Celtic Fairy Tales

by Neil Philip, Isabelle Brent (Illustrator)

"A tune is more precious than the song of birds, and a tale more precious than the wealth of the world."
Irish proverb

In fairy tales, as in music, the romantic artistry of the Celts is in full flower. In this collection, stories from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, Cornwall, and Brittany show their common Celtic heritage in their love of extravagance and poetry, their quick wit, and their daring sense of adventure.

Here, retold much as they were around Celtic peat fires a hundred years ago, are the enthralling tales of "Fair, Brown, and Trembling," "The Brown Bear of the Green Glen," and "The Ship that Went to America." Some of the stories give familiar tales a Celtic twist: "Duffy and the Devil" is a comic Cornish take on the Rumpelstiltskin story; "The Black Cat" is a dark and mysterious Breton "Cinderella." Others seem new and strange: the doomed love of "Lutey and the Mermaid," or the mystic rapture of "The Little Bird."

Perhaps most riveting of all is the Irish tale of "The Soul Cages," in which a fisherman makes friends with one of the sea-people, Coomara, and uses that friendship to fee the souls of drowned sailors, kept by Coomara in lobster pots in is house beneath the waves.

Illustrated in watercolor and gold leaf by acclaimed artist Isabelle Brent, these tales are full of Celtic magic.

Genres: Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Mythology, Fiction, Short Stories, Ireland

140 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1999

About the author

Neil Philip is a writer, folklorist and poet. He is married to the artist Emma Bradford, and lives in the Cotswolds, England. Neil loves words, poetry, and the art of storytelling in all its forms. Among his many books are A Fine Anger, Victorian Village Life, The Cinderella Story, The Penguin Book of English Folktales, Mythology (with Philip Wilkinson), The Great Mystery, War and the Pity of War, The New Oxford Book of Childrens Verse, The Tale of Sir Gawain, Horse Hooves & Chicken Feet, and The Adventures of Odysseus. Neil has contributed to numerous journals, including The Times, and Signal: Approaches to Childrens Books, and has also written for stage, screen, and radio. His work has won numerous awards and honours, including the Aesop Award of the American Folklore Society and the Literary Criticism Book Award of the Childrens Literature Association. Outside of the storied world, Neil is passionate about cats, art, music, France, food & wine, and friendship.

Reviews

[Andrea Zuvich · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely collection of Celtic Fairy Tales, which I found wonderful for reading aloud to the whole family.

[Mónica Cordero Thomson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hermoso libro con bonitas ilustraciones y fantásticas historias. Recoge cuentos celtas de Escocia, Irlanda, Gales, Cornualles, Isla de Man,... el libro no puede ser más completo. Una mitología diferente y encantadora.

[Christina Pilkington · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated collection of a dozen or so Celtic fairy tales. My kids and I really enjoyed this collection and found all the stories funny and entertaining. I always love reading new fairy tales and seeing how they connect with fairy tales from other cultures. I'm pretty sure Celtic fairy tales are among some of my most favorite!

[Ruth Donigian]

The illustrations were strange

[Cynthia Egbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Irish version of Cinderella is by far the best I have ever encountered. SO many great stories in this one and the last one lets me know that I must have some Celtic blood in my because the play on words is priceless. These are fairy tales that don't take themselves seriously and that is just what I needed right now.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent selection of stories.

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book told the funny yet wierd fairy tales of the celtic people, just in a non-gross way. it's so funny, because some are like todays stories.

[Munch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of tales

[BiblioBickie]

Includes versions of Cinderella ("Fair, Brown, and Trembling"), Rumplestiltskin ("Duffy and the Devil"), and Mother Holly ("The Well at the World's End"). Several trickster-type tales ("Rory the Fox," "Finn MacCool and the Scottish Giant," "Molly Whuppie," and "The King and the Workman's Daughter").

Interestingly, despite a 3-page introduction that includes notes about Celtic storytelling, there is no explanation of how Neil Philip collected these tales. Certainly the story "The Ship that Went to America" is only a few hundred years old if that.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have learned that cutting off toes and heels is a thing in Celtic tales, a kiss can get you pregnant, being virtuous is generally rewarded and death is temporary as long as you have the right water, or you're an enchanted animal.
Interesting collection of fairy tales. The same elements I am use to but told in a different way.
Recommended? yes
buy/borrow? Borrow

[Caro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good book. I loved the stories and their characters. Some were short and some were long, and some in-between. Great for reading anytime, bedtime or just for the fun of it. Good pictures, well written and interesting. A good one for the whole family and worth the shelf space. Enjoy!

[Erin MacSaveny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars in the right context. This was read-aloud chosen on a whim and ended up being a huge hit with my kids. Great for middle school, when they’re old enough not to be bothered by fairy tail gore and misogyny and to appreciate absurd plot twists. An attempt at reading in an overblown Irish or Scottish accent is recommended.

