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By considering the folklore of Cornwall in a Northern European context, this book casts light on a treasury of often-ignored traditions. Folklore studies internationally have long considered Celtic material, but scholars have tended to overlook Cornwall’s collections. The Folklore of Cornwall fills this gap, placing neglected stories on a par with those from other regions where Celtic languages have deep roots.
The Folklore of Cornwall demonstrates that Cornwall has a distinct body of oral tradition, even when examining legends and folktales that also appear elsewhere. The way in which Cornish droll tellers achieved this unique pattern is remarkable; with the publication of this book, it becomes possible for folklorists to look to the peninsula beyond the River Tamar for insight.
A very readable text with popular appeal, this book serves as an introduction to folklore studies for the novice while also offering an alternative means to consider Cornish studies for advanced scholars. The comparative analysis combined with an innovative method of The Folklore of Cornwall is not to be found in other treatments of the subject.
In making available and drawing our attention to folklore which has too often been left unnoted and unanalyzed, this volume is a gift to Cornish studies, an easy-to-read, scholarly work, which provides historic and theoretic perspective along with its valuable body of cultural information.
— Elissa R. Henken
Ronald M. James is a historian and folklorist. He was adjunct faculty at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he taught history and folklore. He is currently associated with the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Iowa State University. He has authored or co-authored thirteen books and contributed chapters and articles to many more, including Cornish Studies: Second Series published by UEP.
He was the nation’s I.T.T. Fellow to Ireland in 1981-1982, where he conducted graduate studies at the Department of Irish Folklore, University College, Dublin, under the direction of Bo Almqvist (1931-2013). James was mentored by noted Swedish folklorist Sven Liljeblad (1899-2000), himself a student of the renowned Carl Wilhelm von Sydow (1878-1952).
In 2014, James was inducted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame. In 2015, he received the Rodman Paul Award for Outstanding Contributions to Mining History from the Mining History Association. In 2016 he was elected to the College of Bards of Gorsedh Kernow.
Acknowledgements
Preface by Philip Payton
Introduction
Chapter 1 The Collectors
Chapter 2 The Droll Tellers
Chapter 3 Folkways and Stories
Chapter 4 Piskies, Spriggans, and Bucca
Chapter 5 Piskies and Migratory Legends
Chapter 6 Seeking the Companionship of People
Chapter 7 Mermaids
Chapter 8 The Spectral Bridegroom
Chapter 9 Giants
Chapter 10 Knockers in the Mines
Chapter 11 Tommyknockers, Immigration, and the Modern World
Conclusion
Appendix: Type Index for Cornish Narrative
Bibliography