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England

English folklore & fairy tales

37 entries · 11 sections

Folklore

Some of the English folklore texts on this page were originally transcribed by Phillip Brown at his now-defunct belinus.co.uk website. These are indicated by [PB].

Hero-Myths and Legends of the British RaceMaud Isabel Ebbutt, 1910 Folk-lore of Shakespeare The English and Scottish Popular BalladsFrancis James Child, 1882 — This is the motherlode of ballad collections, including many variations on each ballad.Robin HoodPaul Creswick, 1902 A Book of Old English BalladsGeorge Wharton Edwards, 1896 The Origins of Popular Superstitions and CustomsT. Sharper Knowlson, 1910 — Includes many superstitions and customs of England.Sports and Pastimes of the People of EnglandJoseph Strutt, 1903 — Sourcebook on the folklore and social history of leisure activities in 'Merrie Olde England.'Popular Romances of the West of EnglandRobert Hunt, 1903 English Fairy and Other Folk TalesEdwin Sidney Hartland, 1890 English Fairy TalesJoseph Jacobs, 1890 More English Fairy TalesJoseph Jacobs, 1894

Chronicles

Geoffrey of Monmouth1129 — The legendary history of Britain from King Lear to Arthur; includes the mysterious 'Prophecies of Merlin.'The Vita MerliniGeoffrey of Monmouth, 1925 — Monmouth's account of the life of Merlin, in Latin and English translation.

Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales and Other Works of Chaucer (Middle English)Geoffrey Chaucer, 1400 — Middle English edition of Chaucers' complete works.Tales from ChaucerGeoffrey Chaucer, 1833 — A retelling of highlights of the Canterbury Tales in modern English.

William Blake

Songs of Innocence and of ExperienceWilliam Blake, 1789-1794 — A fascimile of the luminous hand colored pages of Blakes' masterpiece, along with the text of the profound and bardic poems.

William Morris

The Works of William MorrisThe works of the prominent English writer and artist, the founder of the Arts and Crafts movement.

Fairies

The Coming of the FairiesArthur Conan Doyle, 1922 — A study of the famous Cottingley fairy photographs, by the creator of Sherlock Holmes.Tales of the Dartmoor PixiesWilliam Crossing, 1890 A Peep at the Pixies, or Legends of the WestAnna Eliza Bray, 1854

Ley Lines

Early British Trackways, Moats, Mounds, Camps and SitesAlfred Watkins, 1922 — The seminal book about Ley Lines.

Stonehenge

Stonehenge, A Temple Restor'd to the British DruidsWilliam Stukeley, 1740 — A pioneering study of Stonehenge, with all of the classic illustrations.Stonehenge and Other British Stone Monuments Astronomically ConsideredNorman Lockyer, 1906 — One of the first scholars to ask if Stonehenge was a megalithic observatory?

Anglo Saxon

BeowulfThe archetypal monster story...The Story of BeowulfStrafford Riggs, 1933 — A long out-of-print prose retelling of the Beowulf saga.

Faerie Queene

Edmund Spenser's challenging epic poem has roots in Arthurian legend but additional overlays of Christian allegory. It is one of the roots of the modern fantasy narrative.

The Faerie QueeneEdmund Spenser, 1596 — The full text of Spenser's epic poem of Chivalry.Stories from the Faerie QueeneMary Macleod, 1916 — A retelling of Spenser's epic for modern readers.

Arthurian

Monty Python.Le Morte d'ArthurSir Thomas Malory The MabinogionCharlotte Guest, 1877 — The Mabinogion is a group of Welsh tales, many of which are set in the court of King Arthur.CligesChretien DeTroyes, 1914 Erec et EnideChretien DeTroyes, 1914 The High History of the Holy GraalChretien DeTroyes, 1898 The Hidden Church of the Holy GraalArthur Edward Waite, 1909 — A massive overview of the grail legend and its evolution.From Ritual To RomanceJessie L. Weston, 1920 — An academic study of the roots of the Grail legend in the ancient Mystery initiations, a classic in its own right.King Arthur: Tales of the Round TableAndrew Lang, 1902 — An abridged version of the Arthur narrative by famous folklorist Andrew Lang; for 'children of all ages'.The Champions of the Round TableHoward Pyle, 1905 — The legends of Sir Lancelot, Sir Tristram, and Sir Percival.