Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Category: Giants

Ancient Sites / Festivals / Folklore / Giants / King Arthur / Legends / May / Wells

Giant’s Cave, Edenhall

At Giant’s Cave, near Eden Hall, it has been the custom from time immemorial for the lads and lasses of the neighbouring villages to collect together on the third Sunday in May, to drink sugar and water, when the lasses give the treat: this is called Sugar-and-Water Sunday. They afterwards adjourn to the public house, and the lads return the compliment in cakes, ale, punch, etc.

Giants / Hauntings / Legends

Brede Place

Originally dating from the 14th century, Brede Place is a Grade II listed building that was then rebuilt in the 15th century by Sir Robert Oxenbridge, father of Sir Goddard Oxenbridge, the Bede Giant. For a time the house was associated with smugglers and some haunt like stories were told to keep the locals away.

Giants / Legends

Brede Ogre

According to local legend, a child eating ogre in Brede Park was identified as the Sheriff of Surrey and Sussex, Sir Goddard Oxenbridge of Brede Place. Said to have stood seven foot tall (most likely just over 5 foot), he was also known as the Brede Giant. Oxenbridge died on 10 February 1531 and his tomb (constructed in 1537) can be found in the Parish Church of St George in Brede.

Giants / Legends

The Blinded Giant, Dalton

The following tale of a North Yorkshire giant appeared in ‘English Fairy and Other Folk Tales’ by Edwin Sidney Hartland [1890] who cited ‘Notes on the Folk-Lore of the Northern Counties of England and the Borders.’

Giants / Legends

Giant Blacksmith of Batcombe

A skilled giant blacksmith lived upon Burn Hill according to local legend and he would appear whenever his name was called in order to perform acts of blacksmithing which was considered beyond the capability of mortal man.

Devil / Folklore / Giants / Legends

Llyn Idwal

Llyn Idwal is a small glacial lake in Snowdonia, easily accessible from the A5. The path begins at Ogwen Cottage at the foot of Llyn Ogwen, crosses a stream and then turns right after a quarter of a mile in to Cwm Idwal, a dramatic valley surrounded by the crags of Glyder fawr, Twll Du (‘The Black Hole’ or more popularly known as ‘the Devils Kitchen’) and Y Garn.

Giants / Legends

Maentwrog (Twrog’s Stone)

Lying in the Vale of Ffestiniog, alongside the river Dwyryd, is the village of Maentwrog. There is a legend that a giant called Twrog (who died in the year AD610) hurled a stone from a hill top, down into the village and destroyed a pagan altar.

Ancient Sites / Burial Mounds / Giants / King Arthur / Legends

Arthur’s Stone

Arthur’s Stone is the name given to the remains of a Neolithic chambered tomb. Aged around 5000 years old (3700BC – 2700BC), the monument consists of a huge cap stone weighing over 25 tonnes and nine upright stones.

Giants / Legends

Eye Of Lewis

A geological feature created through coastal erosion, the Eye of Lewis is a hole through an outcrop of rock. Local legend suggests that a giant used a hook and this hole to enable him to draw the Isle of Lewis to it’s current location. This tale was passed on through word of mouth and if anybody knows any other details of this folk tale then we would love to hear more.