Folktales and Famous FolkOf all the books and plays Oscar Wilde is so famous for, The Selfish Prince and Other Tales is probably the least known. Yet his fairy tales have a special charm only he could impart. While as magical as any could wish, they still showed his wicked wit at work, critiquing as always, the society in which he lived. There are many variations of his fairy tales still available for purchase. I just ordered what I hope is a complete collection and will joyfully share it when it arrives. I have already found a partial collection of W.B.Yeats work. Mr. Yeats made quite a study of the folklore of Ireland, and his work became the foundation for one of the greatest collections in the world of native folklore, archived at the Department of Irish Folklore, University College, Dublin. These tales, collected in the 1880s from native storytellers, is as near the original myths as can be achieved. Yeats, himself, believed in the fey, and related a tale of casting a circle and calling the fairy folk. The queen of the folk came to him. They had a long conversation, and at the end the Queen wrote a message in the sand for him to be careful and not to seek to learn too much of them, a message that is echoed over and over in the fairy tales themselves. Yeats had his uncle and a cousin with him. The uncle heard the fairies music, and the cousin both saw and heard them as well. Indeed, as he gathered his tales he seemed to find that, unlike today, those who did not believe in the fey were more an exception than those who did! I've just begun reading "Fairy Tales of Ireland" which is a recent edition, sharing just a few of the many tales Yeats collected. I shall share my favorite snippets with you as I go... Blessedbe Summer Fey Foovay Posted: Monday 22nd May 2006, 4:58 PM |
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