The Faerie Queens

Perhaps it is pertinent to state that faeries or faery queen are not those cute little, winged pixies that flutter around leaving behind glittering pixie dust and neither are their queens. Several different faerie queens are written about in this work and all of the essays are very informative. It must be noted that several of the faerie queen were in fact one time considered goddesses and then got reduced or demoted to faerie queens. Such Goddesses would include Hekate, Diana, Cailleach, Morrigan and Melusine. Of all the essays it is hard to determine which one I liked the best as they were all informative and I learned something new. Faeries of old prior to the Victorian age had a very fearsome aspect and most people tried their best to avoid them. Faerie Queens like Diana, Hekate and Prosperina were considered to be underworld queens who ruled over the dead. On Samhain and Yule they would go about on a wild hunt with a retinue of faeries and dead souls in their train. Anyone seen wandering about would be scooped up and carried off to the faerie realm. Included in this book are several invocations, including some that were used in grimoires. A worthy read that is most informative. - S. Cranow, Amazon reviewer

This book led me down a rabbit hole. Each essay is well composed and filled with information about faerie queens of different cultures. I admit that I got lost in the reference section of each essay, looking up sources and further delving into the wealth of knowledge there. I absolutely recommend this book if you are willing to lose yourself for a little while, and if you have a strong interest in magical women throughout history. My only criticism of this book is perhaps the scope--it seems to limit itself to faerie queens of European descent and does not have a worldwide, global reference. However, this only comes from my own greedy self, anting more information! Do not give this one a pass. - Lou Britt, Amazon reviewer