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A review by toad_maiden
Encyclopedia of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, & Other Supernatural Creatures by Katharine M. Briggs
3.0
This book was a great favorite of mine as a child. The public library had one copy on reserve and I spent hours poring over it when I was there, memorizing the names of the Tuatha de Danann, reading the stories of True Thomas and Tam Lin, studying which virtues were rewarded my fairies and which vices punished. Even through my adult life, this book has enjoyed a sort of clout in my imagination that few do, and so I decided to revisit it.
Briggs offers a detailed look at fairy beliefs, stories and customs from the British Isles. I was surprised that the focus was so insular, because nowhere on the cover or in the description is this mentioned; I felt this was a little misleading or even Eurocentric, as though all “hobgoblins, brownies, bogies, and other supernatural creatures” are the product of a Celtic imagination. However, for its scope, this book cannot be beaten. Briggs is an excellent folklorist and gathers together in this book not only elves, banshees, and grims, but also Perrault, Herrick, Yeats, and dozens of other writers and folklorists whose work she draws from. My complaints are: the aforementioned lack of geographical descriptor in the title; oddly vague pronunciation guides for various Gaelic words. But this book is universally cited by lovers of folklore for good reason, and my imagination was once again captured as I sifted through its pages.
Briggs offers a detailed look at fairy beliefs, stories and customs from the British Isles. I was surprised that the focus was so insular, because nowhere on the cover or in the description is this mentioned; I felt this was a little misleading or even Eurocentric, as though all “hobgoblins, brownies, bogies, and other supernatural creatures” are the product of a Celtic imagination. However, for its scope, this book cannot be beaten. Briggs is an excellent folklorist and gathers together in this book not only elves, banshees, and grims, but also Perrault, Herrick, Yeats, and dozens of other writers and folklorists whose work she draws from. My complaints are: the aforementioned lack of geographical descriptor in the title; oddly vague pronunciation guides for various Gaelic words. But this book is universally cited by lovers of folklore for good reason, and my imagination was once again captured as I sifted through its pages.