Fairy Lore

Melissa Marr, who occasionally visits the YA board, wrote Wicked Lovely and Ink Exchange, which are about fairies. You might check those books out. I believe she lists resources in one of them; I don't know if the resources are fictional or not.

Look up your local branches of the Irish, Scottish and Manx societies and see if they have any books on the subject in their library. Otherwise google for information. The second option has its problems though. You have to know how to spell Phennodderee and things like that.

First, you need to distinguish between fairy folklore, and Celtic mythology; they are similar in many respects, but they are not the same.

Second, look for books by Katherine Briggs at your local library; particularly those with "Dictionary" or Encyclopedia" in their titles. Briggs was THE fairy folklore expert, and a well-respected scholar.

Books by Lewis Spence and Thomas Keitley are less useful, but may also be of interest; they were Victorians, so are a bit outdated, and less than careful.

Be a bit prepared for a letdown. Welsh/Scottish fairy stories are/were merged with Irish tales because of numerous cross-culture minglings. Irish fairy stories are heavily Christianized because they weren't written down until missionaries brought the craft to the island and converted most of the populace.

There are a few sources.

Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry
Edited and Selected by W. B. Yeats
Gods and Fighting Men, by Lady Gregory [1904] ?I got this off a "new age" site so cannot verify authenticity.
Legends and Stories of Ireland (Forgotten Books) by Samuel Lover
The Celts by Peter Berresford Ellis (history book, not folklore, but great for grounding yourself)

Sacred Texts has a lovely database. It provides a plethora of scanned older texts, & it's sorted by sub-categories. The Celtic collection is here-- http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/index.htm

Barb D said:

Melissa Marr, who occasionally visits the YA board, wrote Wicked Lovely and Ink Exchange, which are about fairies. You might check those books out. I believe she lists resources in one of them; I don't know if the resources are fictional or not.

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The texts quoted at the start of the chapters in WL are all real, but some of the ones on the characters' bookshelves are fictional books.

She_wulf said:

Irish fairy stories are heavily Christianized because they weren't written down until missionaries brought the craft to the island and converted most of the populace.

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Well, now, see that's what I mean. That's Irish mythology; that's not, really, the same as fairy stories.

The Welsh and Scottish fairy folklore are actually pretty distinct from each other with the shared characteristics/motifs tending to be either Celtic or Indo-European, and thus common to much of Europe.

I don't know about attracting them but www.electricscotland.com is a good site to find things Scottish.

How to attract fairies?

You wouldn't want them anywhere near you. They were deadly indifferent to the human race and callous in their treatment of those they met.
BUT
because you do, try reversing these old tales my Grandmother used to tell

Caught in a mist unexpectedly you turn your coat, or outer garment, inside out so as not to be pixie mazed. That means being led into ditches or pools or other traps like brambles and briars.

You never wore green at midsummer. You never ever had a scrap of green be it ribbon or thread on a baby, nor on its cradle or any room it's in. This is to prevent your baby being stolen and a changling left behind.

You placated Puck and others of the fairy folk with a saucer of milk outside the dairy to prevent the milk and cream being soured.

A beautiful girl or boy, youth or maiden who sang or was musical or danced well had to watch out that they weren't stolen by the Queen of the fairies to entertain her.

Midsummer's eve is when you can get closest to the fairy folk.

Have a look at the text of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. There are some nice little hints there in speeches by Puck and the Fairies.

Modern reincarnations. These people might be willing to answer questions.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Rhodes/5569/Faery_Trad_Intro.html

http://www.dmoz.org/Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Pagan/Wicca/Traditions/Faery/

There are several tales reported in which captives of the faeries appeared to their loved ones in dreams or visions and told them what to do to free them.

This site's got some interesting stuff - not massively detailed, but a good starting point.

http://www.brigids-haven.com/bos/fae/herbs.html

DamaNegra said:

I'm writing a novel about a girl who's trying to rescue a boyfriend caught by the fairies and held prisioner by the Queen of Faires So I need her to somehow make contact with fairies to get her started on her quest. But all your tidbits are definitely useful, I'll keep them in mind.

Stephanie, thank you so much for the links! I'll check them all out.

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You need to read my dissertation

Seriously, go here:

http://www.tamlin.org

And PM me an email address, and I'll send you some articles.

pdr said:

Midsummer's eve is when you can get closest to the fairy folk.

Have a look at the text of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. There are some nice little hints there in speeches by Puck and the Fairies.

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Err, no, actually, May 1 or October 31 are the two major days, with Midsummer/St. John's the other.

