Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Category: Legends

King Arthur / Legends

Land’s End

Beyond Land’s End stretching to the Isles of Scilly, the lost land of Lyonnesse is reputed to lie. The land is said to have been engulfed by the sea over 900 years ago.

According to tradition the only survivor of the sinking was a man called Trevilian, who rode a white horse before the waves. The family crest shows the image of this white horse.

King Arthur / Legends

Loe Pool

The Pool has a King Arthur legend, and along with Dozmary pool is supposedly the body of water from which he received Excalibur from the lady of the lake.

A high bar of shingle, called Loe bar separates the pool from the sea. Jan Tregeagle is supposed to have been tripped by demons while engaged in one of his tasks. He dropped a sack full of sand and created Loe Bar.

King Arthur / Legends

Dozmary Pool

Dozmary Pool is associated with many legends. It is suspected of being the body of water into which Sir Bedivere threw Excalibur after King Arthur was mortally wounded. The pool is also said to be a haunt of the Lady of the Lake, guardian of Excalibur. It is also said to be bottomless and to have a tunnel connecting it to the sea.

Ancient Sites / Burial Mounds / Devil / Legends

Veryan

Five circular thatched houses, within the village are supposed to have been designed to ensure that the Devil cannot hide in any corners. Each house is topped with a cross, a further deterrent to the Devil. In actuality they were built by the Reverend Jeremiah Trist for his daughters. The houses are now in private ownership.

Ancient Sites / Apparitions / Burial Mounds / Hauntings / Legends

Rillaton Mound

A legend associated with this mound was reflected by archaeological findings during excavation. A druid priest was said to haunt the mound, he would offer travellers a drink from a golden cup filled with a magical brew, which could not be drained.

Ancient Sites / Giants / Legends

Castle Dore and the Tristan Stone

Castle Dore is an Iron age hillfort dating from around 200BC.  It was possibly home to Cunomonus a local king who had a son called Drustanus. The castle is also associated with the legend of Tristan and Isolde.

Ancient Sites / Legends / Stone Circles

The Hurlers

The Hurlers are three stone circles situated on moorland to the Northwest of Minions. The circles are aligned Southwest to Northeast and consist of low granite blocks of varying shapes and sizes. They date back to the Bronze Age period. According to legend they are reputed to be the petrified remains of men who were hurling on the Sabbath.

Ancient Sites / Burial Mounds / King Arthur / Legends

Trethevy Quoit or King Arthur’s Quoit

Trevethy Quoit, also known as King Arthur’s Quoit, is one of the more impressive burial chambers in Cornwall. Standing at over 15 feet 4.6 Metres. This cromlech dates from the Bronze Age period. The capstone is pierced by a hole, the purpose of which is unknown.

Giants / Legends

Chapel Porth

The giant Bolster is said to have terrorised the area until he fell in love with St Agnes. She asked him to prove his love to her by filling a hole in the cliffs at Chapel Porth with his blood.

This was deemed an easy task by the giant but the hole led to the sea, and the giant duly poured his lifeblood into the hole and died of blood loss.