The Irish Fairy Book

This isn't the edition I have, but that edition doesn't seem to exist. A varied collection, some in the high heroic, some literary retellings and some oral transcriptions edited to a greater or lesser degree. Lots of actual fairies, which is nice. Two stories from T Crofton Croker's collection, though one of them is credited to William Maginn, no idea why. An episode from Lady Gregory's Cuchulainn veers perilously near self-parody with the overwhelming awesomeness of himself. There's an Irish variation on Jack The Giant Killer and elsewhere a hero who vaguely resembles Hercules, but I think my favourite was Lady Wilde's sinister tale of The Horned Women. The divide between the formal hagiography of the heroic stories and the irreverent, show more even subversive humour of the more formless, peasant folky stories is wide. An excellent collection, I think. show less

Honestly, this was a hard rating for me to give a book, especially with how much I love Irish lore and myth. But…just the way this book was set up - and with encountering many of the same myths told in a way that was easier to understand - didn’t sit well with me. I still enjoyed reading these myths, though.