The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries

by Evans-Wentz, W. Y.

• ISBN13: 9780486425221
• ISBN10: 0486425223
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-11-02
• Publisher: Dover Publications

Summary

This collection of reports of elfin creatures in Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and Brittany ranks among the most scholarly works ever published on the subject.The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countriesbegins with the author's account of firsthand testimony from living sources, classified under individual countries and introduced by leading authorities on anthropology and folklore. The next section concerns the recorded traditions of Celtic literature and mythology, followed by an examination of a variety of theories and their religious aspects. The book concludes with a remarkably rational case for the reality of fairy life. Narrated with an engaging sense of wonder, this volume offers a valuable resource for students of anthropology and Celtic lore, as well as hours of delightful reading for fairy enthusiasts. Unabridged republication of the classic 1911 edition.

Author Biography

W.Y. Evans-Wentz (1878-1965) was best known as the translator of The Tibetan Book of the Dead and the author of several other books on eastern mysticism

Table of Contents

PREFACE	vii
INTRODUCTION	xi
SECTION I THE LIVING FAIRY-FAITH
CHAPTER I
ENVIRONMENT	1	(16)
CHAPTER II
THE TAKING OF EVIDENCE	17	(209)
CHAPTER III
AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE EVIDENCE	226	(57)
SECTION II THE RECORDED FAIRY-FAITH
CHAPTER IV
THE PEOPLE OF THE GODDESS DANA OR THE SIDLE	283	(25)
CHAPTER V
BRYTHONIC DIVINITIES AND THE BRYTHONIC FAIRY-FAITH	308	(24)
CHAPTER VI
THE CELTIC OTHERWORLD	332	(26)
CHAPTER VII
THE CELTIC DOCTRINE OF RE-BIRTH	358	(84)
SECTION III THE CULT OF GODS, SPIRITS, FAIRIES, AND THE DEAD
CHAPTER VIII
THE TESTIMONY OF ARCHAEOLOGY 397
CHAPTER IX
THE TESTIMONY OF PAGANISM 427
CHAPTER X
THE TESTIMONY OF CHRISTIANITY	442	(14)
SECTION IV MODERN SCIENCE AND THE FAIRY-FAITH;AND CONCLUSIONS
CHAPTER XI
SCIENCE AND FAIRIES	456	(36)
CHAPTER XII
THE CELTIC DOCTRINE OF RE-BIRTH AND OTHERWORLD SCIENTIFICALLY EXAMINED	492	(24)
INDEX	516