The Scottish Fairy Book

by Elizabeth W. Grierson

This book of Scottish fairy tales tells of brownies, fairies, and apparitions, bogies, witches, kelpies, and tales told about a mysterious region under the sea, "far below the abode of fishes," where the Mermaids and Mermen live. There are stories of the Brownie, magical animal tales where the animals are endowed with the power of speech, tales of enchantment, and legendary stories, half real, half mythical. The author has tried to make a representative collection from these different classes of Scottish Folklore, choosing the tales that are the least well known.

Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Scotland, Fiction, Folklore, Fairy Tales, Classics

308 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1910

About the author

Elizabeth Wilson Grierson (1869 - 1943) was born at Whitchesters, a farm near Hawick in the Scottish Borders, where she also lived as an adult. She published more than 30 books, including several collections of Scottish fairy stories, folk tales and ballads, and travel guides to Edinburgh and Florence.

Reviews

[Olena G]

Think of it like wandering into an ancient Scottish forest at dusk—there’s that shiver of excitement mixed with the feeling something magical (or maybe a little wicked) could leap out at any second. Grierson’s got this knack for storytelling that honestly just sucks you right in. It’s not all rainbows and cute little sprites, either. Sure, you get your fairies and enchanting bits, but there’s also a shadowy side, a sense that some of these tales were probably whispered around fires to keep the kids in line. I mean, these stories have teeth.
What’s wild is how every page oozes that classic Scottish vibe: rugged hills, chilly lochs, and that constant, mysterious mist rolling in. You practically hear the bagpipes and feel the drizzle on your face. Grierson doesn’t just retell—she paints the whole scene so you’re right there, ankle-deep in heather, heart thumping because you swear you just saw something flicker at the edge of your vision.
It’s the kind of thing you curl up with on a rainy night, tea in hand, and lose yourself for hours. Seriously, if you’ve ever wondered what stories shaped Scotland’s wild spirit, here’s your ticket in.

[Melissa Widmaier]

This was a nice collection of Scottish tales compiled around 1910. I enjoyed the stories and the adorable illustrations, but I was really excited to see the glossary as I'm using this book for research purposes. It's a delightful read, even so, and many of the stories are more entertaining, in my opinion, than the more modernized versions of the myths we know today.

[Anne Hunter]

Classic tales with lots of Scottish words

Fun stories that give lots of clues about ancient Scottish culture. Easy read, but like most tales there's plenty of casual violence and other negative messages, but anything less would be out of character.

[Therese Bugnet]

Had this book since I was a child, in the 1930's. My Grandmother shared a house in Edinburgh with Elizabeth Grierson, as her secretary/companion. She gave my Grandmother a copy of the book, which is the one I now have, published in 1910

[Jan Kub]

Fun and morale of fairytales in exotic setting of Scotland.

[Janelle]

Dnf. Wasn’t enjoying it and couldn’t face listening to it any longer. But the LibriVox narrator is excellent, so that’s a positive.

[Eri]

Tohle bylo pěkné a milé. Pohádky a příběhy, pěkný jazyk, radost číst.

[Yunus]

yok

[SonJa]

I loved this book. It was great to hear some of these old stories.

[Unfairytale]

So far so good! The tales are really beautifully written and just transport me to a different world entirely. The only thing that's put me off so far is the occasional typo

[Benjamin Chandler]

Not a bad collection of fairy tales with some interesting variants on familiar stories. Most interesting was how fairies and their kin were often antagonists, as opposed to the witches and monsters common in Grimm, and how many of them read more like legends, with normal people having brushes with the fantastic. Lots of heroines, too.

[Les Wilson]

So glad I read this. It contained two stories I have been looking for. An Interesting variant of Cinderella is also included.

[Andrew]

Didn't quite like it as much as the Irish and Welsh tales, but this book's got a very interesting version of snow white -- the mirror is actually a trout!

[Heidi Bakk-Hansen]

On Audible. Was entertaining.

[Alice]

I love fairytales ❤️