23 h 28 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Why do elves, fairies and household spirits appear in so many lands, yet never quite look the same?
In The Fairy Mythology, Thomas Keightley gathers tales of beings who are neither human nor quite divine. His survey moves through European and Eastern traditions, setting elves, fays, dwarfs and water spirits side by side. Each region brings a different company of strange neighbours, and another way of imagining the world.
Follow Persian and Arabic peris, devs and jinn into a wider exploration of fairy belief. Meet the fays of medieval romance, the elves and trolls of the North, and the fairies of Britain and Ireland. Drawing on romances, folk collections and travellers’ reports, Keightley asks how these tales travel and why their creatures resemble one another.
What you’ll discover
- Spirits of the East Explore Persian and Arabic traditions through their peris, devs and jinn, and Keightley’s comparisons.
- Fays of medieval romance See how poems and prose tales bring fairy beings into the world of courts.
- The North’s strange neighbours Encounter elves, dwarfs and trolls whose stories tie them to particular places.
- Fairies close to home Enter the lively lore of Britain and Ireland, where fairies appear as close neighbours.
- Patterns across distant lands Consider Keightley’s explanations for the likenesses and differences that emerge when tales stand together.
Who will love it
For readers who love folklore, fantasy and old literature, and anyone curious about how fairy tales spread, connect and change across many lands.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Fairy belief appears everywhere in local dress
- The East gave Europe many of its wonders
- Medieval romance turned fairies into court characters
- The North peopled the land with elves, dwarfs and trolls
- The British and Irish fairies are close neighbours
- The book shaped folklore study, and has been revised since
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 23 h 28 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear La Mythologie des fées in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
La Mythologie des fées
by Thomas Keightley · 1828
Elves, water spirits and household sprites reveal how fairy tales travel and change across many lands.
ChallengingOver 20 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
The Fairy Mythology is a survey of fairy belief, gathered by Thomas Keightley, an Irish-born writer who lived most of his life in England. It first appeared in 1828 and was later reworked and enlarged.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Fairy belief appears everywhere in local dress
Keightley begins from a plain observation. Almost every people has told stories of beings who are neither human nor quite divine. They live in hills, woods, rivers and houses. They help, trick, steal and bargain with ordinary men and women.
He does not treat these beings as one single race. A Persian peri, a German kobold and an Irish leprechaun have different looks, habits and moods. Each carries the marks of the landscape and the daily life of the people who told of it. A water spirit belongs to a land of lakes. A house spirit belongs to a people who prize hearth and harvest.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about La Mythologie des fées
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Fairy Mythology about?
It is a survey of fairy beliefs and tales from many countries, including the East, medieval Europe, Germany, Scandinavia, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England. Keightley retells legends and compares them to show how fairy lore varies and connects.
When was The Fairy Mythology written?
Thomas Keightley first published it in 1828, and he later revised and enlarged it. It is a nineteenth century work of early folklore study, not a modern scientific survey.
Is The Fairy Mythology a book of stories or a study?
It is both. Keightley retells many tales and legends, but he also arranges them by region and comments on their sources and likely origins, so it reads partly as an anthology and partly as scholarship.
The author
Thomas Keightley
1789–1872 · Irish folklorist and historian
Thomas Keightley was an Irish writer born in Dublin in 1789. He moved to London in 1824 and wrote about mythology, folklore, and history. His books include The Fairy Mythology, published in 1828, and The Mythology of Ancient Greece and Italy, published in 1831. He died in 1872.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
