Georgia H. Macpherson

Fairy Tales of Modern Greece Georgia H. Macpherson

This is a wonderful collection of stories about Greek fairies. Similar to the northern fairies, they are not adverse to interacting with mortals. However, there is always some proviso, such as the fairy bride who is forbidden to speak, and drives her husband mad (The Fairy Mother). The tragedy can also turn the other way, such as the fairy maiden exiled from the fairy palace by one kiss from a mortal (The Fairy Comb). Greek fairies avoid guns (i.e. metal), crosses, and talismans, just like their northern counterparts. They have sanctuaries, sometimes on mountain peaks, sometimes in the ocean. The Greek fairies described here are obvious descendants of the nature elementals of ancient mythology.