What do you think?
Rate this book
Ulster folklore
Originally published in 1913, this seminal work traces the history of superstitions, legends and myths in Ulster, especially the folk tales of fairies, dwarves and giants.
121 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1977
5 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Andrews
1 book1 followerLibrarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 19, 2019
Read for personal 'fanciful historical research. I found this work of some interest and its contents helpful and inspiring - number rating relates to the book's contribution to my needs.
Overall, this work is also an OK resource for the researcher and enthusiast in Irish folklore.
"In the following notes I have recorded a few traditions gathered from the peasantry in Co. Down and other parts of Ireland regarding the fairies... Sometimes I was told the fairies were as large as a well-grown boy or girl, sometimes that they were as small as children beginning to walk; the height of a chair or a table was often used as a comparison, and on one occasion an old woman spoke of them as being about the size of monkeys."
- - Contents:
-INTRODUCTION
-FAIRIES AND THEIR DWELLING-PLACES
-A DAY AT MAGHERA, CO. LONDONDERRY
-ULSTER FAIRIES, DANES, AND PECHTS
-FOLKLORE CONNECTED WITH ULSTER RATHS AND SOUTERRAINS
-TRADITIONS OF DWARF RACES IN IRELAND AND IN SWITZERLAND
-FOLKLORE FROM DONEGAL
-GIANTS AND DWARFS
-THE REV. WILLIAM HAMILTON, D.D. (FOOTNOTES)
"Far westward lies an isle of ancient fame
By nature bless'd, and Scotia is her name,
An island rich—exhaustless is her store
Of veiny silver and of golden ore;
Her fruitful soil for ever teems with wealth,
With gems her waters, and her air with health.
Her verdant fields with milk and honey flow,
Her woolly fleeces vie with virgin snow;
Her waving furrows float with bearded corn,
And arms and arts her envy'd sons adorn.
No savage bear with lawless fury roves,
No rav'ning lion thro' her sacred groves;
No poison there infects, no scaly snake
Creeps through the grass, nor frog annoys the lake.
An island worthy of its pious race,
In war triumphant, and unmatch'd in peace."
-(Dr. William Hamilton - one of the founders of the Royal Irish Academy & elected a Corresponding Member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh)
Overall, this work is also an OK resource for the researcher and enthusiast in Irish folklore.
"In the following notes I have recorded a few traditions gathered from the peasantry in Co. Down and other parts of Ireland regarding the fairies... Sometimes I was told the fairies were as large as a well-grown boy or girl, sometimes that they were as small as children beginning to walk; the height of a chair or a table was often used as a comparison, and on one occasion an old woman spoke of them as being about the size of monkeys."
- - Contents:
-INTRODUCTION
-FAIRIES AND THEIR DWELLING-PLACES
-A DAY AT MAGHERA, CO. LONDONDERRY
-ULSTER FAIRIES, DANES, AND PECHTS
-FOLKLORE CONNECTED WITH ULSTER RATHS AND SOUTERRAINS
-TRADITIONS OF DWARF RACES IN IRELAND AND IN SWITZERLAND
-FOLKLORE FROM DONEGAL
-GIANTS AND DWARFS
-THE REV. WILLIAM HAMILTON, D.D. (FOOTNOTES)
"Far westward lies an isle of ancient fame
By nature bless'd, and Scotia is her name,
An island rich—exhaustless is her store
Of veiny silver and of golden ore;
Her fruitful soil for ever teems with wealth,
With gems her waters, and her air with health.
Her verdant fields with milk and honey flow,
Her woolly fleeces vie with virgin snow;
Her waving furrows float with bearded corn,
And arms and arts her envy'd sons adorn.
No savage bear with lawless fury roves,
No rav'ning lion thro' her sacred groves;
No poison there infects, no scaly snake
Creeps through the grass, nor frog annoys the lake.
An island worthy of its pious race,
In war triumphant, and unmatch'd in peace."
-(Dr. William Hamilton - one of the founders of the Royal Irish Academy & elected a Corresponding Member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh)
July 3, 2016
Here's an interesting thesis....
The author is a determined rationalist. She's more interested in linking archeology, anthropology, historical record, and folklore together, then just reporting folklore. When I describe it as a thesis, I mean just that: A written argument proposing a specific set of ideas. She's an interesting thinker, and it's an approach I haven't read before.
The author is a determined rationalist. She's more interested in linking archeology, anthropology, historical record, and folklore together, then just reporting folklore. When I describe it as a thesis, I mean just that: A written argument proposing a specific set of ideas. She's an interesting thinker, and it's an approach I haven't read before.
April 16, 2009
I loved it and was fascinated throughout. It was written in 1913 and some of the references to various social levels and races is by today's standards a bit wince-worthy but there was much to enjoy and I did
November 24, 2019
An interesting academic paper from 1913 exploring the origins of Ireland's "gentle folk."
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews