Snowdonia Folk Tales

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The History Press, Oct 5, 2015 - History - 192 pages

The old kingdom of Gwynedd – the mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia), Ynys (Anglesey) and the Llyˆn Peninsula – may be the most mythic landscape in Britain. The ancient Druids and from it sprang the tales of Blessed Bran who protected the land, wizards who made a Woman of Flowers, and Merlin the dragon whisperer whose prophecy echoes still. The poet Taliesin walked these hills, Welsh bards told stories of Arthur by these hearths and saints made pilgrimages along these paths. From these hidden nooks the Tylwyth Teg (Fair Folk) emerged to tease the people, and through these mountain passes rode Llywelyn the Great and Owain Glyndwˆ r, living lives that would be spun into legend. Storyteller and singer Eric Maddern has gathered these old tales here and breathed fresh life into them.

 

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Contents

Title
The Tylwyth
Mythic Roots
Legends of Arthur
The Lives of Saints
Folk Tales
Historic Legends
Epilogue
About the Author

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About the author (2015)

Erin Maddern studied psychology and sociology at the University of Sheffield. He toured with a show about Aboriginal Australia and worked as educational coordinator for an exhibition on human evolution at the Commonwealth Institute. He moved to North Wales and began storytelling at English Heritage sites. He has written 11 children's books. Over the last 26 years he has developed the Cae Mabon Eco-Retreat Centre, which has been described as a "Welsh Shangri-La."

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