Traditional Irish or English Tales About Ordinary People
May 8, 2017 3:46 PM Subscribe
I want to learn and tell some of the traditional stories of my ancestors, and I'm looking for links or book references for Irish and English folktales and fairytales that do not revolve around the mating habits of royalty.
I'm looking at stories as teaching tools, so I'm especially interested in stories with something to say about the ups and downs of village life, and how to get along with others (both human and non-human).
I'm looking at stories as teaching tools, so I'm especially interested in stories with something to say about the ups and downs of village life, and how to get along with others (both human and non-human).
Well, you might get some slice of Irish life from Maeve Binchy's books. They can be a bit saccharine and I'll leave it to a real Irish person to say how realistic they are, but I enjoy them....
posted by Tandem Affinity at 4:57 PM on May 8, 2017
posted by Tandem Affinity at 4:57 PM on May 8, 2017
Also, maybe check out Dubliners and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (James Joyce)...not modern, but probably a little more realistic than Maeve....
posted by Tandem Affinity at 4:59 PM on May 8, 2017
posted by Tandem Affinity at 4:59 PM on May 8, 2017
Argh, totally missed the 'fairy tale' aspect, so you may want to disregard....
posted by Tandem Affinity at 4:59 PM on May 8, 2017
posted by Tandem Affinity at 4:59 PM on May 8, 2017
If it's selkies ye want, watch Song of the Sea.
posted by Kafkaesque at 5:13 PM on May 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Kafkaesque at 5:13 PM on May 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
There are a couple of Irish folktale collections, Celtic Fairy Tales and More Celtic Fairy Tales, that I grew up on, and I'd say they're about half what you're looking for (with the rest being more upper class focused). Probably out of print, but everything's on abebooks.com .
posted by LizardBreath at 6:25 PM on May 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by LizardBreath at 6:25 PM on May 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
Any of Eddie Lenihan's works would probably be useful for you. He's a collector and teller of traditional Irish stories
posted by coleboptera at 9:04 PM on May 8, 2017
posted by coleboptera at 9:04 PM on May 8, 2017
You could do a search for Irish storytellers, because it's a thing. And even the gods and heros in these stories seem to be living a rough and ready life in some respects, since you said you're not too interested in kings and queens. Irish storytelling is one of the great European oral traditions and it's still alive, unlike say, the tradition that gave us Grimm's Tales.
Here's something about Edmund Lenihan, seanchaithe, and here's his website with lots of books for sale. Just searching Irish storytellers gives you many more interesting links to follow.
posted by glasseyes at 1:24 AM on May 9, 2017
Here's something about Edmund Lenihan, seanchaithe, and here's his website with lots of books for sale. Just searching Irish storytellers gives you many more interesting links to follow.
posted by glasseyes at 1:24 AM on May 9, 2017
Best answer: Marie de France's Lais, from the early 12th century. These are short verse tales written in Anglo-Norman (at that time a language used in France and England), purportedly based on circulating oral folktales, including those of Celtic origin. They are characterised by supernatural motifs, including a werewolf, fairies, and magical weasels. There are many translations, but I think the Penguin is the best, and most accessible to read.
Marie de France also wrote the Legend of the Purgatory of Saint Patrick (an Old French translation of an earlier Latin text). In it, the Irish knight Owein travels to the ancient pilgrimage site of Saint Patrick's Purgatory, descends into purgatory itself and meets various demons. The standard English translation is by Michael J. Curley (1993), but this is now out of print and super expensive.
In 2015, a Norton Critical Edition came out, which includes English translations of Marie de France's Lais, excerpts from the Purgatory, and (bonus!) her versions of Aesop's fables. I've not read it myself, but it looks good - and has some excellent contextual content too, including excerpts from texts which inspire/influence Marie's works and academic criticism.
Beyond these texts, the site you're looking for is the encyclopedic Folklinks, created by Prof D. L. Ashliman (ret. from University of Pittsburgh). Folklinks has everything, or at least links to everything you need to figure out how deep into the folklore rabbit hole you want to go. I recommend starting with the Electronic Texts pages, and searching for Ireland or England. Ashliman also has a 2004 book, Folk and Fairy Tales: A Handbook. It looks to be likely superfluous to your needs, or at least overly general.
Other Possibilities:
I am no fan of Chaucer myself, but The Canterbury Tales do contain the stories of more-or-less ordinary folk from England in the late fourteenth century.
Andrew Joynes' has a great short anthology, Medieval Ghost Stories. The volume has tales from the 8th to the 14th century, all translated into English, which give a flavour of popular conceptions of the supernatural (or indeed the ways in which the audience of the tales were instructed to conceive of the supernatural).
If you want real insight into everyday life in pre-modern England, then check out the Paston Letters. These are a collection of letters, spanning 1422-1509, sent and received by the Paston family, members of the gentry in Norfolk (England). (For editions, and more info, check out here and here [the latter also features scans of some of the original letters].)
posted by thetarium at 5:48 AM on May 9, 2017 [3 favorites]
Marie de France also wrote the Legend of the Purgatory of Saint Patrick (an Old French translation of an earlier Latin text). In it, the Irish knight Owein travels to the ancient pilgrimage site of Saint Patrick's Purgatory, descends into purgatory itself and meets various demons. The standard English translation is by Michael J. Curley (1993), but this is now out of print and super expensive.
In 2015, a Norton Critical Edition came out, which includes English translations of Marie de France's Lais, excerpts from the Purgatory, and (bonus!) her versions of Aesop's fables. I've not read it myself, but it looks good - and has some excellent contextual content too, including excerpts from texts which inspire/influence Marie's works and academic criticism.
Beyond these texts, the site you're looking for is the encyclopedic Folklinks, created by Prof D. L. Ashliman (ret. from University of Pittsburgh). Folklinks has everything, or at least links to everything you need to figure out how deep into the folklore rabbit hole you want to go. I recommend starting with the Electronic Texts pages, and searching for Ireland or England. Ashliman also has a 2004 book, Folk and Fairy Tales: A Handbook. It looks to be likely superfluous to your needs, or at least overly general.
Other Possibilities:
I am no fan of Chaucer myself, but The Canterbury Tales do contain the stories of more-or-less ordinary folk from England in the late fourteenth century.
Andrew Joynes' has a great short anthology, Medieval Ghost Stories. The volume has tales from the 8th to the 14th century, all translated into English, which give a flavour of popular conceptions of the supernatural (or indeed the ways in which the audience of the tales were instructed to conceive of the supernatural).
If you want real insight into everyday life in pre-modern England, then check out the Paston Letters. These are a collection of letters, spanning 1422-1509, sent and received by the Paston family, members of the gentry in Norfolk (England). (For editions, and more info, check out here and here [the latter also features scans of some of the original letters].)
posted by thetarium at 5:48 AM on May 9, 2017 [3 favorites]
Definitely The Canterbury Tales (I sort of love Chaucer, fyi).
Also, you might try delving into traditional folk music and ballads which are chock full of common folk right up to and including contemporary times. I've nowhere near the depth of knowledge to give you even a decent playlist, but you could certainly dive in with the Child Ballads
posted by thivaia at 7:36 PM on May 9, 2017
Also, you might try delving into traditional folk music and ballads which are chock full of common folk right up to and including contemporary times. I've nowhere near the depth of knowledge to give you even a decent playlist, but you could certainly dive in with the Child Ballads
posted by thivaia at 7:36 PM on May 9, 2017
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Seal Maiden (audio).
Both are about selkies but I love selkies so that's what you get from me.
posted by BoscosMom at 4:16 PM on May 8, 2017 [3 favorites]