Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Category: Folktales

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English Folktales / Folklore / Folktales

King Herla

In this tale Herla was the King of the Britons in ancient times. The tale seems to date from the medieval period but may have had earlier origins.

One afternoon after a hard days riding, Herla, the wise King of the Britons took leave from his men, and rested for a while among the ancients trees, part of the great forest that had stood in his kingdom for millennia.

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Folklore / Folktales / Scottish Folktales

Thomas the Rhymer

Thomas the Rhymer, was a famous Scottish prophet who is also known as Thomas of Ercildoune, Lord Learmont and True Thomas. There can be no doubt that he was actually a real person living in the thirteenth century, as documents exist signed by him as Thomas Rymour de Ercieldoune.

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Celtic Pantheons / Mabinogion / Pantheons

Arawn

A Welsh god who is the ruler of the underworld. He is mentioned in the Mabinogion in the Tale of ‘Pwyll Lord of Dyfed’ and in ‘The Spoils of Annwn’.

Pwyll meets the god while he out hunting on the fringes of his kingdom, and offends Arawn by letting his hounds loose on a stag already being hunted by him.

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Celtic Pantheons / Mabinogion / Pantheons

Arianrhod

A Welsh goddess mentioned in the old Welsh stories now incorporated into the Mabinogion. She is the daughter of Don and the sister of Gwydion, the bard and magician.

Folklore / Folktales / Scottish Folktales

The Blue Men of the Minch

Folklore tells of a tribe of supernatural sea creatures called the Blue Men of the Minch, who used to inhabit the stretch of water known as the Minch, between Lewis, the Shiant Islands and Long Island.

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Folklore / Folktales / King Arthur / Legends / Welsh Folktales

The Treasure of Craig-y-Ddinas

The Rock of the Fortress, was a hillfort during the Iron Age period, it is supposed to have been one of the last place the fairies lived in Britain. The following legend conforms to a folklore motif found throughout the country, namely that of sleeping warriors under hollow hills.

Dragons / Folklore / Folktales / Legends / Welsh Folktales

The Gwiber of Penmachno

The word "gwiber" in Welsh means viper or adder but many centuries ago the word actually meant "flying snake" . This is the story of how Wibernant (meaning "valley of the gwiber) which is near Penmachno got its name.

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Folklore / Folktales / Mabinogion / Welsh Folktales

Pwyll, Lord of Dyfed

The story of Pwyll is found in the Mabinogion, a collection of old Welsh stories translated by Lady Charlotte Guest, and published in 1849. It describes how Pwyll the Lord of Dyfed meets the underworld king Arawn and how the two become close allies.