GREAT BRITAIN
bean-nighe: Scottish banshees, who wash bloodstained clothes.
bendith y mamau: Welsh fairies.
blue men of the Minch: Shipwreck-causing water fairies of the Scottish islands.
bodach: Scottish brownie
bogles: Goblins who only harm liars and murderers
brownies, silkies: Helpful household fairies.
bwca, bwbachod: Welsh brownie
coblynau koblernigh: Welsh mine fairies.
ellyllon: Welsh elves.
the fach: Scottish Highland fairies.
the Fendoree: A Manx brownie.
the ferrishyn: Manx fairy tribe.
fireesin, the harvesters: Solitary Manx fairies who help farmers.
Guillyn Veggey, the little boys: Manx fairies
Gwragedd Annwn: Beautiful Welsh water fairies who somtimes take human husbands.
gwyllion: Malevolent Welsh mountain fairies.
hillmen, hogmen: Manx fairies, who are greatly feared. They may be seen on November 11, when they move their homes.
hyter sprites: East Anglian fairies who shapeshift into birds.
knockers, buccas: Cornish mine fairies.
kelpie: Scottish water fairies who often take the shape of ponies.
people of the hills: English green mound fairies.
pechs, pehts: Scottish fairies who build castles.
pixies, piskies, pigseys, pigsies, urchins: Green hedgehog fairies from Cornwall and Devon whose bells are heard across the moors. They dance near stones and steal horses. Pixies are usually mischevious.
portunes: farm fairies
Redcap: Malicious Scottish fairy.
Seelie Court: The fairy aristocracy, who ride in Fairy Rades.
selkies: Scottish seal fairies. Female selkies sometimes marry humans. Male selkies create storms and overturn boats in revenge for seal-hunting.
Shellycoat: Scottish water bogey.
sluagh: Highland fairies who are associated with death.
trows: Shetland trolls.
tylwyth teg: Welsh fairies who bestow gifts, dance in fairy rings and kidnap children with long golden hair.
trooping fairies: Scottish elves who dance in groups.
Unseelie Court, sluagh, The Host: Malicious Scottish fairies who live in dark places and sometimes kidnap people.
urisks: Ugly, friendly fairies from Scotland.

http://www.celticattic.com/olde_world/myths/fairy.htm

Ah, but...

'twas only Midsummer eve in m'grannie's tales about Yorkshire.

All Hallows was not a time of fairies in the Yorkshire folk lore I heard, but the time when those who had died that year, and those long dead and yearning for their families, tried to return. 'Twas all ghoulies and ghosties and wee beasties!

May day was May Queen's Day, not a fairy in sight, but you had to watch out in early spring before the Rowan leafed or you could have trouble.

Dianne Wynne Jones wrote a marvellous book called 'Fire and Hemlock', a Tam Lin take, which might give you some ideas too.

DamaNegra said:

Guys? Third world country resident here There's no such thing as a local library. And if there is, the newest book probably dates from when the library was founded 50 years ago. I can probably try and get some of the books, but I'd rather someone pointed me to a dedicated website. Or at least give me some keywords so I can do the search, since Mumut just scared me with her big word.

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Look for Yeats' Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries (it might also be spelled "Faery"). The whole thing's online in several places.

Also search Google books.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0517263130/?tag=absolutewritedm-20

Thomas Keightley's book is supposedly one of the reference books used by Tolkien. I can't be sure of that, but it was published in its first version with plenty of time for it to be possible (in 1880)

The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves and other Little People

Someone mentioned Sacred Texts, if you check out their Fairy page there are lots of goodies, such as the amazing, weird Secret Commonwealth.

The fairy bibliography has a good list of reference sites.

a few of the folklore books are also on googlebooks:
keightley
yeats
evans
sikes

Quite a lot of ballads are online, such as as Tam Lin

I was very obsessed with this subject a couple of years back and tried to read everything I could get my grubby hands on. I have a whole shelf of stuff I could lend you if you were a little closer to home! Although I found myself skimming a lot of it- like Shewulf, I didn't love all the Victorian retellings- they often seem to be drawing from the same old sources and can be a bit dry to say the least.

I know you're not looking for anything not online, but just in case anyone's interested I recommend:

K Briggs Encylopedia of Fairies and the Fairies in Tradition and Literature

N Arrowsmith Field Guide to the Little People

D Purkiss Troublesome Things

P Narvaez The Good People

For quick reference the fairy enclyclopedias by Franklin and Rose are both pretty good.

Being of Irish descent I did much research in Celt/Pict lore and have since become a Wiccan. One branch of this religion is Faery Wicca. It is the worship of the Fae, beings that were banished/escaped to another dimension of our world and that are very powerful. There are many different types of Fae and some are more connected to our world than others.

It is believed that the time of the four Sabbats and four Esbats are the most likely to have portals between our world and the Fae to open and each can pass to the other through them at that time. Beltane (May Day) is one of the Sabbats in Wiccan religion, but Samhain (Halloween) is supposed to be the best time because the veil between the two worlds is supposed to be its thinnest.

Here are some websites you can check out. I skimmed them and seem to be informative at least to regards of what you wish to know.
http://www.geocities.com/open3eyes/main.html (The Dreamscape Faery Wicca site) Click on the pic at the top of the page to enter the system
http://www.geocities.com/Wellesley/6686/little The Little People site. Has some tidbits on Welsh Faery lore
http://members.tripod.com/~Gwion/index21.html Faery Folk and Kin site. Lists types of the Fae
http://www.faerie-world.org/tales/society.html This is a site done by a man that made the Fae journey and this URL is for the “Society of the Fair Folk” which speaks of the King and Queen of the Fae.
http://www.faerie-world.org/tales/traveling.html This is another page to the above man’s journey telling about how the Fae travel between worlds.
http://www.faerie-world.org/ This is the home page for the same man and his site seems to have the most helpful of all the ones I explored. I would start with this one if it were me.

Unfortunately most websites dealing with Wicca or Faery were more commercial in nature or home sites to organizations, but not historical in nature. There are many excellent Wiccan books on the Faery culture and religion, and if you wish to find books online to purchase, I would recommend the Llewellyn site. It is strictly related to all things Pagan/Wiccan and the source I use to obtain my own books. There website is http://www.llewellyn.com/ If you would like more specific information that I might have in my personal library, please feel free to PM me. I would be happy to help you find it.

http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/

The main site is more about fairy tales than fairies, but their discussion board is an excellent source of information.