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Legends and Sagas England Buy CD-ROM Buy Books about Celtic Folklore
Some of these books and texts are translations of Celtic legends and sagas; others are retellings of the material, folklore, or literary works based on Celtic themes. During the 19th and early 20th Century there was a resurgence of interest in the folklore of Ireland, Wales and Scotland. This was reflected in a huge amount of literature based on the rich Celtic mythopoetic heritage, most of it very faithful to the original material, some in a more modern voice. A good number of these files were originally scanned by Phillip Brown for his (now defunct) Celtic Folklore website. These are indicated by [PB]. 
Celtic Midi files
Music to listen to while you read Celtic folklore.
Ireland
Lady Augusta Gregory was a close collaborator with W.B. Yeats, the Irish poet
and mystic. These three books are her retellings of Irish mythology and
folklore, and are among the best of the genre.
Yeats Index
Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry
Edited and Selected by W. B. Yeats [1888]
The Celtic Twilightby W.B. Yeats [1893 and 1902] This short book of essays by Yeats is a must-read.
In The Seven Woodsby W. B. Yeats [1903] A short book of poetry and a play by Yeats on Irish mythological themes.
Later Poemsby W. B. Yeats [1922] Some of Yeats' best known poetry.
Legends and Stories of Irelandby Samuel Lover [1831, 1834] [PB] An early 19th century collection of comic Irish short stories.
The Irish Sketch-bookby William Makepeace Thackeray [1845] [PB] A travelogue of Ireland of the 1840s, not much in the way of folklore, but good background information.
The Ancient Irish Goddess of Warby WM Hennessey [1870]
Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Irelandby Lady Francesca Speranza Wilde [1887] [PB] A volumnious collection of Irish folklore, including folk magic, not all of it authoritative.
Myths and Folklore of Irelandby Jeremiah Curtin [1890] [PB]
Legendary Fictions of the Irish Celtsby Patrick Kennedy [1891] [PB] A huge collection of Irish folklore and legends, up through Christian times.
The Aran Islandsby John M. Synge [1907] [PB] A travelogue of the Aran Islands with beautiful woodcut illustrations.
Celtic Wonder Talesby Ella Young [1910] [PB]
Beside the Fireby Douglas Hyde [1910] [PB] A scholarly collection of Irish folk stories. The Preface of this book reviews many of the books included on this page.
The Crock of Goldby James Stephens [1912] [PB] A novel based on Irish folklore.
In Wicklow and West Kerryby John M. Synge [1912] [PB] A travelogue of rural Ireland at the turn of the 19th Century.
Irish Witchcraft and Demonologyby St. John D. Seymour [1913]. This is a fascinating study of the witch-persecutions in Ireland, along with accounts of paranormal activity.
True Irish Ghost Storiesby St. John D. Seymour and Harry L. Neligan [1914] Bone-chilling tales of Irish ghosts, haunted houses, banshees, poltergeists, and more.
The King of Ireland's Sonby Padraic Colum [1916] [PB]
The Druid Pathby Marah Ellis Ryan [1917] A collection of short stories set in ancient and modern Ireland by an American author.
The Candle of Visionby AE (George William Russell) [1918] Essays on Celtic mysticism.
Irish Fairy Talesby James Stephens [1920] [PB] Irish lore retold by a master storyteller. 
The Book of Kellsby Edward Sullivan [1920] A description of the famous manuscript with detailed color plates. Wales
Scotland
The Feuds of the Clansby Alexander MacGregor [1907] The epic feuds of the Scottish Highlands.
The Celtic Dragon Mythby J. F. Campbell and George Henderson [1911] The ur-myth of the struggle with the dragon, told in fine Celtic form with giants, mermaids and sidhe. (English and Gaelic)
The English and Scottish Popular Balladsby Francis James Child [1882-1898]. The motherlode of ballad collections, including many variations on each ballad.
The Poems of Ossianby James Macpherson [1773]
Scottish Fairy and Folk Talesby Sir George Douglas [1773]
Wonder Tales from Scottish Myth and Legend
by Donald Alexander Mackenzie [1917]
Notes on the Folk-Lore of the North-East of Scotlandby Walter Gregor [1881]
The Prophecies of the Brahan Seerby Alexander Mackenzie, intro. by Andrew Lang [1899] The tale of the famed Scottish clarivoyant and his amazing, and very specific, predictions. Brittany
Cornwall
Manx
The Phynodderree and Other Legends of the Isle of Manby Edward Callow [1882]
The Folk-Lore of the Isle of Manby A.W. Moore [1891] Classic Manx folklore
Traces of the Norse Mythology in the Isle of Manby P.M.C. Kermode [1904] Celtic FairiesThese are texts and studies about Celtic fairies, elves, and other supernatural creatures (as opposed to fairytales, which are a different matter altogether). Some of the books listed here are listed elsewhere on this page.
The Secret Common-Wealth of Elves, Fauns and FairiesBy Robert Kirk, 'Comment' by Andrew Lang [1893] This monograph, originally written in 1691, is a classic of Scottish fairy folklore. This etext was scanned from a very rare first printing of the Lang edition.
Fairy Legends and Traditionsby Thomas Crofton Croker [1825] [PB]
A Peep at the Pixiesby Anna Eliza Bray; Illustrations by Hablot K. Browne [1854]. [PB]
The Fairy Mythologyby Thomas Keightley [1870]. [PB]
British Goblinsby Wirt Sikes [1881] [PB] Despite the title, this book is actually a study of Welsh fairy folklore.
The Phynodderree and Other Legends of the Isle of Manby Edward Callow [1882]
Tales of the Dartmoor Pixiesby William Crossing [1890]. [PB]
The Science of Fairy Talesby Edwin Sidney Hartland [1891]. [PB]
Tales of Fairies and of the Ghost Worldby Jeremiah Curtin [1895] [PB]
The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countriesby W.Y. Evans-Wentz [1911] [PB] A serious study of Fairy folklore and mythology, with an ethnographic approach. The first book by Evans-Wentz, who later went on to translate many of the books of Tibetean Buddhism.
Fairiesby Gertrude M. Faulding [1913]. [PB]
The Coming of the Fairiesby Arthur Conan Doyle [1922] A study of the famous Cottingley fairy photographs, by the creator of Sherlock Holmes. General Studies
LinksCELT, the Corpus of Electronic Texts [External Site] is a scholarly and very comprehensive archive of Celtic texts. |
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