Round Lake Area Public Library

© Brian Froud

Tuesday, June 16
1:30 pm
Meeting Room
Teens and up

Forget about Tinker Bell in this magical program, and learn about real Faeries from the ancient days of the Celts. Hear stories of Oisín and Niamh, of Lusmore and the sídhe, and of Leprechauns and the Each Uisge. Learn about the “good” and the “bad”, and how to defend yourself against the mischievous and malevolent ones.
Register NOW at the Youth or Adult Reference Desk.

Summary of Presentation:
Faerie lore and fairy tales have long inspired the imaginations of many people young and old through the centuries, evolving into such a state that the faerie of three hundred years ago is not remotely recognizable to the fairy of today, hence the spelling distinction. Nevertheless, contemporary faerie lorists such as Brian Froud and Alan Lee have made efforts to bridge the gap between the old faerie and the new by looking back to W. B. Yeats and others of his time. In order to see this evolution and discover the origin of faerie, it is necessary to investigate not only the compilations of W. B. Yeats but also to go even farther to the beginnings of Irish literature with the Fenian Cycle which follows the adaptations of the Fionn story from the eighth through the fourteenth centuries. By the eighteenth century, the Fenian Cycle ends and the Fionn story shifts to stories of his son Oisín. Finally, this evolutionary exploration culminates with the legends of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The purpose of this investigation is to re-introduce the traditional faerie of the nineteenth century, that is, a creature which is unpredictable and savage as opposed to the sparkly, wish-granting one we have come to know and love, and to show its evolution from medieval Irish mythos.