For today’s post, I have decided to do a book review of A New Dictionary of Fairies: A 21st Century Exploration of Celtic and Related Western European Fairies by Morgan Daimler. This is a dictionary of the fae that is in a similar vein to Katharine Brigg’s seminal work An Encyclopedia of Fairies. Daimler is an academic that is one of the top experts in all things faery living today!
This book is impeccably researched, and presented in articles on numerous subjects relating to the fair folk. I adore the exploration of faeries from a folkloric standpoint, and feel this is a must-have addition to all faery libraries! Daimler expertly ties together many aspects of Faery, and she is able to also incorporate a modern-day Pagan and witch perspective on the fae. This is something that many previous experts in Faery, like the aforementioned Briggs, did not do, as they were experts in the faery faith without being true believers themselves!
I know that A New Dictionary of Fairies will be a book I turn to again and again as a jumping-off point for further research, and as an interesting resource in its own right! Daimler goes deep into the oldest folklore for each given faery, or faery-related topic discussed. She is unafraid to discuss the darkest aspects of the fae and does so with great respect. I adore having a resource that traces the most ancient folkloric origins of Faery in my library!
I highly recommend this book to all lovers of faeries. This is a resource of many tales of the fae, both positive and negative, making it a balanced work! I hope that this short review will encourage lovers of faeries to read this book. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Note on Spelling: I am sure that you noticed that I used the spellings of Faery, faerie, and faeries here, as they are my preferred spellings. This is in contrast to Daimler, who uses primarily the spelling of Fairy, fairy, and fairies.
Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is the book cover. I found the image on https://www.amazon.com/New-Dictionary-Fairies-Exploration-European/dp/1789040361/ref=asc_df_1789040361/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=509210011619&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17924010934771030232&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007141&hvtargid=pla-907649463794&psc=1.
Further Reading
- A New Dictionary of Fairies: A 21st Century Exploration of Celtic and Related Western European Fairies by Morgan Daimler
- An Encyclopedia of Fairies by Katharine Briggs
White Rose of Avalon 