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A LEARNING LINK TO THE LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY
Fairy tales from Ireland
Storytelling is a beloved custom in Ireland. Especially popular are tales about the fairies that are said to live there. A word of caution though: if you ever encounter any, be careful what you call them. According to "Children & Books" by Zena Sutherland, they like to be called "the little people," "the wee folk" or "the good people," but never fairies!
Fairies can be helpful and nice or disperse a spell that can create disaster. If you fall asleep in a fairy ring or eat their food, you might be under their power for a year and a day.
Fairies can be helpful and nice or disperse a spell that can create disaster. If you fall asleep in a fairy ring or eat their food, you might be under their power for a year and a day.
"The Widow's Lazy Daughter" is a story from the book, "Favorite Fairy Tales told in Ireland," by Virginia Haviland. In this fairy tale the prettiest girl in Ireland is also the laziest. She spends her time daydreaming about marrying the king's son and living luxuriously in the castle. One day her mom comes home to find the food burnt and the house a mess so the mom chases the girl outside. Who should be coming along the road but the handsome son of the Irish king? The king's son takes her home thinking that she is a hard-working industrious girl. Thanks to the fairies that come to her rescue she ends up marrying him and living happily ever after.
Another romantic story is "Gilly" from Edna O'Brien's "Tales for the Telling: Irish Folk and Fairy Stories. " In this tale, a fairy tribe puts a French princess under a spell and it is up to Gilly to save her from a loveless marriage. Gilly whisks her back to Ireland but then must find the magic potion that will bring happiness to her life.
This Learning Link was written by Ilene Abramson, director of children's services for the Los Angeles Public Library http://www.lapl.org. You can e-mail her at iabrams@lapl.org .
Another romantic story is "Gilly" from Edna O'Brien's "Tales for the Telling: Irish Folk and Fairy Stories. " In this tale, a fairy tribe puts a French princess under a spell and it is up to Gilly to save her from a loveless marriage. Gilly whisks her back to Ireland but then must find the magic potion that will bring happiness to her life.
This Learning Link was written by Ilene Abramson, director of children's services for the Los Angeles Public Library http://www.lapl.org. You can e-mail her at iabrams@lapl.org .
Kids, click here to find more Learning Links.
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