Fairies and fae and the like

[ratherastory]

Hey flist,

Anyone here know what they're talking about WRT fairies/the fae/etc? I am looking for some good reference books (or websites, that works too) that can give me more than a bare-bones overview of the various different types of small folk out there. The whole seelie/unseelie thing, everything from brownies to the hierarchies in the courts. All that stuff that I sort of know about but only enough to get myself into trouble.

Help?

Comments

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

The short answer to all of this is "yes." ;)

I am basically looking to educate myself as much as possible on the subject. I am looking less for polished fantasy tales (in which the author has tried to "streamline" the myths so that they all make sense) and more for the rougher stories. The stories told to explain things in Ireland would also be something I'm looking for.

Websites are great if they go into a bit of depth, and books are love. :)

[peppervl.livejournal.com]

Here's the Encyclopedia of Fairies by Katherine Briggs.

For art with lore, anything by Brian Froud. Faeries is a winner, and Good Faeries, Bad Faeries is a personal favorite.

This is a book of essays with a wide overview.

As far as websites go, your best bet is to pick the creature you're looking for and search for that.

[primrose-1.livejournal.com]

oo! Don't forget Yeats! Poke around with some of his stuff too!