Lari Don is a powerhouse when it comes to children’s books on Scotland’s myths and legends. Her latest book widens her scope across all the Celtic nations, and is a beautiful collection of tales with stunning illustrations from Elise Carmichael. We asked Lari to tell us about her inspirations.

Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales
By Lari Don, Illustrated by Elise Carmichael
Published by Floris

Celtic Connections 

I’ve always loved stories about kelpies, changelings and selkies. I’ve always loved Scottish traditional tales. Not in a ‘my stories are better than your stories’ way, because all traditional tales are wonderful and valuable, but in a ‘these are the unique stories from the land and landscape I know and love, let me share them with you!’ way. 

So, I remember being a bit … surprised, when I realised that shapeshifting waterhorses  weren’t just a Scottish thing. There are, for example, shapeshifting waterhorses in Ireland, Wales and the Isle of Man. The name may be different – each-uisce, ceffyl dŵr, glashtin, rather than kelpie – but the magical beast is equally beautiful and dangerous. (Discover my version of the Manx waterhorse story from Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales in this video!) 

And it’s not just Scottish fairies who steal children and leave changelings in their place, or who mess about with time. There are Irish changelings, and Breton fairies have odd time-twisting powers. 

And it’s not only on Scottish coasts and islands that people tell tales of seals who shed their skins and become human. There are selkies swimming, singing and dancing on other shores too.  

At first I was surprised. ‘Oh, these stories aren’t just Scottish?’ Then I was excited! Because I’ve always been interested in the connections between stories told in different places, stories that are spoken out loud rather than written down, stories that travel with people as they move around the world.   

So are there waterhorses and selkies everywhere? No, it turns out, there aren’t. Not many of them, anyway. Some stories are genuinely international, for example dragons roar in many locations, and Cinderella-type tales are ancient and very widespread. But these tales, the waterhorses who want to steal you away and eat you, the fairies who mess with time and steal babies, the shapeshifting seals, are mainly told in… the Celtic lands. (Not just here, though. I’m sure someone will be able to tell me about similar stories elsewhere, and I will be excited about those too!)  

However, there are specific magical images, beings, monsters and lore – particularly shapeshifters, strong women, water creatures and human-sized fairies – which tend to turn up, similar but with intriguing differences, in one particular part of the world. In the lands on the northwest coast of Europe: Scotland, Ireland, Wales, the Isle of Man, Cornwall and Brittany. Lands connected by similar languages, and by the sea, which in the past was often an easier way to travel than by land. 

As I learnt more about tales from other Celtic lands, I became fascinated by them too. That’s why I wanted to create a collection of Celtic tales, to share my fascination and love of these magical stories. 

Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales is that collection! Filled with waterhorses, fairies, monsters, giants, piskies, selkies and so much magic! And every story is beautifully illustrated by the wonderful Elise Carmichael.  

I hope you find this collection of tales fascinating, and possibly a wee bit surprising, just like I found the kelpies’ Celtic cousins…  

Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales by Lari Don & illustrated by Elise Carmichael is published by Floris, priced £16.99.