Irish Fairy and Folk TalesWilliam Butler Yeats Gathered by the renowned Irish poet, playwright, and essayist William Butler Yeats, the sixty-five tales and poems in this delightful collection uniquely capture the rich heritage of the Celtic imagination. Filled with legends of village ghosts, fairies, demons, witches, priests, and saints, these stories evoke both tender pathos and lighthearted mirth and embody what Yeats describes as “the very voice of the people, the very pulse of life.” “The impact of these tales doesn’t stop with Yeats, or Joyce, or Oscar Wilde,” writes Paul Muldoon in his Foreword, “for generations of readers in Ireland and throughout the world have found them flourishing like those persistent fairy thorns.” |
Contents
3 | |
CHANGELINGS | 53 |
THE MERROW | 68 |
THE SOLITARY FAIRIES | 88 |
GHOSTS | 140 |
WITCHES FAIRY DOCTORS | 159 |
TYEERNANOGE | 217 |
SAINTS PRIESTS | 233 |
THE DEVIL | 249 |
GIANTS | 283 |
KINGS QUEENS PRINCESSES EARLS ROBBERS | 305 |
NOTES | 347 |
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Common terms and phrases
answer appeared arms asked beautiful began believe better Bill Billy bird body bring brought buried called carried child coming corpse cried dance dead death door eyes face fairy father fear fell fire friends gave girl give hand happened head hear heard heart horse hour Ireland Irish Jack keep kind king knew lady leave light lived look matter milk mind morning mother mouth never night once ould pass person poor priest prince queen replied rest returned road round says seemed seen side sitting soon soul speak spirits stone story sure Teig tell thing thought told took turn voice walked whole wife wild wish woman wonder young