledge on the literature written about Faerie-folk: I highly recommend this book.
November 27, 2008
I'm re-reading this for the countless time, after purchasing the very reasonably priced hard cover from Amazon.
If you enjoy faerie folklore, this is a must have. Keightley's tome was first titled "The Fairy Mythology," but when he revised and updated this 1880 originally published book, the title was later changed to "The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves, and Other Little People".
The book looks at fairy traditions from across the globe: Scandinavia, the British Isles, Germany, with folklore tales and the histories behind legends of such mythic creatures as the Kobolds, Korrigans, and the beloved brownie.
For a true fairy enthusiast, folklore buff, this makes an excellent additional to any folklore collection.
If you enjoy faerie folklore, this is a must have. Keightley's tome was first titled "The Fairy Mythology," but when he revised and updated this 1880 originally published book, the title was later changed to "The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves, and Other Little People".
The book looks at fairy traditions from across the globe: Scandinavia, the British Isles, Germany, with folklore tales and the histories behind legends of such mythic creatures as the Kobolds, Korrigans, and the beloved brownie.
For a true fairy enthusiast, folklore buff, this makes an excellent additional to any folklore collection.
April 15, 2014
Discovered this book last year in a dusty little bookshop in Oamaru, New Zealand, and really couldn't live without it now. One of the most researched and trustworthy sources of information on global folklore.
June 29, 2022
Wild ride.
June 22, 2020
"dulce est despiere in loco" -- it is pleasant to be frivolous at the appropriate time
"This turning of the coat, or some other article of dress, is found to be the surest remedy against Pixy-illusion" (301).
"A few miles from Alnwick is a fairy-ring, round which if people run more than nine times, some evil will befall them. The children constantly run this number, but nothing will induce them to venture a tenth run" (310).
"Such is the sum of what we have been able to collect respecting the popular fairy-lore of England, the largest and most complete collection that, to our knowledge, has ever been made. We might venture to add that little more is ever likely to be collected, for the sounds of the cotton-mill, the steam-engine, and, more than all, the whistle of the railway train, more powerful than any exorcists, have banished or soon will banish the fairy tribes from their accustomed haunts, and their name and their exploits will in future be found in works like the present rather than in village tradition" (314).
"This turning of the coat, or some other article of dress, is found to be the surest remedy against Pixy-illusion" (301).
"A few miles from Alnwick is a fairy-ring, round which if people run more than nine times, some evil will befall them. The children constantly run this number, but nothing will induce them to venture a tenth run" (310).
"Such is the sum of what we have been able to collect respecting the popular fairy-lore of England, the largest and most complete collection that, to our knowledge, has ever been made. We might venture to add that little more is ever likely to be collected, for the sounds of the cotton-mill, the steam-engine, and, more than all, the whistle of the railway train, more powerful than any exorcists, have banished or soon will banish the fairy tribes from their accustomed haunts, and their name and their exploits will in future be found in works like the present rather than in village tradition" (314).
July 10, 2023
A reprint of an older book that is a collection of tales from various countries and various sources concerning dwarfs, gnomes, and other creatures that fall into the general category of fairies.
Most of the stories have similar themes, regardless of their origin. One of the themes is of little people living underground who are rarely seen by humans, but occasionally when humans do see them they are compelled to stay a long time with them, often dancing to exhaustion. If such a person sees one of the little people in ordinary human society, they are often blinded in the eye with which they saw them. The little people also have a habit of stealing human children and leaving one of their own children, usually rather sickly in exchange. In most of Europe there is also a tradition that the little people left around the 16th century, and haven't been seen since.
A second type are domestic elves, who often work and steal for the family they live with, and make themselves useful, though if they are offended, they will often leave.
Most of the stories have similar themes, regardless of their origin. One of the themes is of little people living underground who are rarely seen by humans, but occasionally when humans do see them they are compelled to stay a long time with them, often dancing to exhaustion. If such a person sees one of the little people in ordinary human society, they are often blinded in the eye with which they saw them. The little people also have a habit of stealing human children and leaving one of their own children, usually rather sickly in exchange. In most of Europe there is also a tradition that the little people left around the 16th century, and haven't been seen since.
A second type are domestic elves, who often work and steal for the family they live with, and make themselves useful, though if they are offended, they will often leave.
February 12, 2021
The cover looks prissy. It isn’t really, there’s trolls and Norse gods and enough monsters to keep you busy. This book is well-researched, complete, and even supplies analysis of folk tales. I read stories out of it to my brother, who is the sort of kid who reads the Mabinogion cover to cover, and he agrees that this is a good book.
October 28, 2020
Amazing wealth of fairy folklore, including original tales and references. The best part is that it connects different fairy species across countries such as Brownies and Kobolds. Perfect for my needs and definitely a keeper on my bookshelf.
October 19, 2024
A captivating and well-written foray into the realms of the fey. Subdivided into geographic categories, The World Guide To Gnomes, Fairies, Elves And Other Little People explores the similarities and differences between different fey folk from traditions across the glove. Delving also into etymology and some of the author's personal recollections of encountering tales of the fair folk, with complete fables scattered throughout, this scholarly and earnest tome is a beguiling read from beginning to end.
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March 30, 2024I think my favorite part was definitely when Keightley decided to include his own and his friends' personal poetry in the appendix.
