The following list of recommended reading is based off of my Amazon guide Delve Into the Lore and Lure of Faery.
By visiting that link you can also see additional book recommendations
in addition to being able to purchase the books referenced.
As an artist, I'm interested in how humans interact with and depict
faeries in the present day. But as someone who is enamored with
mythology, legend, etc. and also is academically inclined, I believe
that artists can gain valuable touchstones to Faery through tradition
and folklore which can deepen their work. I don't believe that modern
people should be chained to the lore of the past or that Faery is
immutable, but I do think that there is tremendous value in seeking the
knowledge and experience of people whose daily lives were much more
closely entwined with Faery and Nature than ours are. (Not to mention
that the faeries of folklore are much more interesting and complex than
their fantastical counterparts!)
Peter M. Rojcewicz, in his essay entitled Between One Eye Blink and the Next: Fairies, UFOs, and Problems of Knowledge highlights the importance of folklore to humanity:
Folklore,
because of its generally unschooled, informal, and conservative nature,
more clearly presents the outlines of the mind's organization than does
the more self-conscious and stylistically variable popular and elite
arts. Having a more intimate relationship with their own archetypal
roots, traditional societies have lived closer to the quintessential
spirit of nature, which employs the human mind as the context of its
own 'individuation.' Nature individualizes it spirit in all forms of
cognition, human or otherwise.[...]Anomalous folklore [...], would not,
rightly speaking, point to a 'supernatural' realm but toward a natural
order that embraces all life. Folklore, from this perspective, does not
bring us further from reality, but brings us through our 'imaginal'
archetypal roots to the nature's 'truth.' Folklore is never literally
true, but it may always be fundamentally true.
In other
words, folklore represents a collection of metaphorical truths. Unlike
literature authored by one specific person, folklore was originally
transmitted orally through numerous people, and through this process
its most potent elements are preserved and distilled. Folklore then is
a series of powerful guides to humanity's relationship with the
landscape, life, death, and other beings (human and non-human) which
has been stripped of its nonessential and extraneous tidbits.
Much
of the "knowledge" we currently take for granted regarding Faery is
actually derived from more contemporary literature than from folklore,
including the extremely tiny stature of the elfin people, their
delicate insect wings, and their rather benevolent nature towards
humanity - traits that a great number of people mistakenly believe to
be the defining characteristics of faeries. To say that all literature
regarding faeries (including work from such luminaries as Shakespeare
whose writings have had a profound influence on the modern view of
faeries) is false is not entirely accurate, of course, because to do so
would be to deny that Faery does genuinely inspire individuals.
However, to take the views presented by literature as the only truths and to ignore the lessons of folklore regarding Faery is a grave mistake.
On to some recommended reading :)
Katherine Briggs is one of the greatest resources in the study of fairylore. She has written many books on the subject;
The Fairies in Tradition and Literature (Routledge Classics)
,
The Vanishing People and
Encyclopedia
of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, & Other Supernatural
Creatures (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library)
are simply the ones I've already added to my collection. The former is
a great overall introduction to the fairylore of the British Isles but
it also touches upon the perception and development of faeries within
literature. The latter two are collections of more in-depth entries
relating to various faery types, themes, and tales.
If you enjoy the encylopedic format, I would also suggest
Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia.
Although entries on faeries share a volume with entries on angels,
demons, etc. its truly international content makes it a pleasant
companion to Brigg's "An Encyclopedia of Fairies." Another text that
falls within the same format would be
Illustrated Encylopedia of Fairies.
As a concise introduction to traditional views of Faery,
Fairy Lore is a great starting point. Originally published as "The Fairy Mythology,"
The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves & Other Little People
is a collection of faery stories from many lands. The updated title is
a bit misleading since the book is almost entirely Eurocentric in
focus, but it is still a treasure-trove of tales.
The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries: The Classic Study of Leprechauns, Pixies, and Other Fairy Spirits
is a classic work which is particularly valuable in that Evans-Wentz
not only collects the fairylore itself but also the beliefs of the
people regarding faeries.
The Secret Commonwealth: Of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies (New York Review Books Classics)
is a short essay on Faery by a 17th century Scottish clergyman by the
name of Robert Kirk. It is believed that because he revealed too much
of Faery's nature with this work he was "taken" captive into the hollow
hills himself.
Elves,
Wights, and Trolls: Studies Towards the Practice of Germanic Heathenry:
Vol. I (Studies Towards the Practice of Germanic Heathenry)
is a survey of fey within Germanic and Scandinavian culture. While the
first portion is largely academic in nature, the second portion
includes suggested rites for honoring Them firsthand.
Meeting the Other Crowd
is a recently-collected volume of fairylore from Ireland. Although the
purpose of compiling folklore can be academic, this book reads like a
collection of short stories, drawing you in with every page, and it may
well alter your view of Irish faeries forever. Another work which
examines some of the less-pleasant aspects of traditional fairylore is
At the Bottom of the Garden: A Dark History of Fairies, Hobgoblins, Nymphs, and Other Troublesome Things,
however it also is concerned with the changing view of Faery in
literature, culture, and media. An anthology of works by various
folklorists,
The Good People: New Fairylore Essays
features writings about fairylore in Canada, Scotland, Ireland, Norway
etc. as well as essays about the development of the American Tooth
Fairy and the etymology of the word fairy. Some of the essays are drier
reading than others, but it's interesting to find more contemporary
pieces.
A Fairy Tale Reader: A Collection of Story, Lore and Vision
is another beautiful anthology of traditional tales of Faery as well as
poetry, excerpts from more contemporary literature, and more personal
reflections on Elfhame.
The Victorian conception of Faery has
had a profound impact on shaping our modern stereotype of fairies as
tiny, delicate, playful creatures with insect wings and pointed ears.
This image is rarely supported in genuine world folklore and myth, but
it is definitely worth investigating how this stereotype came about.
Strange and Secret Peoples: Fairies and Victorian Consciousness,
Victorian Fairy Painting, and
Fairy Art: Artists & Inspirations provide a great deal of background as to how the Victorians viewed and represented Faery.
