Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Category: Folktales

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Book Review / Fairies / Folklore / Folktales / Review / Werewolves

WEREWOLVES, WITCHES & WANDERING SPIRITS : Traditional Belief & Folklore in Early Modern Europe

WEREWOLVES, WITCHES & WANDERING SPIRITS : Traditional Belief & Folklore in Early Modern Europe [Kathryn A Edwards (ed)] Bringing together scholars from Europe, America, and Australia, this volume explores the more fantastic elements of popular religious belief: ghosts, werewolves, spiritualism, animism, and of course, witchcraft.

English Folktales / Folklore / Folktales

Gormire Lake & White Mare Crag

Surrounded by the dense Garbutt Wood, Gormire Lake is the result of glacial activity and is one of the few natural lakes in Yorkshire. Gormire Lake has a few little known gems of folklore attached it. One tale involves a witch who was being chased across the moor.

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Articles / Folklore / January / Scottish Folktales

Robert Burns and Folklore

Robert Burns was born on the 25th January 1759 during the ‘Age of Enlightenment’ but also in a time when the country superstitions and supernatural beings were an integral part of folk belief. The landscape of Burns’ was one where the natural rhythms of nature were much more intertwined in the day to day of working life.

Ancient Sites / King Arthur / Scottish Folktales

Eildon Hill

Eildon Hill is a triple peak that dominates the landscape around Melrose in Southern Scotland. The hillfort was occupied in pre-historic times, was used as a signal station by the Romans, and was re-occupied during the Romano-British period. It is associated with the legendary wizard Michael Scot, and the ballad of Thomas the Rhymer.

Ancient Sites / Folklore / Scottish Folktales

Edin’s Hall Broch

This is one of the most southerly broch survivals, which are more typically associated with Northern Scotland. Broch’s were multi floored defensive structures with room for cattle in the lower enclosure and accommodation on the upper floors accessed by passageways in the thick walls.

Folklore / Folktales / Hauntings

Okiku’s Well

The haunting of Okiku’s Well at Himeji Castle is one of Japans most famous ghost stories and known as Nanshu Sara-Yashiki. However, over time the story has changed somewhat and even the location of the Well itself has been questioned.

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Fairies / Folklore / Folktales / Scottish Fairies / Scottish Folktales

Ballad of Tam Lin

Oh, I forbid you, maidens all
That wear gold on your hair,
To come or go by Carterhaugh,
For young Tam-Lin is there.

There’s none that goes by Carterhaugh
But must leave him a wad;
Either gold ring, or green mantles,
Or else their maidenhead.

Now gold rings ye may buy, maidens,
Green mantles ye may spin;

English Folktales / Folklore / Folktales / Hauntings

Leeds Town Hall

Beneath the front steps of Leeds Town Hall is the old Central Charge Office or Bridewell (a general term for a small prison), the reputed haunt of the ghost of the notorious burglar and murderer Charles Peace.

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Folklore / Folktales / Irish Folktales / Legends

Irish Folklore

From Newgrange – a reminder of a great age of monument building and ritual – through to natural wonders such as the Giant’s Causeway, Ireland is a land of legend and mystery. The landscape is full of echoes of history interwoven with a rich mythology that forms an impressive and colourful heritage.

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Articles / Legends / Mabinogion

Lludd (Llud) and Llefelys (Llevelys)

The earliest origins of this story are obscure, but it first appears in the twelfth century, when Geoffrey of Monmouth included it in his History of the Kings of Britain. Monmouth’s version was the basis for what is perhaps the best-known version, which appears in ‘The Mabinogion’, the collection of old Welsh stories compiled by Lady Charlotte Guest in the late 19th century.