[Sadie Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well im not renown for enjoying short stories, but I've got to say I enjoyed these fairy tales. It took me back to my childhood when I first started reading. You can see similarities to stories from other worlds, but the easy simplicity of them makes you smile as you read. I loved the art work that was present with each tale. A lovely easy read to brighten your day.

[Tanya (Novel Paperbacks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this as a child. And I read it again now and I remember many many hours reading by moonlight through the split in my curtain as I was supposed to be asleep (probably the reason my eyesight is so terrible). I still love them so much and will be sharing them with my children for certain.

[Yasmin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are amazing and worth five stars on their own! The tales I've read elsewhere and a few better told than in this book. I like "Fair, Brown and Trembling","The Brown Bear of the Green Glen" "Molly Whuppie" and "The King and the Workman's Daughter" the best.

[Abby Glann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stories. Beautiful artwork. A good intro to Celtic tales, but not the best.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and illuminations. Wonderful fairy stories.

[Ursula S · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork was nice. The stories were unusual. An easy read, overall.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fairy tales were good and I enjoyed the Celtic designs.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations with delightfully grim fairy tales.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lush illustrations. Bizare and disturbing TRUE fairytales. Worth the read. Dont read to kids.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have read the book before but the illustrations are lovely.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations, simple tales. Very good to read to children.

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Celtic fairy tales are weird, y’all.

The writing was a bit disjointed, but then again, these are fairy tales.

The illustrations were absolutely gorgeous.

[Rose Eleusis · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad I managed to save this from my old school library. I was so lucky to grow up with books like this. Fairy tales are the best formation.

[Christine Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories Used:
The Brown Bear of the Green Glen (Scotland)
Molly Whuppie (Scotland)
Give Me a Crab, John (Isle of Man)
The Well at the World's End (Scotland)

[Tarawyn Baxter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful collection of 20 Celtic Fairy Tales. Many have magical or enchanted animals. Many of the themes are common across traditional literature--be kind to those who ask for help for they often are not what they seem and have the power to reward or punish, if a mysterious person or creature gives extremely explicit instructions about what to do and what to avoid it is always wise to follow those instructions. Some are funny, some touching. Some have strong similarities to fairy tales from other cultures, such as German and Russian. The evil stepmother and non-existent or weak father who refuses to protect his daughter from her, for instance. Why kind men with beautiful and sweet daughters keep marrying cruel women with ugly and mean daughters is a mystery. As is why the price for help is so often a first-born child. I liked that girls got to be clever and have adventures instead of just being bride-prizes (though they existed as well). One of the joys of fairy tales and traditional literature is that they do cross centuries and cultures. And in this collection the artwork is gorgeous.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary (CIP): An illustrated collection of twenty stories from many Celtic regions, including "The Battle of the Birds, "Finn MacCool and the Scotch Giant," and "The Ship that Went to America."

REVIEW: This lovely collection brings new tales as well as variations on familiar themes; some are very short and some a little longer. I personally enjoyed something beyond the old standbys. The 20 tales originate from various parts of the British Isles. The type is relatively large and easy to read. The whole collection is beautifully illustrated, with hi-gloss, golden-edged Celtic motifs along the edges of every page as well as full-page illustrations and animal designs. You can feel that these are Celtic tales.

Booklist: Positive. "Philip has produced many fine collections of tales from many sources: this adds yet another string to his bow."

[Jessica Hanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was initially drawn to this collection for a couple of reasons. I come from a large Irish family, who are very proud of their heritage, and I felt a connection to the story. I also need to work on expanding my intake of multi-cultural literature. Some of the stories in the collection are familiar, such as "The Black Cat", a Celtic Cinderalla-ish tale, while others have an entirely Celtic creation and interweave some of the slightly outlandish premises that I have come to expect from my own family's stories, like "Lutey and the Mermaid." It was interesting to see how common themes; such as love, jealousy, companionship, animals as counterparts; are woven throughout these stories, just as they are throughout faiytales from other lands. While the stories included are not groundbreaking in content or style, much can be said about the rich history of storytelling they come from.

[Mark Woodland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not so satisfying. One of the things about this type of book about Irish folklore is that you can fairly rely on the titles to differentiate between folk tales and fairy tales. I have an interest in folk tales, and in the case of the Irish, they seem more connected with legends of old. Fairy tales, in most of the books I've read, are diminuitions or watered-down versions of more serious tales upon which they're based. This is such a book. While generally well written, and the selection is comparatively decent, I didn't find it literarily enlightening. For anyone seriously interested in Irish folklore and legend, there are many superior texts to this one. On the other hand, it might make good reading for children, especially reading aloud.