Lucy Cooper's Blog

Once upon a time, in my great aunts’ attic I found an old book… It had belonged to my great-great-uncle. Between its covers, I discovered a world of wild old Cornish tales, where mischievous piskies, shape-shifting spriggans, and a host of giants, witches, saints, demons and fairies still roamed the land. To celebrate World Book […]

February 1st marks Imbolc. A time to celebrate the coming of the light. Falling between the winter solstice, when the days are at their shortest, and the spring equinox, when day and night are of equal length, the festival of Imbolc marks the halfway point to spring and the return of the light in the […]

October 31st marks the ancient festival of Samhain. Atime for reflection. Falling on October 31st, between the autumn equinox and winter solstice, the festival of Samhain takes its name from sam, meaning “summer,” and fuin, meaning “end.” It marks the end of summer and the beginning of a new cycle of the Celtic year. […]

The Fairies arecurrently on vacation, visiting their cousins in New Zealand. So here’s a sneak peek at the fairies of Maori mythology… Patupaiarehe (Also pakepakeha, turehu.) Fairy-like creatures in Maori mythology. Dwelling in the forests or on misty mountaintops, the Patupaiarehe were described as pale-skinned beings with reddish or golden hair. The Tuhoe tribe described […]

From outdoor theatre to the Museum of Witchcraft, headless horsemen, Penzance LitFest and giant rock pools – we’ve been talking to our friends at Red Welly, Yellow Welly about a few of our favourite (Cornish) things… Head over to Red Welly Yellow Welly to read the full interview with Lucy Cooper, author of The Element […]

Today, the image of a fairy that most readily springs to mind is of a delicate little winged creature like Tinkerbell from J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan.However, this was not how our ancestors envisaged fairies. Through the ages fairies have been through many transformations, shapeshifting via the mouths of storytellers and the quills of playwrights […]

The Fairies have been spotted sharing shelf space with Katharine Briggs, Joseph Campbell and Marina Warner. Not to mention Beowulf and a collection of Nelson Mandela’s favourite African folktales. Briggs, Campbell and Warner are giants in the field of folklore. Authors, folklorists, mythologists, and scholars – their work has inspired and guided countless explorers […]

We’re delighted to say that The Element Encyclopedia of Fairies is now available from the Joseph Campbell Foundation online bookstore. Fans of folklore, fairy tales and myth will find plenty to fuel the mind and spark the imagination in the JCF collection. From myths for children to journeys into dreams and the subconscious. Delve into […]

On Friday we were at Newlyn Art Gallery for an evening of fireside storytelling as part of the gallery’s Newlyn Nights late night opening events. We set up the Wishing Tree and invited visitors to the gallery to share their heart’s desires. There were wishes for peace and happiness, holidays, pets, a peaceful garden to […]

A sneak peek at some of the denizens of fairyland you’ll meet in The Element Encyclopedia of Fairies… #7 Strangers, the A Lincolnshire term for fairies. Other Lincolnshire names for the fairies included greencoaties, tiddy ones, and yarthkins. People often used euphemistic terms to talk about the fairies, for they were said to become angered […]