When most of us close our eyes and think of Fairies, more often than not the winged fairies of 19th century Britain is what will come to mind. Over the last 160 years, some historians and folklorists have attempted to figure out just how the British conception of the fairy came to be. For the most part and in the minds of many, it seems like fairies were some sort of Pagan Celtic survival of Christianization. However, this might not be the case at all. Taking us through the Origins of Fairies in Britain, is Author and Historian Dr. Francis Young.
Dr. Francis Young holds a PhD in History from the University of Cambridge and is the author of over 15 books, including Magic in Merlin’s Realm as well as The Cambridge Book of Magic. He routinely broadcasts for BBC Radio on history, religion and folklore. Francis is fairly active on Twitter and he is a must follow there. For all that Dr. Young gets up to, click the pic below!
Twilight of the Godlings: The Shadowy Beginnings of Britain’s Supernatural Beings looks to be an exceptional and unique look into the origins of certain particular beliefs regarding small gods and the like. If Fairies, History and Folklore are your bread and butter, you must grab a copy of this book!
Show Notes
- Everything you Know about Fairies is Wrong by Dr. Francis Young – Please have a read of this article to get the gist of what territory Twilight of the Godlings covers
- Suffolk Fairylore by Dr. Francis Young
- The Making of the early modern British Fairy Tradition by Ronald Hutton – worth reading certainly
- Parcae – From where we get the word Fairy (probably)
- Katharine Mary Briggs
- Sarah Semple
- Elves in Anglo-Saxon England: Matters of Belief, Health, Gender and Identity by Alaric Hall
- Elf Queens and Holy Friars: Fairy Beliefs and the Medieval Church by Richard Firth Green
- Cunning-Folk and Familiar Spirits: Shamanistic Visionary Traditions in Early Modern British Witchcraft and Magic by Emma Wilby
- At the Bottom of the Garden: A Dark History of Fairies, Hobgoblins, Nymphs, and Other Troublesome Things by Diane Purkiss
- Fairies, Demons, and Nature Spirits: ‘Small Gods’ at the Margins of Christendom – A fantastic collection of essays in this volume
- From the Graeco–Roman Underworld to the Celtic Otherworld: The Cultural Translation of a Pagan Deity by Angana Moitra – Brilliant essay here
- Sulis – Very fascinating
- Thetford Hoard – A cult of Faunus?
- Elidyr or Elidorious
- The Tale of Elidyr and the Little People
What Magic is This? 