Faeries: A History in Art, Verse, and Lore

Name: Faeries: A History in Art, Verse, and Lore
Price: 30.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Van De Car, Nikki
ISBN: 9780762489510

✍️ Van De Car, Nikki

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📚 ABOUT THE BOOK

Journey through millennia of faerie lore, art, and verse from every corner of the world.

This captivating volume by Nikki Van De Car delves into the enduring mystique of faeries, tracing their presence across diverse cultures and historical periods. Exploring how these elusive beings have been depicted in artistic masterpieces, poetic expressions, and enduring folklore, the book reveals their profound impact on human imagination. From benevolent household spirits to formidable elemental forces, it uncovers the varied roles faeries play in explaining nature's wonders and humanity's fears, offering a richly illustrated exploration of their global manifestations and significance.

Key themes

{'title': 'Global Faerie Traditions', 'body': "The book meticulously surveys the myriad forms faeries take across continents, from the hardworking menehune of Hawai'i to the domestic domovoi of Russia. It highlights the fascinating cultural variations in how these entities are perceived, showcasing a truly worldwide tapestry of belief and storytelling rather than focusing solely on European traditions."} {'title': 'Artistic & Poetic Interpretations', 'body': 'Discover how painters, sculptors, and poets have immortalized the fae, translating ephemeral folklore into tangible beauty. This volume presents over a hundred stunning reproductions, illustrating how artists across eras have visualized these spirits, from whimsical sprites to formidable nature deities, shaping our collective understanding of their appearance and character.'} {'title': 'The Dual Nature of Fae', 'body': "Explore the complex duality inherent in faerie lore, where beings can be both benevolent allies and perilous adversaries. The book examines how humans have historically attributed inexplicable events and natural forces to these creatures, projecting both comforting and terrifying aspects onto them, reflecting humanity's own hopes and anxieties about the unknown."}

🏛 Running Press Adult 📅 2025 📖 288 pages 🌐 en 📐 Hardcover ISBN: 9780762489510

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Fun fact

Nikki Van De Car's 'Faeries' is a visually stunning compendium, expertly blending art history with accessible folklore. Its strength lies in its expansive global reach and the sheer beauty of its reproductions, making it a feast for the eyes and mind. While dedicated scholars might desire deeper academic analysis, it perfectly serves those seeking a comprehensive, yet engaging, introduction to faerie mythology. This book is a delightful entry point into the world of the fae, securing its place as a cherished volume for any enthusiast of myth and magic.

📝 Description: Faeries: A History in Art, Verse, and Lore

Discover the history and mythology of faeries--across time and cultures--as well as their significance in art, poetry, and more, in this lushly illustrated volume, featuring more than 100 reproductions of artistic masterpieces. "A field guide to the fantastic." -- Kirkus Faeries have captured the collective imagination throughout time and across cultures. Unexplained occurrences, natural phenomena, and so much more have been attributed to these beautiful, mysterious, and often mischievous creatures. Sometimes these fairies can be helpful and kindly, like the brownies of Britain, the menehune of Hawai'i, and the domovoi of Russia. But just as often, they are seen as a threat, as we characterize a natural phenomenon into an often capricious and frequently frightening creature. The wind becomes a sylph, trees house dryads, and thunderbirds call down storms. They are to be feared and respected, appeased and dreaded in turn. In this striking book, author Nikki Van De Car introduces readers to faeries of all stripes--helpful and unhelpful, related to the four elements, animal and shape-shifting--as well as some of the most famous figures from history, lore, and literature (from Puck to Ariel). Arranged through wonderous paintings and illustrations by legendary artists including Ruben, Turner, Rodin, Blake, and Millais, this guide features the beautiful evidence of fairies' influence on our world. Written folklore from Shakespeare and oral storytelling add context to more than 50 creatures accompanied with tips on finding, summoning, and gaining protection from sparklingly clever fairies.

⭐ Reader reviews

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⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.5/5

★★★★★

If you're drawn to the enigmatic world of folklore, appreciate the intersection of art and myth, or seek a beautifully presented overview of faerie traditions from around the globe, this book is an essential addition to your collection. It offers both depth and visual splendor.

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❓ Frequently asked questions

No, the book takes a broad, global approach, exploring faerie traditions from numerous cultures worldwide, including those from Asia, the Americas, and Oceania, alongside familiar European myths.

While offering insightful textual analysis of faerie history and lore, the book is heavily illustrated with over 100 reproductions of artistic masterworks, making it a rich visual experience as well as an informative read.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Global Faerie Traditions

The book meticulously surveys the myriad forms faeries take across continents, from the hardworking menehune of Hawai'i to the domestic domovoi of Russia. It highlights the fascinating cultural variations in how these entities are perceived, showcasing a truly worldwide tapestry of belief and storytelling rather than focusing solely on European traditions.

Artistic & Poetic Interpretations

Discover how painters, sculptors, and poets have immortalized the fae, translating ephemeral folklore into tangible beauty. This volume presents over a hundred stunning reproductions, illustrating how artists across eras have visualized these spirits, from whimsical sprites to formidable nature deities, shaping our collective understanding of their appearance and character.

The Dual Nature of Fae

Explore the complex duality inherent in faerie lore, where beings can be both benevolent allies and perilous adversaries. The book examines how humans have historically attributed inexplicable events and natural forces to these creatures, projecting both comforting and terrifying aspects onto them, reflecting humanity's own hopes and anxieties about the unknown.

💬 Quotes from the book

«From the whispering wind's unseen touch to the rustle of ancient oaks, fae presences imbue the natural world with potent, often unpredictable, spirit.»

«Across canvases and epic verse, humanity has etched the fleeting magic of these elemental beings, mirroring our deepest hopes and our most primal fears.»

📜 Historical context

This work stands within a long tradition of scholarship dedicated to cataloging and interpreting the world's mythological creatures, particularly the fae. It builds upon earlier folkloric studies by presenting a visually rich, cross-cultural perspective, integrating art history with ethnological insights to offer a contemporary understanding of these ancient beliefs that continue to resonate today.

📚 Glossary

Brownies
Dryads
Sylphs

📔 Questions to reflect on

{'prompt': 'Reflect on a personal encounter or story from your own culture that resembles a faerie interaction. How did it shape your perception of the unseen?'}
{'prompt': "Consider the dual nature of faeries presented in the book (helpful vs. harmful). How might this reflect humanity's own complex relationship with the natural world and the unknown?"}
{'prompt': 'Choose one faerie type from a culture unfamiliar to you. Research it further and explore how its characteristics might be tied to the specific environment or social structure of its origin.'}