I want to get a sense of the old fae legends in particular, but I'll take recommendations for any legends. Any age group is fine, and I'm open to essays or stories.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Suzanna Clarke takes traditional tropes about the fae and mixes them with historical fiction. It’s an unusual book, but was my own introduction to fairies as anything other than the insipid Disney interpretation.
Little, Big by John Crowley is another compelling novel focused on the politics of the fae (without any particular real world history mixed in).
CuriousText880 on
There are a number of anthologies out there compiling Celtic, Slavic, Nordic, and other fairytales, where a lot of the Fae legends come from. Here are a few off the top of my head:
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Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Suzanna Clarke takes traditional tropes about the fae and mixes them with historical fiction. It’s an unusual book, but was my own introduction to fairies as anything other than the insipid Disney interpretation.
Little, Big by John Crowley is another compelling novel focused on the politics of the fae (without any particular real world history mixed in).
There are a number of anthologies out there compiling Celtic, Slavic, Nordic, and other fairytales, where a lot of the Fae legends come from. Here are a few off the top of my head:
* [Celtic Myths and Legends](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/700460.Celtic_Myths_and_Legends?ref=rae_0) by Peter Berresford Ellis
* [Icelandic Folktales](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55819456-icelandic-folk-tales?ref=rae_12) by Hjorleifur Helgi Stefansson
* [Nordic Tales](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43387395-nordic-tales?ref=rae_2), by Ulla Thynell, Peter Christen Asbjornsen, Parker Fillmore, and Jon Arnason
* T[ales from Russian Folklore](http://goodreads.com/book/show/52750879-tales-from-russian-folklore?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=2gHedpzWLv&rank=1), by Alexander Afansyev
The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries by W Y Evans-Wentz
Strange Terrain by Barbara Rieti!