British Fairy Origins

by Lewis Spence

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0850302625
• ISBN13: 9780850302622
• Release Date: January 1981
• Publisher: Newcastle Publishing Company
• Length: 206 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Fairy Folklore and Magical Belief

In this book, Lewis Spence does for magical belief what WY Evans-Wentz has done for folklore in his book Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries. While Evans-Wentz has collected folk beliefs and stories, Spence has focused on the history and superstition of fairy belief, touching on topics as varied as the distinct species of fairy of England and Wales, their connection with magic and magicians, the Tuatha de Danaan (ancient tribal rulers of the land now known as Ireland), and many other topics as fresh and interesting today as they were in 1946.Spence's scholarship is far-reaching as he discusses origin, connection with nature-spirits and other beings and the comments of well-known personalities, including Alfred Nutt, WB Yeats, Evans-Wentz, Sir John Rhys and Wirt Sikes. As he cites these and many other well-known fairy experts, his writing style is engaging and entertaining. He is definite in his opinions. "Irish saga makes it abundantly plain that the spirits of the TDD, or ancient deities of Ireland, were regarded as undergoing reincarnation into human form from age to age, and that modern fairies of Ireland are descended from the TDD is beyond question." In his introduction, he writes "Few relics of tradition have aroused so much interest in the minds of lettered and unlettered alike as that body of superstitious belief which relates to the existence of fairy spirits."This book is particularly recommended for those interested in the Tuatha de Danaan and comparisons of fairy beliefs throughout the British Isles.