Category: Legends

Down House, Tavistock

In his ‘English Fairy and Other Folk Tales (1890), Edwin Sidney Hartland gives the following account of a ghost story and buried treasure in the Tavistock area.

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.’

The Great Yellow-Jacket: Origin Of Fish And Frogs

A long time ago the people of the old town of Kanu’ga`lâ’yï ("Brier place," or Briertown), on Nantahala river, in the present Macon county, North Carolina, were much annoyed by a great insect called U’la`gû’, as large as a house, which used to come from some secret hiding place, and darting swiftly through the air, would snap up children from their play and carry the

The Trent Aegir

At Gainsborough, several times a year, can be seen a phenomenon known as the "Trent Aegir". This is a large tidal bore which rolls down from the Humber. It is known to have happened since at least the Viking era, as the name Aegir is taken from the Norse god of the sea.

Atagâ’hï, The Enchanted Lake

Westward from the headwaters of Oconaluftee river, in the wildest depths of the, Great Smoky mountains, which form the line between North Carolina and Tennessee, is the enchanted lake of Atagâ’hï, "Gall place." Although all the Cherokee know that it is there, no one has ever seen it, for the way is so difficult that only the animals know how to reach it.

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Oilliphéist

In ‘Irish Myths and Legends’ by Ronan Coghlan, we are told that Oilliphéist, is an Irish word meaning ‘dragon’ or ‘great worm’, and that ‘a creature of this sort, hearing that Saint Patrick was coming to drive out its kind, cuts its way through the land, thus forming the River Shannon.’ The Shannon is 224 miles long and the is Ireland’s longe

Church of St. Meilig, Llowes and Moll Walbee’s Stone

The medieval church of St Meilig was rebuilt in 1853, though the bottom of the tower may be a remnant of the earlier building. Inside the church is a standing stone with a cross carved into it, which possibly dates from the 6th or 7th century. The stone which is thought to have stood at or near the site of a 6th century monastery founded by St Meilig at Croesfeilig.

St. Tydecho Stone

In the village of Llanymawddwy, there is an ancient church dedicated to St. Tydecho, thought to be the son of Anna Pendragon, King Arthur’s sister. Wirt Sykes in British Goblins (1881) gives the following tale of St. Tydecho and a blue stone. ‘There was a stone in the valley of Mowddwy, which did good service for the church. A certain St.

Here Be Dragons And Ghosts…The Coiled Serpent And Otherworld Hoodies

Drakelow in Worcestershire derives its name from a mythological creature – the dragon. The word for dragon in Germanic mythology and its descendants is worm (Old English: wyrm, Old High German: wurm, Old Norse: ormr), meaning snake or serpent. In Old English wyrm means "serpent", draca means "dragon" (Skeat).