Patrick Buchan

Patrick Buchan wrote Scottish folklore and legend whose surviving bibliography is closely associated with folklore, legend, and religious speculation. Legends of the North brings together The Guidman O’ Inglismill and The Fairy Bride, with introductory and historical material and a glossary. Published in 1873, the volume draws on Scottish speech and supernatural tradition rather than presenting its stories as detached antiquarian notes. The first tale follows a farmer whose encounter with fairy society turns his habits and obligations into comic moral pressure. The second develops a romance between mortal and fairy worlds, combining enchantment with the risks of crossing their boundaries. Buchan also wrote The Genesis of the Angels and the Story of Their Early Homes, showing a wider interest in sacred and legendary origins. In Legends of the North, his use of dialect, verse narrative, and explanatory framing preserves regional storytelling while shaping it for nineteenth-century print readers. The book remains the clearest substantial record of his literary identity.