The Fairy Courts

Exploring fairy culture across the last 500 years

The Fairy Courts is an in-depth exploration of its subject, from the original Scottish to modern fiction, mapping out beliefs and how they have evolved. It covers the social structure of fairies, the history of the Scottish Seelie and Unseelie courts, the fairy courts outside Scotland, and it offers a look at how fairy courts are being adapted today in fiction and belief. The Seelie and Unseelie courts have become a staple in fiction and a common idea in pop culture, yet their origins and how they were and are understood in Scottish folklore have become obscure. The Fairy Courts discusses the history of belief as it is traced from the 1500s to today, concluding with a chapter about the ways that folk belief and anecdotes show us how a human might survive in a fairy court.