Victorian folklore and anthropology
Andrew Lang
1844 – 1912
Andrew Lang was a Scottish polymath — poet, novelist, literary critic, and pioneering folklorist — best known for his multi-volume Fairy Books series (1889–1910), which collected folk and fairy tales from around the world. He was a leading figure in the anthropological study of myth, debating with F. Max Müller over whether mythology originated in nature allegory or primitive animism, and contributed studies of psychical research and the supernatural. His comparative approach to folklore and his defense of survivalism in mythology made his work essential reading for anyone investigating the origins of religious and magical belief.
Archive Paths
Comparative Religion
Comparative religion texts on ritual, myth, sacrifice, belief, ancient religion, and cross-cultural theories of sacred practice.
Comparative Mythology
Comparative mythology texts on gods, hero cycles, symbolic patterns, classical myth, Indo-European myth, and cross-cultural mythic structures.
Folklore Studies
Folklore studies texts on folk tales, fairy belief, superstition, regional customs, oral tradition, and the collection of vernacular belief.
Anthropology of Religion
Anthropological texts on ritual, animism, totemism, taboo, early religion, culture, and theories of belief formation.
Works in the Archive6 volumes
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