The Silver Bough
Select Format
Select Condition 
Book Overview
A marvellous and indispensible treasury of Scottish folklore and folk belief from the world of Celtic magic, gods and fairies, to the prophesies of the Brahan seer, second sight, witchcraft, earth... This description may be from another edition of this product.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0862412315
ISBN13:9780862412319
Release Date:January 2001
Publisher:Birlinn Publishers
Length:256 Pages
Weight:0.45 lbs.
Dimensions:0.6" x 5.0" x 7.7"
Customer Reviews
3 ratings
Useful summary of many folk beliefs
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
This work contains a great summary of many elements of Scottish folklore, but there are some areas where McNeil accepts the sources a little too uncritically. For example, I didn't find her discussions of the druids particularly enlightening, and there were several points where I saw a great deal of Germanic material and the author didn't seem interested in sorting Germanic from Celtic. This being said, I found the discussions of magic, witchcraft, and fairy folk to be of interest and adding considerably to my knowledge in the field of folklore. On the whole, though, this is a useful resource for understanding uniquely Scottish folklore. I would generally recommend it with the above reservations.
A Classic Work That Should Be Re-released
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
F. Marian McNeill, in the tradition of Alexander Carmichael (Carmina Gadelica) and Anne Ross' The Folklore of the Scottish Highlands, has done an immense service in her writing The Silver Bough Series. These books are currently out of print, unfortunately. If you can find a copy of the first volume you will not be sorry. Little known are the other three volumes which explore a number of very ancient Scottish customs and beliefs, from Selkirk to Orkney to the Isle of Mull to Aberdeen and Fife, which survive to the present day in many cases. In an era of "Celtic" insta-books some of these classical ethnographic sources are deeply refreshing.
Insight on Scottish Folk Customs
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
This book is excellent for ethnologists and the curious alike! Although it is out of print, it is a book worth finding! Written in 4 volumes, each takes a look at different parts of the Scottish folk beliefs -from witchcraft and second sight, to songs and stories told over time, this book has it all, and in an easy to read-straight forward fashion. Definitely a book for anyone remotely interested in Scotland or non-christian customs!
Copyright © 2025 Thriftbooks.com
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information | Cookie Policy | Cookie Preferences | Accessibility Statement
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
