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Into the Fairy Hill

Classic Folktales of the Scottish Highlands

Michael S. Newton

$68.95

Paperback

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English
McFarland & Co Inc
19 September 2022
Headstrong heroines and hot-tempered chieftains, loch monsters and hill fairies, cattle raids and clan feuds, wise animals and foolish saints: the Scottish Highlands' folktales date back centuries and preserve the history and beliefs of a people deeply rooted in their land and culture. Oral traditions connect the modern world with the hearts and minds of Scottish Highlanders across the ages, bringing their world to life in vivid detail.

This anthology includes new and approachable translations of folktales from the Scottish Highlands and Nova Scotia, providing extensive commentary on this rich storytelling tradition. Each story is annotated with information about its origins and any insights into its meaning. The original Scottish Gaelic texts, collected from a wide variety of rare and obscure sources, are provided in an appendix.

By:  
Imprint:   McFarland & Co Inc
Country of Publication:   United States
Dimensions:   Height: 254mm,  Width: 178mm,  Spine: 14mm
Weight:   481g
ISBN:   9781476690025
ISBN 10:   1476690022
Pages:   277
Publication Date:  
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Table of Contents Acknowledgments Ro-ràdh / Foreword by Ruairidh MacIlleathain / Roddy Maclean Introduction: The Power of Stories Scottish Highlands: People and Place 9 delete• deleteHow Highlanders Experienced Folktales 13 delete• deleteGaelic Folktale Scholarship in Scotland 18 delete• deleteHow Folktales Work 23 delete• deleteAbout the Texts in This Volume 25 Chapter One. Tales of Wonder The Frog Prince 31 delete• deleteSilver-Tree and Gold-Tree 32 delete• deleteThe Grazing of Cruachan 35 delete• deleteThe Language of Birds 40 delete• deleteGreat Seanchan and the Smith of the Tales 46 delete• deleteThe Tale of Mànus 49 Chapter Two. Tales About Life and the World How Scotland Was Formed 57 delete• deleteThe Eagle of Loch Tréig 58 delete• deleteEscaping Doomsday 60 delete• deleteThe Origin of the Milky Way 63 delete• deleteThe Origin of the Will o’ Wisp 64 delete• deleteHow the Wren Became the King of Birds 65 delete• deleteWhy the Dog-Fish Is Called “the King’s Fish” 66 delete• deleteThe Hawk Teaches the Fox a Lesson 67 delete• deleteOh, Adam! 67 delete• deleteThe Clan of the Sixty Blockheads 69 Chapter Three. Tales of Culture Heroes and Ancients The Boyhood Deeds of Cù Chulainn 72 delete• deleteHow Cù Chulainn Killed His Only Son 74 delete• deleteThe Origin Story of Fionn and the Fianna 75 delete• deleteHow Fionn Got His Psychic Powers 79 delete• deleteGaraidh and the Women 80 delete• deleteFionn in the House of Yellow Face 82 delete• deleteDiarmaid and Gràinne 86 delete• deleteThe Hunt for the Venomous Boar in Ross 88 Chapter Four. Historical Legends and Clan Sagas Columba and Mo Luag in Lismore 92 delete• deleteColumba and His Brother Dòbhran at Iona 93 delete• deleteSaints of Kintail 95 delete• deleteThe Norse Princess’s Mock Lament 96 delete• deleteThe Sea-People of Arran 98 delete• deleteThe Feral MacDonalds of Braemar 100 delete• deleteThe Big Blacksmith of Glen Urquhart 101 delete• deleteThe Camerons’ Doomed Raid on the Lennox 103 delete• deleteThe Outlaw Black-Haired Finlay MacRae 106 delete• deleteDonald of the Songs and the Deer 108 delete• deleteThe Battle of Tràigh Ghruinneart 110 delete• deleteThe Glen Quaich Bridge 117 delete• deleteThe Battle of Carinish 118 delete• deleteThe MacGregors and the Campbell Bloodhounds 121 delete• deleteThe Battle of Sròn a’ Chlachain 122 delete• deleteThe Loch Earn Robber 123 delete• deleteThe Massacre of Glencoe 124 Chapter Five. Tales of the Otherworldly The Origin of the Fairies 130 delete• deleteDispirited Fairies in Ross-shire 131 delete• deleteThe Stuff of Life 132 delete• deleteThe Fairies and the Farmer’s Gift 132 delete• deleteGreat MacMhuirich and the Fairies 133 delete• deleteThe Glaistig of Glen Duror 134 delete• deleteThe Gruagach Stones 135 delete• deleteThe Red Hand of Kincardine 136 delete• deleteThe Specter of the Tay and the Fairy-Fort of Kincraigie 137 delete• deleteThe Tailor of Rannoch and the Fairy 137 delete• deleteThe Fairies and the Stolen Wife 139 delete• deleteThe Chanter from the Fairies of Loch Roag 140 delete• deleteMacCrimmon’s Fairy Sweetheart 140 delete• deleteThe Uruisg’s Reward 141 delete• deleteThe Cloven-Hoofed Sweetheart 143 delete• deleteThe Last Each-Uisge in Lewis 144 delete• deleteMacPhee’s Black Hound 145 delete• deleteThe Old Wife of Laggan 148 delete• deleteThe Witch of Braemar 150 delete• deleteMacLeod of Dunvegan and the Witches 151 delete• deleteHugh of the Wee Head 152 delete• deleteThe Washing Woman and the Chieftain of Clanranald 154 delete• deleteThe Midwife and the Queen of the Fairies 155 delete• deleteThe MacGlashens of Lismore 156 delete• deleteThe Farr Seer 157 delete• deleteThe Dream of the Dead in Strath Tummel 157 Epilogue: Reclaiming Our Voices Appendix: Original Gaelic Sources A’ Bhànrigh a Dh’Iarr Deoch á Tobar Àraid 163 delete• deleteCraobh-Airgid agus Craobh-Òir 164 delete• deleteBuachailleachd Chruachain 166 delete• deleteCànan nan Eun 172 delete• deleteSeanchan Mór an Éirinn is Gobha nan Sgeul an Albainn 177 delete• deleteEachdraidh Mhànuis 179 delete• deleteA’ Chailleach Bheur 185 delete• deleteIolaire Loch Tréig 185 delete• deleteTeicheadh ro’n Bhràth 187 delete• deleteSgrìob Chloinn Uisnigh 189 delete• deleteAn Teine Mór 190 delete• deleteRìgh nan Eun 191 delete• deleteAn t-Adhbhar mun Abairear Iasg Rìgh ris an Dallaig 192 delete• deleteO, Àdhaimh! 192 delete• deleteSliochd nan Trì Fichead Burraidh 194 delete• deleteTòrachd na Tàine 195 delete• deleteMar a Thòisich an Fhéinn 196 delete• deleteFionn agus am Bradan 199 delete• deleteGaraidh agus na Mnathan 200 delete• deleteFionn an Taigh a’ Bhlàir Bhuidhe 202 delete• deleteDiarmaid agus Gràinne 205 delete• deleteDiarmaid agus Bran 208 delete• deleteCalum Cille agus Dòbhran a Bhràthair 208 delete• deleteNaoimh Chinn-Tàile 210 delete• deleteAn Caoineadh-Magaidh 211 delete• deleteInnis Eabhrach 213 delete• deleteAn Gobhainn Mór 214 delete• deleteCalum Garbh mac Eòghainn 216 delete• deleteFionnlagh Dubh MacRath 218 delete• deleteDòmhnall mac Fhionnlaigh nan Dàn 220 delete• deleteBlàr Tràigh Ghruinneart 222 delete• deleteDrochaid Lag nan Cladhairean 228 delete• deleteBlàr Chàirinnis 229 delete• deleteClann Ghriogair agus Coin Dubha nan Caimbeulach 232 delete• deleteLatha Blàr Shròn a’ Chlachain 232 delete• deleteCreachadair Loch Éire 233 delete• deleteMurt Ghlinn Comhann 235 delete• deleteNa Sìdhichean ann an Siorramachd Rois 237 delete• deleteNa Sìdhichean ann an Raithneach 237 delete• deleteAn Tuathanach agus na Sìbhrich 238 delete• deleteGlaistig Ghlinn Dùror 239 delete• deleteTàillear Ruadh Raithneach 240 delete• deleteA’ Bhean a Ghoid na Sìdhichean 241 delete• deleteSiùnnsair MhicCruimein 242 delete• deleteIain Dubh Mór agus an Uruisg 242 delete• deleteAn Leannan Crodhanach 244 delete• deleteCù Dubh Mhic a’ Phì 244 delete• deleteCailleach an Lagain 247 delete• deleteMacLeòid Dhùn Bheagain is na Bana-Bhuidsichean 249 delete• deleteEóghann a’ Chinn Bhig 249 delete• deleteMac ’ic Ailein agus Luideag an Uillt 251 delete• deleteA’ Bhean-Ghlùine agus Bànrigh nan Sìbhreach 252 delete• deleteClann MhicGlaisein ann an Lios Mór 253 delete• deleteAm Fiosaiche ann am Fàrr 254 delete• deleteBruadar nam Marbh ann an Srath Theimheil 254 Chapter Notes Bibliography Index

