This week, I read the stories from Celtic Fairy Tales. Recently, it’s come to my attention that this will be the last unit I need to read and review to have enough points to make an A in this class! I find it hard to believe that this semester is coming to a close, but I’m glad that I was able to read stories I enjoyed for my last weekly unit.
I found the folktales in this unit to be complex and unpredictable, which is something I like. I know there are a lot of overarching motifs and themes in folktales, which is also cool, but when you’re reading about 20 every week, it’s nice to see new, unexpected stuff. I also like fairy tells with clever endings or endings that make you think, and this unit definitely provided some of those. Of course, in this unit there was one story that closely resembled the story we know as Snow White, and I enjoyed that as well.
In the overview, it is stated these Celtic fairy tales draw on a wide range of Celtic sources such as Irish, Scottish, Welsh, and Cornish, and I think this helps to make the unit as a whole more interesting. The subject matter and tone of this collection of fairy tales are quite varied. Some were humorous and others were sad. All in all, it was a good mix.
Again, the length of the stories stayed steady around a page. This is my personal preference for readings. I also liked the traditional illustrations provided. While there weren’t notes on every story, the notes that were provided were really helpful. For example, the clarification on The Shee An Gannon and the Gruagach Gaire helped make a lot more sense of everything. I would’ve had no idea that “Gruagach Gaire" actually means "The Laughing Goblin.”
(Illustration of a leprechaun from Field of Boliauns, illustrated by John D. Batten)
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