May 7, 2015
It's a credit to Thomas Keightley's "World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves & Other Little People" that it's still a relevant mythologic source today, over a hundred years after it was first published. The stories, explanations and legends are still as informative as they were in 1880, although they are rather restricted.
Okay, "World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves and Other Little People" sounds like a cutesy title for a Brian Froud-illustrated book. And it's a rather lightweight title for a book with genuine merit -- especially the "little people" part of it, since the elves, fey and gnomes in here are anything but dainty Victorian fairies.
Instead, Keightley focuses on traditional goblins, dwarves and elves -- Scandinavian trolls and beautiful alfar, Germanic Zwerge and kobolds, British fairies, Celtic spirits and seal-men, and the epic sagas that greatly influenced early fantasy authors like J.R.R. Tolkien and George MacDonald. Take a look at the chapter on the "Eddas and Sagas," and it's hard not to think of Middle Earth.
Its one flaw is that it's restricted mostly to Europe -- there's a brief chapter on African superstitions, and one for Judaistic ones, and for Persian ones, et cetera. Other than that, nothing that originates outside Europe. While it's understandable, considering the time that Keightley lived in, it's hard not to wonder if he couldn't have found out at least a few other cultural legends.
However, this is a rich source for European myths and legends, especially since Keightley obviously did his research. He includes snippets of untranslated poetry, ballads, and footnotes detailing migratory myths and differing versions. He also summarizes some of the denser material like the two Eddas, which are extremely long and sometimes difficult.
Though Thomas Keightley wrote this a hundred and twenty-five years ago, "The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves and Other Little People" is still a valuable and informative resource for anyone interested in European myths and legends. So ignore the title.
Okay, "World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves and Other Little People" sounds like a cutesy title for a Brian Froud-illustrated book. And it's a rather lightweight title for a book with genuine merit -- especially the "little people" part of it, since the elves, fey and gnomes in here are anything but dainty Victorian fairies.
Instead, Keightley focuses on traditional goblins, dwarves and elves -- Scandinavian trolls and beautiful alfar, Germanic Zwerge and kobolds, British fairies, Celtic spirits and seal-men, and the epic sagas that greatly influenced early fantasy authors like J.R.R. Tolkien and George MacDonald. Take a look at the chapter on the "Eddas and Sagas," and it's hard not to think of Middle Earth.
Its one flaw is that it's restricted mostly to Europe -- there's a brief chapter on African superstitions, and one for Judaistic ones, and for Persian ones, et cetera. Other than that, nothing that originates outside Europe. While it's understandable, considering the time that Keightley lived in, it's hard not to wonder if he couldn't have found out at least a few other cultural legends.
However, this is a rich source for European myths and legends, especially since Keightley obviously did his research. He includes snippets of untranslated poetry, ballads, and footnotes detailing migratory myths and differing versions. He also summarizes some of the denser material like the two Eddas, which are extremely long and sometimes difficult.
Though Thomas Keightley wrote this a hundred and twenty-five years ago, "The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves and Other Little People" is still a valuable and informative resource for anyone interested in European myths and legends. So ignore the title.
August 10, 2019
My library has an electronic copy of an 1884 edition with a handwritten note on the title page, which was fun to read. After a few pages you are able to slide into the dry rhythm and are given glimpses into various regions and the origin of the fairies as we come to know them.
An interesting read for anyone curious about fairies. Yes this was written over one hundred years ago so the POV speaks to their time, but the nuggets of information are fun to find. And I am now more curious about Persian history.
An interesting read for anyone curious about fairies. Yes this was written over one hundred years ago so the POV speaks to their time, but the nuggets of information are fun to find. And I am now more curious about Persian history.
November 17, 2016
I bought this book 30 years ago in a now disappeared 2nd hand book shop in Guildford Surrey. I came across it in the 1880 edition, 'Fairy mythology', which was showing its age even then. Three decades on and the covers are falling off and it's in a sad way. Nevertheless, I still go to it as a vital source of reference on fairy lore around the world. It's a global encyclopaedia from which I have regularly stolen for my own fairy stories. Well worth finding a copy, in whatever version!
March 3, 2010
An historic and philological treatment of fairy mythology. Globally far-reaching but with greatest focus, perhaps, on Britain.
It demands more of the reader than most texts assembled in the following (20th) century yet manages to interest and entertain.
It demands more of the reader than most texts assembled in the following (20th) century yet manages to interest and entertain.
January 23, 2010
I read large selections of this as part of ongoing research for *cough* fanfiction. Learned a lot in the process, too. I didn't realize how much Shakespeare fairy mythology was taken from Spenser, who in turn took it from Teutonic legends of the Erl-King, or the French tale of Huon de Bordeaux.
November 4, 2011
A must read for those interested in folklore.
November 6, 2020
My first true book on faeries, checked out from the library at age 8. Definitely took me a few reads to understand a lot of it.
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February 18, 2023I feel this is a great book especially for those who are centering their fairy focus on the 19th-century/Victorian era
October 27, 2008
Almost completely focuses on European fairy lore and a bit dry, but lots of information.
Read
July 14, 2018I like how this book went over every cultures versions of fairy's gnomes among other creatures though i do admit it was hard to read some parts as they are in langauges i do not know regardless the stories and mythology is great :)
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews