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Popular Tales of the West Highlands, Volumes I - IV: A Four-Volume Collection of Scottish Folklore Translated from Gaelic
Volume I
This volume has many stories which have been anthologized elsewhere, as well as the extensive introduction which not only serves to introduce Scottish folklore, but as a prolegomena to the study of oral folklore in general.
Volume II
This volume is a continuation of the same sort of material in volume I, presenting folklore which has themes and motifs similar to other northern European traditions (and, of course, world folklore), albeit in a Scottish setting. Towards the end Campbell includes two unique tales, The Fair Gruagach, Son of the King of Eirinn, and The Knight of the Red Shield. These appear to be true remnants of ancient Celtic or pre-Celtic mythopoetic texts, and have a narrative structure and prose style that are radically different than previous material. Also of interest are the endnotes to The Smith and the Fairies, (see this and following files), which have a summary of the regional Fairy lore of West Scotland.
Volume III
This volume is less 'fairy tale' oriented than the previous two volumes, and includes several significant pieces of poetry, including the The Lay of the Diarmaid, The Yellow Muilearteach, The Lay of the Great Fool, and the The Lay of Osgar. These have been transcribed in both English and Gaelic, and the Gaelic text of these lays is included in the etext. The longest tale so far, the Story of Conall Gulban, is found in this volume. Also of interest are the (fairly transparent) pagan mythological themes in many of the pieces in this volume.
Volume IV
This volume is essentially an extended appendix to the previous three volumes, containing commentary, documentation, and analysis, particularly a rousing defense of Scottish poetry, art, music, dress, and the Gaelic language. At the time had Scotland been subdued by Britain for several centuries, and was considered a backwards, peripheral area without much in the way of culture, and one of Campbell's goals was to provide a counterweight to this chauvinism. He has only dropped hints about this in the previous three volumes--now the gloves come off.
This volume has many stories which have been anthologized elsewhere, as well as the extensive introduction which not only serves to introduce Scottish folklore, but as a prolegomena to the study of oral folklore in general.
Volume II
This volume is a continuation of the same sort of material in volume I, presenting folklore which has themes and motifs similar to other northern European traditions (and, of course, world folklore), albeit in a Scottish setting. Towards the end Campbell includes two unique tales, The Fair Gruagach, Son of the King of Eirinn, and The Knight of the Red Shield. These appear to be true remnants of ancient Celtic or pre-Celtic mythopoetic texts, and have a narrative structure and prose style that are radically different than previous material. Also of interest are the endnotes to The Smith and the Fairies, (see this and following files), which have a summary of the regional Fairy lore of West Scotland.
Volume III
This volume is less 'fairy tale' oriented than the previous two volumes, and includes several significant pieces of poetry, including the The Lay of the Diarmaid, The Yellow Muilearteach, The Lay of the Great Fool, and the The Lay of Osgar. These have been transcribed in both English and Gaelic, and the Gaelic text of these lays is included in the etext. The longest tale so far, the Story of Conall Gulban, is found in this volume. Also of interest are the (fairly transparent) pagan mythological themes in many of the pieces in this volume.
Volume IV
This volume is essentially an extended appendix to the previous three volumes, containing commentary, documentation, and analysis, particularly a rousing defense of Scottish poetry, art, music, dress, and the Gaelic language. At the time had Scotland been subdued by Britain for several centuries, and was considered a backwards, peripheral area without much in the way of culture, and one of Campbell's goals was to provide a counterweight to this chauvinism. He has only dropped hints about this in the previous three volumes--now the gloves come off.
1740 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1860
About the author
John Francis Campbell
120 books7 followersJohn Francis Campbell (Scottish Gaelic: Iain Frangan Caimbeul), also known as Young John of Islay (Scottish Gaelic: Iain Òg Ìle), was a Scottish author and scholar who specialised in Celtic studies. He was an authority on Celtic folklore and of the Gaelic peoples. He also invented a sunshine recorder that bears his name as the Campbell-Stokes recorder. He was heir to the island of Islay, until his father was forced to sell his estate in 1847.
With the assistance of contemporary scholars, such as Hector MacLean, Hector Urquhart, John Dewar and Alexander Carmichael, Campbell amassed a vast collection of original manuscripts related to Gaelic language and literature, which was later published as Popular Tales of the West Highlands (1860 - 62).
With the assistance of contemporary scholars, such as Hector MacLean, Hector Urquhart, John Dewar and Alexander Carmichael, Campbell amassed a vast collection of original manuscripts related to Gaelic language and literature, which was later published as Popular Tales of the West Highlands (1860 - 62).
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
August 14, 2022
This book is a collection of folklore from the West Highlands of Scotland. It covers several different types of stories, including fairytales, legends, and ghost stories. The tales are translated from Gaelic into English with minimal editing, so they retain the flavor and cadence of the original storyteller.
The illustrations are beautiful and help to bring the stories to life. They include images that make it easy for children to understand what's happening in each scene; this helps them learn more quickly while they're reading. The color palette is bright and bold—it reflects the joyousness of these tales, which are meant to be enjoyed by all ages.
The plot is engaging and easy to follow. Each story has a beginning, middle, and end—and many include moral lessons or warnings about how you should act in order to avoid bad things happening to you (such as being burned alive by an angry dragon). There is also a lot of humor mixed in with these tales: at one point, an old woman throws her shoe at someone because she didn't like how he'd said something mean about her cooking;
The illustrations are beautiful and help to bring the stories to life. They include images that make it easy for children to understand what's happening in each scene; this helps them learn more quickly while they're reading. The color palette is bright and bold—it reflects the joyousness of these tales, which are meant to be enjoyed by all ages.
The plot is engaging and easy to follow. Each story has a beginning, middle, and end—and many include moral lessons or warnings about how you should act in order to avoid bad things happening to you (such as being burned alive by an angry dragon). There is also a lot of humor mixed in with these tales: at one point, an old woman throws her shoe at someone because she didn't like how he'd said something mean about her cooking;
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review