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Elves and Fairies: A Short History of the Otherworld
256 pages, Hardcover
Published October 21, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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January 26, 2026Matthias Egeler is one of the leading scholars of Icelandic elf belief writing in English, and his history of elves and fairies accordingly starts and ends in Iceland, an island that has become indelibly associated with belief in elves in German and other European cultures, in much the same way as Ireland is associated with belief in fairies in the anglophone world. Since the publication of Diane Purkiss’ Troublesome Things (2000) it has become apparent that writing a complete history of fairy belief is virtually impossible; not only does such an endeavour run up against questions of definition (what is a fairy/elf, anyway?), but the geographical range of such beliefs is too large for a comprehensive approach to be successful (Purkiss’ book concentrated largely on Britain). Egeler’s approach is to use the phenomenon of Icelandic elf belief, ancient and modern, to frame an account of the cultural history of fairies. This is a refreshing approach, since it is all too easy for such works to fall into the trap of being little more than a history of fairies in Britain and Ireland.
The reason for this is the vast volume of material on British and Irish fairy belief compared to other nations, the intense attention that has been paid to fairies in this region, and the huge cultural success of British and Irish fairies as global cultural exports. It can thus be difficult for writers less discerning than Egeler to see past the monumental influence of the British and Irish fairy to the fact that belief in them is a broader, older, and more complex phenomenon than the images initially conjured by the word fairy might suggest. Wisely, Egeler chooses not to get bogged down in questions of definition, although he is clear that the huldufólk (‘hidden people’) of Icelandic folklore are supernatural co-inhabitants of the landscape. These inhabitants might be in possession of a little enchantment and a bit more wealth than their human counterparts, and they can be horribly vengeful; but they are essentially just neighbours who only occasionally become visible. The question at the heart of Egeler’s book is how these elves of folklore came to be transformed into the Icelandic ‘tourist fairy’ now found in the average Reykjavík giftshop, who is likely to be a tiny, cute figure with wings and perhaps a hat made of petals. Answering that question takes Egeler to medieval, early modern, and modern Britain and Ireland and then, finally, back to contemporary Iceland.
Read the rest of the review at https://www.historytoday.com/archive/...
Francis Young is a historian of religion and folklore.
The reason for this is the vast volume of material on British and Irish fairy belief compared to other nations, the intense attention that has been paid to fairies in this region, and the huge cultural success of British and Irish fairies as global cultural exports. It can thus be difficult for writers less discerning than Egeler to see past the monumental influence of the British and Irish fairy to the fact that belief in them is a broader, older, and more complex phenomenon than the images initially conjured by the word fairy might suggest. Wisely, Egeler chooses not to get bogged down in questions of definition, although he is clear that the huldufólk (‘hidden people’) of Icelandic folklore are supernatural co-inhabitants of the landscape. These inhabitants might be in possession of a little enchantment and a bit more wealth than their human counterparts, and they can be horribly vengeful; but they are essentially just neighbours who only occasionally become visible. The question at the heart of Egeler’s book is how these elves of folklore came to be transformed into the Icelandic ‘tourist fairy’ now found in the average Reykjavík giftshop, who is likely to be a tiny, cute figure with wings and perhaps a hat made of petals. Answering that question takes Egeler to medieval, early modern, and modern Britain and Ireland and then, finally, back to contemporary Iceland.
Read the rest of the review at https://www.historytoday.com/archive/...
Francis Young is a historian of religion and folklore.
February 11, 2026
“a small stream plunges over the Goðafoss Waterfall into a dark blue pool below. According to local legend, the owner of the farm there threw his statues of the ancient gods into the waterfall, following Iceland’s conversion to Christianity in the year 1000, hence it’s present name, Goðafoss, ‘Waterfall of the Gods,’”
When the Brothers Grimm began to work on their monumental German dictionary in the middle of the 19th century-at the time, it was the most comprehensive work of modern lexicography of the German language…
During the 1930s, the Republic of Ireland’s Irish folklore commission embarked on the large scale initiative that involved gathering records of folk customs and tales…. Produce some 740,000 pages of documentation immortalizing Irish traditions. One detail that occurs with a striking frequency in these records is the care that is taken in disposing of water used for personal abulations. Time and time again it is stressed in these documents that ‘ old folk’ used to be very concerned to ensure that water they had used to get washed in was removed from the house each evening before the occupants went to bed, because otherwise the building would invite the attention of the spirits of the dead— English language sources specifically use the word ‘ fairies’ here…
Among the traditions collected by Lady Gregory from the late 19th century onwards, we find repeated instances of the idea that people who have been abducted may still come back as long as they manage not to eat any of the fairies food— for only after people have tasted the food from the other world Are they lost for good.
I feel the early chapters, particularly about Icelandic and Irish folklore to be pretty interesting. I can see vestiges of these and some of the modern fantasy novels. The ladder chapters in this book the Disney type stuff I didn’t find interesting, including even the Peter Pan stuff, which seemed to be more about publication issues than about the themes that Peter Pan might represent. One other thing that was a real turn off. I thought the writing was padded, that there was a lot of things that had been said that were said again, and then reworked and said again and that 10 words were used in places where maybe four or five could’ve been used.
