The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves & Other Little People
by Thomas Keightley
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Description
Gnomes, fairies, and elves of every imaginable size, shape, and color spring to life in this marvelously illustrated guide to the fairy realm. Just one glance at the extensive table of contents reveals the scope and variety of fairy folklore explored here -- from Persian and Arabian romance to the mythology of Scandinavia, England, France, Germany, and Switzerland. Everything from Kelpies and Korrigans to Brownies, Bugaboos, and more is included. Taken from a variety of sources of popular show more myth and legend, The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves, and Other Little People forms a rich compendium of the superstititions surrounding the little people. Not only does the author explore every type and species of the short and ugly, but he also traces resemblances and similarities among the fairy traditions of different countries. In addition, the fairy tradition is discussed as it appears in major works of English literature, from the Middle Age epic of Beowulf and Chaucer's Canterbury Tales to Spencer's The Faerie Queene and Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Complete with over twenty-five lively illustrations, is a fascinating guide to the enchanting world of the little people. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
A captivating and well-written foray into the realms of the fey. Subdivided into geographic categories, The World Guide To Gnomes, Fairies, Elves And Other Little People explores the similarities and differences between different fey folk from traditions across the glove. Delving also into etymology and some of the author's personal recollections of encountering tales of the fair folk, with complete fables scattered throughout, this scholarly and earnest tome is a beguiling read from beginning to end.
For something that bills itself as "The World Guide" this book is a) extremely badly organized and b) extremely Eurocentric. On the other hand, it was originally published in 1880 under an entirely different and more accurate name, "The Fairy Mythology", and if you read it as a Victorian book of fairy-tales, it's quite interesting and has some stories that are rarely told anywhere else.
An excellent reference book for the fantasy genre.
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Author Information
28+ Works 731 Members
Thomas Keightley is a scholar well-versed in the mythologies of many countries
Some Editions
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- The Fairy Mythology (1828) (1828)
- Alternate titles
- The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves and Other Little People (1880) (1880)
- Original publication date
- 1828
- Epigraph
- Another sort there be, that will
Be talking of the Fairies still;
Nor never can they have their fill,
As they were wedded to them.
--Drayton
In olde dayes of the King Artour,
Of which that Bretons spoken gret honour,
All was this land fulfilled of faerie;
The elf-qrene with hir jolie companie
Danced full oft in many a grene mede.
--Chaucer. - First words
- According to a well-known law of our nature, effects suggest causes; and another law, perhaps equally general, impels us to ascribe to the actual and efficient cause the attribute of intelligence.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Whoe'er hath not dwelt in that region so bright,
His soul knows no pleasure, his heart no delight. - Disambiguation notice
- The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves and Other Little People is a reprint of Fairy Mythology
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 575
- Popularity
- 51,013
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.78)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 17
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 11
