Tuesday, May 12, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org
Folklore and Popular Tradition
English fairy tales, folk custom, Robin Hood, West Country lore, games, seasonal practice, and popular tradition.
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Texts
A Peep at the Pixies — Anna Eliza BrayA Peep at the Pixies or Legends of the West by Anna Eliza Bray (1854) — traditional Devonshire legends of the pixies, the Small People, and the fairy folk of the West Country, drawn from oral tradition and the author's earlier Traditions of Devonshire.English Fairy and Folk Tales — Sidney Edwin HartlandEnglish Fairy and Other Folk Tales edited by Sidney Edwin Hartland (1890) — a wide-ranging collection of English folk tales organized by type (fairy encounters, changeling stories, bogies, witches, giants, ghosts) with scholarly attention to the underlying belief systems.English Fairy Tales — Joseph JacobsEnglish Fairy Tales collected by Joseph Jacobs (1890) — 43 classic English tales including Jack and the Beanstalk, Tom Thumb, Jack the Giant-Killer, Dick Whittington, and the Three Bears, drawn from oral tradition and early printed sources.Hero-Myths and Legends of the British Race — Maud Isabel EbbuttHero-Myths and Legends of the British Race by Maud Isabel Ebbutt (1910) — heroic narratives from Old English, Norse, and medieval British tradition retold in prose, covering Beowulf, King Horn, Havelok, Guy of Warwick, Hereward the Wake, Robin Hood, and other heroes of British legend.More English Fairy Tales — Joseph JacobsMore English Fairy Tales collected by Joseph Jacobs (1894) — a second volume of 43 English folk tales including Cap o' Rushes, Mr. Fox, Whittington and His Cat, The Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh, and tales from every county of England and Wales.Popular Romances of the West of England — Robert HuntThe foundational collection of Cornish folklore — giants, piskies, knockers, mermaids, and local legends from the far West Country. Robert Hunt's third edition, London: Chatto and Windus, 1903.Robin Hood and His Adventures — Paul CreswickRobin Hood and His Adventures by Paul Creswick (1917), illustrated by N.C. Wyeth — a complete retelling of the Robin Hood legend from the original ballads, tracing the career of the outlaw of Sherwood Forest from his outlawry to his death at Kirklees Priory.Sports and Pastimes of the People of England — Joseph StruttThe Sports and Pastimes of the People of England by Joseph Strutt (1801, revised by J. Charles Cox 1903) — the foundational historical survey of English folk games, sports, seasonal festivals, dramatic entertainments, tournaments, and popular recreations from the earliest periods to the early nineteenth century.Tales of the Dartmoor Pixies — William CrossingTales of the Dartmoor Pixies by William Crossing (1890) — folk tales and legends of the pixies of Dartmoor, Devon, collected from local oral tradition by the foremost chronicler of Dartmoor life, covering pixy mischief, pixy stealing, pixy-led travelers, and the relationship between pixies and the human world.The Book of Hallowe'en — Ruth Edna KelleyA comprehensive exploration of the pagan roots and folk customs of Halloween, tracing the festival from ancient sun-worship through Celtic Samhain to modern American practice.