Magical Folk - British and Irish Fairies, 500 AD to the Present

Most of us know fairies from childhood fiction, movies and TV. However, through the ages, it was adults who actually saw fairies in the wild. The digitisation of local newspapers and ephemera has opened an Aladdin's cave of such sightings. For the first time, Magical Folk traces these fairy experiences from 500 AD to the present. In Southern England Master Dobbs-who ended up as Harry Potter character 'Dobby'-often shows himself, while in Ireland fairies may be the dead, the terrifying Whoopity Stoorie lurks in Scotland, and a two-feet tall fairy with floppy elephant ears appeared in North America in 1956. Also included are findings from The Fairy Census, the ongoing scholarly survey of 20th- and 21st-century sightings around the world. This enchanting volume is the first history of fairies in over half a century.

About the author

Simon Young is a British folklore historian based in Italy. He has a longstanding interest in the study of the supernatural. In 2017 he editedMagical Folk (2017) with Ceri Houlbrook, and has published dozens of peer-reviewed articles in the likes of Folk Life, Folklore, Gramarye, Supernatural Studies and Tradition Today.

Summary

First history of 'real' fairies sighted throughout history as recorded in historical sources, by the world's two leading fairy historians. Historical fairies are not sweet like Tinkerbell but mostly dangerous and best avoided.

Product details

• Authors: Ceri Houlbrook, Houlbrook Ceri, Simon Young
• Publisher: Pan macmillan Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.10.2022
• EAN: 9781783341023
• ISBN: 978-1-78334-102-3
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Cultural history; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Social sciences, law, business > Social sciences (general); SOCIAL SCIENCE / Folklore & Mythology, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, Ireland, Folklore, myths & legends, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Social and cultural history, Folklore studies / Study of myth (mythology)