The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries

This book was written in the early twentieth century, and my opinion is that no faery book has yet been written to equal it. Evans-Wentz was a sophisticated scholar, and yet treated faery beliefs with the utmost of respect, and even devoted a chapter to scientific and psychological findings that render such beliefs valid. Without looking down his nose on anyone (except maybe stuffy fellow scholars who lost their imagination somewhere along the line), he reports stories of faery encounters in every Celtic nation. He interviewed great numbers of Celtic people in his travels, and collected a vast treasure trove of tales. These range from firsthand accounts to "a friend of a friend" legends to stories handed down through the generations.After presenting a mass of information on the modern faery faith, he goes on to relate the ancient faery beliefs held by the Celts of old, as recorded in their mythology. Many pages are devoted to the adventures of CuChulainn, Arthur, Bran, and other figures who moved in and out of the Otherworld. He also discusses the Otherworld itself, the misty land where the faeries, the gods, and the dead dwelled. Especially stunning is his assertion that the Celts participated in mysteries much like those of Eleusis. The mythological evidence IS THERE, as Evans-Wentz proves. I only wish someone in those days had written something down to indicate whether or not this is true! This is the best book ever written on the fae, IMHO. It ought to be on every Celtophile's shelf right next to Squire's _Celtic Myth and Legend_. As a matter of fact, the two books make excellent companions for one another.

Walter Evans-Wentz set out to write this book as his dissertation, at the dawn of academic anthropology. Along the way, he became more than a little entranced. Still, Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries is one of the best, and most important, scholarly works on the topic, and I strongly recommend it. Don't get sucked into buying a lot of phoney 'fairies-with-wings' junk. The real deal is much more interesting. Stick to Rev. Kirk, Peter Narvaez, K.M. Briggs, Sir John Rhys, and Evans-Wentz, and you'll be on the right track.

This is THE book for anyone interested in Celtic Faery Faith. Evans-Wentz did a lot of field work at the turn of the century before so much was lost in the modern onslaught. There is stuff here that you won't find anywhere else. Long out of print, I'm delighted to see it come back. If you only buy one book on the Faery Faith, make this one it!

"The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries" is written by W.Y. Evans-Wentz, the same scholar who brought us "The Tibetan Book of the Dead". Evans-Wentz gathered the information for this book at the turn of the century. He travelled extensively in Ireland, Scotland, Britain, Wales and Brittany, interviewing those who had enjoyed close encounters of the third kind with the Fair Folk or who knew those who had first hand dealing with the Shining People. "The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries" is a source document non-pareil and an absolute must read for anyone with a serious interest in the Faery Faith.