Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Category: Legends

0

Articles / Articles / Cryptozoology / Dragons / Legends

In Search of British Dragons

The dragon is the great, great grandfather of all monsters. Before the daemon, before the vampire, before the werewolf, before the giant. Before them all was the original uber-monster the dragon. The dragon’s image has crawled across cave paintings 25,000 years old, dwarfing mammoths. It has slithered across Chinese rock art in Shanxi province 8000 years before Christ.

Apparitions / Featured Sites / Haunted Hotels / Haunted Pubs / Haunted Wedding Venue / Hauntings / King Arthur / Legends

Ruthin Castle

Before I begin I would like to say that I spent my honeymoon at Ruthin Castle, and found the accommodation and service exemplary. I would recommend staying in the castle to anybody, and I cannot overstate how much I enjoyed the Medieval Banquet which they host on a regular basis.

1

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.

0

Folklore / Folktales / Giants / Legends / Welsh Folktales

The Great Giant of Henllys

The original tale first appeared in The Athenaeum, published in 1847, and tells how a tyrannous figure became even more fearsome as a ghost after he had died. Three brave priests finally exorcise the ghost with a mix of magic and prayer.

Legends / Merlin

Ogaf Myrddin

Ogaf Myrddin means Merlin’s Cave, and this is one of the locations where he is said to sleep awaiting his release. The cave is hidden behind a waterfall.

Directions: Northwest of Brechfa

Ancient Sites / Burial Mounds / King Arthur / Legends

Bedd Arthur

The whole area around Dyfed is associated with Arthur, outlined in the old Welsh tales now part of the Mabinogion. This cairn on the hilltop is thought to be Arthur’s Grave.

Directions: The grave is in the Prescely Mountains

Aquatic Monsters / Cryptozoology / Dragons / Folklore / Legends

Lake Bala

Llyn Tegid is Wales’s largest lake being nearly four miles long. It lies in a rift valley running north east to south west, extending down to the sea at Tywyn. The lake is 529 feet above sea level, has a maximum depth of 136 feet and covers an area of 1084 acres.