Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Category: Folktales

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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.

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Articles / Folklore / Folktales / Legends / Mabinogion / Welsh Folktales

The Dream of Maxen Wledig

The Dream of Maxen Wledig is one of the Medieval Welsh tales translated by Lady Charlotte Guest, which were published collectively as the Mabinogion in 1849. The story is rooted in a mythic interpretation of the twilight of Roman era in Britain.

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English Folktales / Folklore / Folktales

Elidor and The Golden Ball

This story was first collected by the medieval chronicler Geraldus Cambrensis, and tells of how a young boy lived for a time in the fairy kingdon, until the day he tried to steal one of their belongings. This version is from Joseph Jacob’s More Celtic Fairy Tales, 1892.

Folklore / Folktales / Scottish Folktales

Alloway

Alloway, the birthplace of Robert Burns, provided inspiration for one of his most famous poems Tam o’ Shanter.

Apparitions / Fairies / Featured Sites / Folklore / Folktales / Hauntings / Scottish Fairies / Scottish Folktales

Hermitage Castle

Hermitage Castle has a long and colourful history, the castle was a bastion of power in the ‘debatable land’: land that was exchanged between English and Scottish hands during the border wars and skirmishes. The castle is steeped in folklore and legend, and there have been reports of varied strange phenomena in recent years.

Folklore / Folktales / Scottish Folktales

The Kelpie of Loch Garve

The story of the Kelpie of Loch Garve (so it’s technically an Each Uisge, but we’ll keep it as Kelpie for this story) tells of a Kelpie that lived at the depths of the loch with his wife.  Now the Ke

Buried Treasure / Devil / Folklore / Folktales / Legends / Scottish Folktales

The Treasure of Largo Law

The area around Largo Law is associated with many legends. The actual hill of Largo Law is volcanic in origin, and was said to have been created when the Devil dropped a huge boulder. Part of the outcrop on the top of Largo Law is known as the Devil’s chair, and has seven steps leading up to it.

Anniversary Ghosts / Apparitions / Folklore / Folktales / Hauntings / Irish Folktales

Loch Ashie

A spectral army is said to appear on the shores of the loch at dawn on May the first, which is Beltane in the Celtic calander. One sighting is alleged to have taken place during the First World War, when a walker was on the moors close to the loch. He witnessed a battling army of horsemen and foot soldiers savaging each other in silence.

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Folklore / Folktales / Scottish Folktales

The Laird of Balmachie’s Wife

This tale involves a fairy abduction and replacement by a changeling, in this case a Laird’s wife, a rather larger burden than the usual child. The original story can be found in Folklore and Legends of Scotland by W.W Gribbins.