“On the conversion of the European tribes to Christianity the ancient pagan worship was by no means incontinently abandoned. So wholesale had been the conversion of many peoples, whose chiefs or rulers had accepted the new faith on their behalf… — Lewis Spence Copy Share Image
“If we turn now to such vestiges of cult as are associated otherwise than with time and season, we discover a definite recognition of… — Lewis Spence Copy Share
“As Mr. R. U. Sayee has well said: 'It should be clear a priori that fairy lore must have developed as a result of… — Lewis Spence Copy Share
“But I find it necessary to repeat in this particular place that the division into classes, which is so salient a part of modern… — Lewis Spence Copy Share
“But this is not to say that a highly specialized body of belief such as that associated with Faerie is not capable of subsidiary… — Lewis Spence Copy Share
“As regards the prohibition on the utterance of the fairy name by mortals, either that of the species as a whole, or of individuals,… — Lewis Spence Copy Share
“Here it is necessary briefly to consider the question of the cult of ancestors before venturing farther. The spirits of the departed are believed… — Lewis Spence Copy Share
“At Bealltainn, or May Day, every effort was made to scare away the fairies, who were particularly dreaded at this season. In the West… — Lewis Spence Copy Share
“In my view the study of fairy origins assumes a greater degree of importance than popular opinion is wont to concede to it. Indeed,… — Lewis Spence Copy Share
“It must be understood that in some cases the process by which a god or goddess degenerates into a fairy may occupy centuries, and… — Lewis Spence Copy Share
“All three of the English types I have mentioned can, I think, be accounted for as the results of the presence of different cultures,… — Lewis Spence Copy Share
“Robert Kirk believed the fairies to be the doubles or, as he called them, the 'co-walkers' of men, which accompanied them through life, and… — Lewis Spence Copy Share
“I should add, however, that, particularly on the occasion of Samhain, bonfires were lit with the express intention of scaring away the demonic forces… — Lewis Spence Copy Share
“It must not be thought, however, that in pagan Ireland Fairyland was altogether conceived as a Hades or place of the dead. We have… — Lewis Spence Copy Share
“To sum up: all nature-spirits are not the same as fairies; nor are all fairies nature-spirits. The same applies to the relationship of nature-spirits… — Lewis Spence Copy Share
“In all likelihood fairies of larger stature were ancient gods in a state of decay, while their diminutive congeners were the swarming spirits of… — Lewis Spence Copy Share