Michael S. Newton was an assistant professor in the Celtic Studies department of St Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia from 2008 to 2013. He has written a multitude of books and articles about Gaelic culture and history and is a leading authority on Scottish Gaelic heritage in North America. He lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Reviews for Into the Fairy Hill: Classic Folktales of the Scottish Highlands

Michael Newton is to be commended on his new collection of Scottish Gaelic folktales, which will be a valuable resource for the general and academic reader alike. He has done a great service to the Gaelic community, not only by re-editing a sizable stock of folklore material-emending the errors and outdated orthography of editions long out of print-but also by providing fresh, accessible English translations that will enable a wide audience to enjoy these delightful stories anew. -Natasha Sumner, associate professor, Celtic languages and literatures, Harvard University You hold in your hands a book that is both intellectually fascinating and emotionally spellbinding. As one of today's preeminent scholars of Scottish Gaelic language and its wider culture, Michael Newton has succeeded in breathing back to life the dying embers of the 'ceilidh house' of bygone times, that humble yet far-reaching University of Life. In an era when knowledge can too often lack wisdom, where cognition can too readily lack imagination's vision, this book calls back the soul's long-ebbing tide. May these tales find new life in those who hear them shared aloud today. May they open out new depths of meaning in these troubled times. A blessing on the house and 'Peace be here!' where they find currency. And as the tradition had it, 'So be it.' -Alastair McIntosh, honorary senior research fellow, University of Glasgow


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