A Dictionary of English Folklore [Hardcover]

Jacqueline Simpson (Author), Steve Roud (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2, 2000

With 1250 entries ranging from dragons to Mother Goose, May Day to Michaelmas, this enchanting dictionary unfurls the colorful history behind the holidays, customs, legends, and superstitious beliefs of England.
Ever wonder why we kiss under the mistletoe at Christmas or think a rabbit's foot brings good luck? Two folklore authorities provide reliable and often surprising answers to these and other curiosities that have shaped daily life in England for centuries. They explore the festivals and past celebrations of the English calendar, from St. Andrews Day and its tradition of drunkenness and cross-dressing to Twelfth Night and its king and queen cake. They also provide concise portraits of real and legendary characters that populate the public memory, including Robin Hood, The Brothers Grimm, Lady Godiva, Puck, and The Sandman. Fairies, mermaids, hobgoblins, and changelings are but a few of the supernatural forces surveyed here. However, as folklore encompasses the mundane as well as the fantastic, numerous other entries illuminate the significance of colors, numbers, flowers, animals, and household objects. Learn the curious history behind our distrust of the "black sheep," popular credence in "wishbone" wishes, folk cures for nosebleeds and warts, and persistent old wives' tales. In addition to ancient and medieval folklore, you will find many contemporary urban legends, e.g., the vanishing hitchhiker--a spooky figure seen ominously by travelers in Britain and the United States--and the Tooth Fairy.
An entertaining resource, The Dictionary of English Folklore will be a fascinating companion for readers of English literature, history, cultural studies, and fantasy.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If your hand itches, you're about to receive money. Walking under a ladder is not just unlucky, but might mean you'll never marry or are bound for the gallows. To get rid of mice, speak to them politely, suggesting another house they might prefer. Filled with fascinating bits of information, A Dictionary of English Folklore catalogues many of the tales and beliefs, ancient, medieval, and contemporary, in England. The term "folklore" may have been invented in 1848, but the stories and legends it encompasses reach far back into history.

Their intention, say authors Jacqueline Simpson and Steve Roud, "is to provide a work of reference, not to build theories--the entries therefore emphasize established dates and facts; speculative interpretations are kept to a minimum." Though dryly academic at times, the dictionary is a wealth of information on English folklore, of which little has been written (Scotland, Ireland, and Wales all have their own folklore and mythologies). Broader than just a collection of tales, the book includes important folklorists, holidays, numbers, plants, animals, and customs. Did you know "Goldilocks" was once "Silver-Hair" and before that an old woman? Or that folding your thumb into the palm of your hand and closing the fingers over it was believed to protect against witches?

Organized in alphabetical order with cross-referencing, the entries are thorough and well-cited (including books, publication dates, and page numbers). A Dictionary of English Folklore is a great reference tool for historians and folklorists, but also for those interested in the origins of fairy tales, old wives' tales, and superstitions. --Dana Van Nest

From Library Journal

Containing more than 1200 alphabetically arranged entries, this folklore dictionary spans familiar beliefs, from the earliest cultural traditions to more familiar subjects, such as Mother Goose. The authors, esteemed British folklore experts with many publications to their credit, include a broad range of oral genres, calendar customs, festivals, life-cycle customs, and supernatural and superstitious beliefs. Everyday lore is fully explored, from the Tooth Fairy and Godiva to the modern tales of wonderment such as "The Vanishing Hitchhiker." Fairies, mermaids, hobgoblins, and changelings are examples of the supernatural forces surveyed. The historical foundations of folk cures and old wives' tales, as well as classic legendary characters (e.g., Robin Hood) are identified and traced. Other topics include festivals, past and present, that are celebrated throughout English literature, as well as children's games, "fakelore," cross-dressing, mumming, and more. All are provided with dependable information and references, and the many See and See Also citations add considerably to the book's richness as a reference source. The one drawback to this solidly researched work is its exclusively British approach, which will limit its appeal to American readers. Students and researchers, however, will find it valuable. Recommended for inclusive and extensive library collections.DRichard K. Burns, MSLS, Hatboro, PA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 411 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; First Printing edition (November 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019210019X
• ISBN-13: 978-0192100191
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,338,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding and scholarly reference guide, April 6, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: A Dictionary of English Folklore (Hardcover)

Don't let the review below mislead you into to thinking that this is a piece of new-age fluff. Though neo-pagans may also get something out of it, "A Dictionary of English Folkore" is a work of serious scholarship and eruditon, compiled by two internationally recognized folklore scholars and published by Oxford University Press. As such, it is best compared to other reference guides published by academic presses (e.g. "The Oxford Dictionary of Saints", "The Concise Dictionary of American History", "The Norton Dictionary of French Literature", etc.), rather than to books on how to perform Wiccan sex magic.