When the Brothers Grimm began to work on their monumental German dictionary in the middle of the 19th century-at the time, it was the most comprehensive work of modern lexicography of the German language…
During the 1930s, the Republic of Ireland’s Irish folklore commission embarked on the large scale initiative that involved gathering records of folk customs and tales…. Produce some 740,000 pages of documentation immortalizing Irish traditions. One detail that occurs with a striking frequency in these records is the care that is taken in disposing of water used for personal abulations. Time and time again it is stressed in these documents that ‘ old folk’ used to be very concerned to ensure that water they had used to get washed in was removed from the house each evening before the occupants went to bed, because otherwise the building would invite the attention of the spirits of the dead— English language sources specifically use the word ‘ fairies’ here…
Among the traditions collected by Lady Gregory from the late 19th century onwards, we find repeated instances of the idea that people who have been abducted may still come back as long as they manage not to eat any of the fairies food— for only after people have tasted the food from the other world Are they lost for good.
I feel the early chapters, particularly about Icelandic and Irish folklore to be pretty interesting. I can see vestiges of these and some of the modern fantasy novels. The ladder chapters in this book the Disney type stuff I didn’t find interesting, including even the Peter Pan stuff, which seemed to be more about publication issues than about the themes that Peter Pan might represent. One other thing that was a real turn off. I thought the writing was padded, that there was a lot of things that had been said that were said again, and then reworked and said again and that 10 words were used in places where maybe four or five could’ve been used.
February 8, 2026
Despite being written by a scholar, I found this to be a highly accessible short history of elves and fairies, focusing on Iceland, Britain and Ireland.
If you are a lover of fantasy literature, I would highly recommend this book as an intro to the origins of some of the motifs and common themes that make up the genre.
If you are a lover of fantasy literature, I would highly recommend this book as an intro to the origins of some of the motifs and common themes that make up the genre.
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October 22, 2025Elves and Fairies: A Short History of the Otherworld by Matthias Egeler is a captivating exploration of myth, belief, and imagination. Egeler weaves history, folklore, and cultural study into a seamless narrative that traces how the idea of the Otherworld has evolved through time. His approach is both scholarly and accessible, offering readers a clear view of how elves and fairies reflect the human fascination with unseen realms. This work stands out for its depth, elegance, and ability to make ancient myth feel alive and relevant today.
January 21, 2026
A neat overview of the way 'Fairies' and 'Elves', a term once interchangeable, developed from a reality in the landscape, creatures that were unpredictable, dangerous and therefore had to be treated with care to the vapid mini winged creatures of modern culture.
Egeler tries to cover history in 200 pages, and like any overview he has to leave a lot out, a fact he acknowledges. The chapter that tries to cover fairies in the fantasy literature of the twentieth century reads like an unbalanced literature review but couldn't be anything else, while the discussion of the Cottingly fairies is more a summary than an analysis.
Overall the book reads like an extended essay with an overlong conclusion.
It's interesting to read this beside Richard Sugg's 'Fairies, a dangerous history' as they both cover much the same ground (apart from Egeler's Icelandic focus). Unlike Sugg, Egeler rationalises folk belief in fairy at every opportunity. The belief in changelings is explained by as a primitive attempt to understand difference and illness; the leaving out of food is a primitive form of social welfare disguised as fairy belief.....etc.
This desire to reduce all belief and practice to a 'rational' cause might be the book's main flaw.
Egeler tries to cover history in 200 pages, and like any overview he has to leave a lot out, a fact he acknowledges. The chapter that tries to cover fairies in the fantasy literature of the twentieth century reads like an unbalanced literature review but couldn't be anything else, while the discussion of the Cottingly fairies is more a summary than an analysis.
Overall the book reads like an extended essay with an overlong conclusion.
It's interesting to read this beside Richard Sugg's 'Fairies, a dangerous history' as they both cover much the same ground (apart from Egeler's Icelandic focus). Unlike Sugg, Egeler rationalises folk belief in fairy at every opportunity. The belief in changelings is explained by as a primitive attempt to understand difference and illness; the leaving out of food is a primitive form of social welfare disguised as fairy belief.....etc.
This desire to reduce all belief and practice to a 'rational' cause might be the book's main flaw.
May 4, 2026
This was such an interesting dissection of the way that elf/fairy lore has evolved through the years - mostly focusing on Ireland and Iceland, though the author makes the point that really, any country's fairies would have followed a similar path towards the end result of an international form of fairy lore.
As someone who also prefers the older, more nuanced versions of elves and fairies, I loved seeing someone else get so passionate about the topic! He even brought up Tolkien and Lang's views on the subject matter.
Also, he called Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell as a "literary masterpiece" so I trust his judgement.
As someone who also prefers the older, more nuanced versions of elves and fairies, I loved seeing someone else get so passionate about the topic! He even brought up Tolkien and Lang's views on the subject matter.
Also, he called Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell as a "literary masterpiece" so I trust his judgement.
February 25, 2026
I see where the author was going with this book, but he kept talking in circles. Gave me a headache after the first few pages.
I will be returning this book unfortunately.
I will be returning this book unfortunately.
April 2, 2026
A perfect introduction to the subject. It is a great overview that balances scholarly research with art and literature.
If all non-fiction was written like this, I'd read way more of it.
If all non-fiction was written like this, I'd read way more of it.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews