Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Category: Legends

Ancient Sites / Early Christianity / Hauntings / King Arthur / Legends / Mabinogion / Wells

St Non’s Chapel and St David’s Peninsula

St David’s Peninsula is supposedly the landing place of Twrch Trwyth, the magical boar told in the story of Culhwch and Olwen in the Mabinogion, King Arthur features heavily in the story. It is also the place where St Patrick is said to have sailed for Ireland to convert them to Christianity.

Ancient Sites / Legends

Clegyr Boia

This rocky hilltop was occupied during the Neolithic period around 3800BC, when there were a number of rectangular houses on the summit. During the Iron Age the hill was fortified and served as a hillfort. A rampart, which can still be seen today, was completed around the hill with an entrance towards the Southwest.

Ancient Sites / Early Christianity / Folklore / King Arthur / Legends

St Govan’s Chapel

This tiny chapel hidden in a deep ravine in the rocks dates from the thirteenth century. There may have been a chapel or religious structure here in the fifth century making it one of the earliest places of Christian worship. It has been suggested that the chapel was part of a larger Hermitage but its history is unclear.

King Arthur / Legends

Bosherton Lake

The local lake is said to have been the body of water into which Arthur’s sword Excalibur was cast after the battle of Cammlan.

Directions: A footpath from Bosherton leads to the lake Bosherton reached off the B4319 South of Pembroke

Folklore / Legends

Green Bridge Cave

The cave is associated with the common legend that a fiddler (sometimes a piper in other stories) went in to the cave to play and never returned, perhaps crossing through to the fair realm. His music is still said to be heard now and again from the depths of the cave.

Directions: Pendine is reached from the A4066

Devil / Devil Bridge / Legends

The Devils Bridge

There are three bridges over this part of the Mynach Gorge, each one built successively over the others, as they needed to be improved for traffic. The lowest of the bridges dating from the 11th century is the original one and is associated with a Devil legend that is common in Britain with minor variations from place to place.

Legends

Aberdyfi and Cardigan Bay

The area around Cardigan Bay has a number of ‘lost land’ legends pertaining to it. These legends have changed over the centuries.

The most recent story concerns ‘The Lost Lowland Hundred’; lands now drowned which were ruled by a King called Gwyddno Garantir. The area was protected from the sea by a system of sluices, dams and waterways.

Ancient Sites / Burial Mounds / Giants / Legends

Barclodiad-y-Gawres Chambered Cairn

This burial mound has five carved stones within its chamber, now capped by concrete to prevent their erosion. The stones are carved with a range of patterns including spirals cup marks and zig-zag features. The purpose of these marks is unknown, but they may have had some ritual function.

Devil / Legends

Llanarth Church

Llanarth church is associated with a legend of the Devil; unusually the Devil creeps into the church and tries to steal one of the church bells. (It is more common for him to steal the whole church). In the process of his theft he wakes the vicar who challenges him with the name of Christ. Eventually the Devil concedes, and jumps off the church tower.