Essentially, this is an alphabetical dictionary of English (not British, just English) folklore. The editors use a fairly broad definition of folklore and the 1000+ entries deal with nursery rhymes, fairy tales, folktales and legends, superstitions, holidays, customs, and even folk medicine and folk music and dancing. Topics discussed include: Mother Goose, Robin Hood, wassailing, the tooth fairy, Michaelmas, splitting wishbones, kissing under the mistletoe, and Morris dancing. The folkloric origins of many colloquialisms and other turns of speech (i.e. why is a ne'er-do-well refered to as "the black sheep of the family") are discussed, and there are even entries for a a few modern urban legends as well.

The entries are arranged alphabetically rather than thematically (it is a 'dictionary' after all) and tend to be fairly brief (a few sentences to one paragaph long). They do, however, have cross-references to related entries and come with citations so that those seeking more detailed information about a particular item can go find a source that treats it at greater length.

This isn't necessarily a book that everyone needs, but it is an *outstanding* reference guide and will be very useful to those interested in English culture, literature, and history. And frankly, even folks who don't really need a reference guide to English folkore will probably still find this a lot of fun to browse though. (The short entries actually make it great for casual 'bathroom reading' as it were). I don't give out five-star reviews lightly, but a well-researched, well-presented reference work like this deserves it.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth it's weight in corn dollies!, January 11, 2002

By 

Mr. M. P. Duffy (Littlehampton, West Sussex United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Dictionary of English Folklore (Hardcover)

I have read issues of the Folklore journal, and have always been allured by the true origins of folklore, rather than the fanciful relics of ancient practice theories. It's a shame people still believe in this type of theorising whereby one explanation can be stretched to explain everything from corn dollies to the rising price of fish, but hopefully books like this might counterbalance the trend. I find the main culprits are those in the field of withcraft, paganism etc where all too many authors accept & propagate complete rubbish about the past.

This book is an excellent resource of folklore, much of which I have been brought of with or come across. This book has contributed greatly to an understanding of the reasons behind so many things that seem commonplace, such as maypole dancing (which I did as a child at school!), making daisy chains, not stepping on the cracks in pavements etc.

It's one of those books which I tend to flick open, read one entry, refer to another & then find myself wanting to explore the subject further.

One other attraction of this book for me is that it's about my own country. It seems a real shame that so many people in England seem to find other countries so alluring that they completely neglect the vast heritage of their own, turning instead to the East, the Indians etc. This book is a real celebration of our country, and hopefully will bring our customs into the popular consciousness.

However, this book also takes into account the fact that folklore is not dead, it carries on creating itself in the forms of urban legends, rumours etc, and that todays gossip could become tommorows legend.

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent, scholarly book of British folklore, October 15, 2011

By 

Dennis Hendrix (Atlanta GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Dictionary of English Folklore (Hardcover)

This book has a focus on folk beliefs and customs, but there's plenty of space devoted to children's games, legends, obscure festivals and the various "bugaboos" rumored to haunt the English countryside. Some folklorists are covered, but fortunately don't take up a lot of room. This book is not as deep as some others like the 1,200~ page "Funk and Wagnall's Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend" or the 1,000~ page (excluding index) "Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend" -- although that one has many articles I'd say they're of less depth.

What makes this book shine is the focus specifically on Britain and the feel of true scholarship. Also the authors fit a lot of information into well-written articles, occasionally with books of this sort it feels like the authors are filling up space with wordiness instead of facts. I also like how the author references older books, tracing the origin of certain beliefs, superstitions and practices. A good example of this is sin-eating, which he traces to a book from the 1600's. There are ten plates in the center of the book on glossy paper, mostly of various festivals. The bibliography is extensive.

Definitely a great book, a little expensive when one compares it to other books available on this topic -- fortunately I found it for $1.50 at a library book sale. Couldn't resist mentioning that!)