What do you think?
Rate this book
The Science of Fairy Tales: An Enquiry Into Fairy Mythology
Book
"A fairy (also fey or fae or faerie; collectively, wee folk, good folk, people of peace, and other euphemisms) is the name given to an alleged metaphysical spirit or supernatural being.
The fairy is based on the fae of medieval Western European (Old French) folklore and romance. Fairies are often identified with related beings of other mythologies (see list of beings referred to as fairies). Even in folklore that uses the term "fairy," there are many definitions of what constitutes a fairy. Sometimes the term is used to describe any magical creature, including goblins or at other times, the term only describes a specific type of more ethereal creature.
Fairies are generally described as human in appearance and as having magical powers. Their origins are less clear in the folklore, being variously the dead, or some form of angel, or a species completely independent of humans or angels. Folklorists have suggested that their actual origin lies in a conquered race living in hiding, or in religious beliefs that lost currency with the advent of Christianity. These explanations are not always mutually incompatible, and they may be traceable to multiple sources.
Much of the folklore about fairies revolves about protection from their malice, by such means as cold iron (fairies don't like iron and will not go near it) or charms of rowan and herbs, or avoiding offense by shunning locations known to be theirs. In particular, folklore describes how to prevent the fairies from stealing babies and substituting changelings, and abducting older people as well. Many folktales are told of fairies, and they appear as characters in stories from medieval tales of chivalry, to Victorian fairy tales, and up to the present day in modern literature." (Quote from wikipedia.org)
Table of
Publisher's Preface; Authors Preface; The Art Of Story-telling; Savage Ideas; Fairy Births And Human Midwives; Fairy Births And Human Midwives (continued); Changelings; Robberies From Fairyland; The Supernatural Lapse Of Time In Fairyland; The Supernatural Lapse Of Time In Fairyland Contd; The Supernatural Lapse Of Time In Fairyland Contd; Swan Maidens; Swan Maidens Contd; Conclusion; Endnotes
About the
Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, Esoteric and Mythology. www.forgottenbooks.org
Forgotten Books is about sharing information, not about making money. All books are priced at wholesale prices. We are also the only publisher we know of to print in large sans-serif font, which is proven to make the text easier to read and put less strain on your eyes.
"A fairy (also fey or fae or faerie; collectively, wee folk, good folk, people of peace, and other euphemisms) is the name given to an alleged metaphysical spirit or supernatural being.
The fairy is based on the fae of medieval Western European (Old French) folklore and romance. Fairies are often identified with related beings of other mythologies (see list of beings referred to as fairies). Even in folklore that uses the term "fairy," there are many definitions of what constitutes a fairy. Sometimes the term is used to describe any magical creature, including goblins or at other times, the term only describes a specific type of more ethereal creature.
Fairies are generally described as human in appearance and as having magical powers. Their origins are less clear in the folklore, being variously the dead, or some form of angel, or a species completely independent of humans or angels. Folklorists have suggested that their actual origin lies in a conquered race living in hiding, or in religious beliefs that lost currency with the advent of Christianity. These explanations are not always mutually incompatible, and they may be traceable to multiple sources.
Much of the folklore about fairies revolves about protection from their malice, by such means as cold iron (fairies don't like iron and will not go near it) or charms of rowan and herbs, or avoiding offense by shunning locations known to be theirs. In particular, folklore describes how to prevent the fairies from stealing babies and substituting changelings, and abducting older people as well. Many folktales are told of fairies, and they appear as characters in stories from medieval tales of chivalry, to Victorian fairy tales, and up to the present day in modern literature." (Quote from wikipedia.org)
Table of
Publisher's Preface; Authors Preface; The Art Of Story-telling; Savage Ideas; Fairy Births And Human Midwives; Fairy Births And Human Midwives (continued); Changelings; Robberies From Fairyland; The Supernatural Lapse Of Time In Fairyland; The Supernatural Lapse Of Time In Fairyland Contd; The Supernatural Lapse Of Time In Fairyland Contd; Swan Maidens; Swan Maidens Contd; Conclusion; Endnotes
About the
Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, Esoteric and Mythology. www.forgottenbooks.org
Forgotten Books is about sharing information, not about making money. All books are priced at wholesale prices. We are also the only publisher we know of to print in large sans-serif font, which is proven to make the text easier to read and put less strain on your eyes.
