Fairies, Pookas, and Changelings: A Complete Guide to the Wild and Wicked Enchanted Realm

by Varla Ventura

While it's true that fairy folk love a good garden and take great pleasure in a tulip, there are dozens of beasties who fall under the fairy domain that are not quite as delightful as the quintessential flower fairy. This book is an exploration of the many things that go bump in the night near the fairy mound. Along with an exploration of folklore and historical literature, readers will delight in fairy tales that demonstrate everything from striking a bargain with a fairy to staving off changelings to laughing with the dwarves. Included are fairy tales and myths from Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and Scandinavia plus classic stories by Thomas Crofton Croker, Joseph Jacobs, Clara Stroebe, the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, Yei Theodora Ozaki, and others on goblins, trolls, gnomes, pookas, changelings, banshees, and more! Chapters include:
If you think fairies are merely delicate beings who follow you about on gossamer wings, you are in for quite a shock: the kingdom of the fairy is one of vengeance, thievery, trickery, and wild creatures. Consider yourself warned!

Genres: Folklore, Fantasy, Mythology, Fae

264 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2017

About the author

Author of THE BOOK OF THE BIZARRE and BEYOND BIZARRE (Weiser Books). Curator of the MAGICAL CREATURES and PARANORMAL PARLOR e-book collections.

Reviews

[Emery Giiwenh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This really delightful anthology-type left me with a very long wish-list of books I’d like on my shelf. Great for beginner faerie folklorists!

[Ashley White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an informative book! Not only on fae info, but also in historical Celtic folktales :)

[Rebecca Elson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review originally appeared on The Magical Buffet website on 07/24/2017.

I’m just going to say it, I love Varla Ventura. At this point I’m pretty much down for whatever she’s got going on. You may remember that I loved her previous books “Among the Mermaids: Facts, Myths, and Enchantments from the Sirens of the Sea” and “Banshees, Werewolves, Vampires and Other Creatures of the Night: Facts, Fictions, and First-Hand Accounts”, and I’m happy to say she has added another one to her series of creature collections.

“Fairies, Pookas, and Changelings: A Complete Guide to the Wild and Wicked Enchanted Realm” is Ventura’s latest. This book is fantastic. The author’s enthusiasm for the subject matter is obvious as she relates assorted tales from folklore. I always love how she unearths the more obscure creatures for these books. In this one you’ll find fairies, pookas, and changelings (of course). You’ll also read about bonga, trolls, coblyns, brownies, and even Rumpelstiltskin! There’s even a section on methods for entering the fairy realm, an action the author does not advice taking lightly.

As always Ventura pulls no punches, letting the darkness around the edges of the fay be on full display. There will be no Disney fairies found in this book. However if you’re looking for an interesting guide to all the creatures the Wild has to offer, “Fairies, Pookas, and Changelings” is the book for you.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved that the author used old traditional stories to illustrate each fairy described in the book. Great reference for the fairies it covers. It gives you a better feel for them than just reading a description out of a fairy encyclopedia. It’s not comprehensive at all of the different types; it only covers a select few.

[Eni · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was quite good to begin the adventures in the magical world, however, it wasn't as entertaining as I expected it in the first place. Nice collection of stories though and I'm happy I found one my favourite stories about the fairy ointment.

Recommended for those who are beginners to the magical world.

[JP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange and enjoyable, felt like I learned a lot.

[Lady of the Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

Varla Ventura made me go down the rabbit hole!
From William Butler Yeats (yes, more on the tbr list now) to origins of The Ghost Club - fantastic!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun little stories about the lore!

[Autumn Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

a comprehensive beginners guide to understanding the lore of fairies and the like 🥰🧚🐉🧌🍄💐🌸🪷🌼

[Ren H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, some of the spelling in the stories was a bit hard to read, but I got used to it.

[Kurtis Michael]

I liked the bits about changelings and portals to the fae realm, but some bits (especially the pooka section) dragged for me

[Barry Huddleston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: Gnostalgia

I loved it. Fairies, Pookas, and Changelings is packed with folklore of the Fairyfolk. You might be reading about a pooka one minute or a troll statue under a bridge the next. Everything Varla covered was interesting and my only complaint was that I wanted more.

I won this book in a contest that Varla held and she has added a fan for life to her list. Along with Among the Mermaids and Banshees, Werewolves, Vampires and Other Creatures of the Night, Varla has added another must-have title for your esoteric home library.

5 out of 5 stars!