280 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1891
80 people are currently reading
893 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 4, 2013
This book was hard to read for many reasons, most notably the lack of organization as the author compared multiple stories and analyzed the links between them and the Victorian attitudes expressed toward non-European cultures. Even so, I learned a lot from this book and will consider reading it again, this time with note-taking materials at hand, in order to better integrate the great breadth of the material covered. Definitely a worthwhile read.
June 6, 2021
Let’s pick up a Victorian-era book about the History of Faerie folk they said...
It will be fun they said...
OH GOD WHY WHY WHY IS THERE SO MUCH RACISM?
(And to clarify, it was the wee little Faerie folk who told me to pick it up...)
Honestly though, there are some interesting stories in here once you weed through all the racist bullshit, and there is a lot of that to weed through.
It will be fun they said...
OH GOD WHY WHY WHY IS THERE SO MUCH RACISM?
(And to clarify, it was the wee little Faerie folk who told me to pick it up...)
Honestly though, there are some interesting stories in here once you weed through all the racist bullshit, and there is a lot of that to weed through.
December 11, 2024
3.50
Very interesting read about the common fairytales (märchen) and sagas types from around the world, especially Europe (but touches all continents) , their parallels across cultures, and how somehow that makes us all humans of the same calibre.
As it was published in 1891, there are some antiquated views in respect to cultures and different civilisations. It is very mild, but the author being so dry and very objective that it feels more the product its time rather than the author's personal opinion.
Borrowed from the Library.
Very interesting read about the common fairytales (märchen) and sagas types from around the world, especially Europe (but touches all continents) , their parallels across cultures, and how somehow that makes us all humans of the same calibre.
As it was published in 1891, there are some antiquated views in respect to cultures and different civilisations. It is very mild, but the author being so dry and very objective that it feels more the product its time rather than the author's personal opinion.
Borrowed from the Library.
September 2, 2023
While I enjoyed the discussion of the formula of what makes a fairy tale, the comparisons were a bit too disorganized to follow. I found “The Fairy Tellers” did a better job of explaining the origins and comparisons of various tales a little bit better.
January 18, 2023
Sebagai pemula dalam mempelajari folktale, isi buku ini sangat mencerahkan. Banyak hal yang selama ini kupertanyakan tentang cerita rakyat, mendapatkan jawaban secara keilmuan (bukan logika secara isi cerita).
Bahasa Hartland juga mudah dimengerti, meskipun banyak istilah yang mana membutuhkan ditemani kamus ketika membacanya, tapi aliran kalimatnya menyenangkan.
Satu-satunya pengalaman buruk membaca buku ini adalah edisi yang kubeli adalah edisi ekonomis dimana 367 halaman dimampatkan menjadi 154 halaman. Benar-benar neraka bagi mata.
Bahasa Hartland juga mudah dimengerti, meskipun banyak istilah yang mana membutuhkan ditemani kamus ketika membacanya, tapi aliran kalimatnya menyenangkan.
Satu-satunya pengalaman buruk membaca buku ini adalah edisi yang kubeli adalah edisi ekonomis dimana 367 halaman dimampatkan menjadi 154 halaman. Benar-benar neraka bagi mata.
April 30, 2023
Can't reasonably give this any higher than this because 1) I fully skipped some sections that were especially boring and 2) it was kind of hard to read between the meandering formatting and the, y'know, racism, but it got the job done for the research I needed in a pinch. Would've preferred to use a different text but this one is freely available in full on Wikisource, and it was nice to be able to search through it.
February 19, 2024
Like other classics, this book goes to great lengths with the characteristics of the fairies in all their important themes, such as challengings and apparitions, abductions, shape-shifting, punishments, and the whole attitudes.
Read
February 26, 201115.6 The Truth Is...
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews