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Land of Myth and Legend – Folklore and Fairy Tales of Snowdonia

July 25th, 2010 by Al

Steve J asked:

Many visitors are drawn to Snowdonia for its evocative image as a misty, magical country steeped in history, tradition and folklore. Bards, druids, mythical beings and a strong connection with King Arthur go hand-in-hand with our mysterious, mountainous landscape and ancient, musical-sounding language. The romance, the magic and the mythology of Snowdonia make it just as popular a holiday destination for history and folklore addicts as it is for adrenalin junkies.

In simpler times, natural phenomena were explained away by the superstitious as magic or miracles, warring dragons or battling giants, or the work of the ‘Tylwyth Teg’, or ‘Fair Folk’. We may laugh today, but centuries ago it was considered perfectly plausible that a pile of rocks could appear on a mountainside because a giantess had taken fright and dropped the contents of her apron!

In the true tradition of the ancient bards and storytellers, many old tales survive to this day, having been passed down orally from one generation to the next throughout history. Myth, legend, superstition or fairy tale – whatever you choose to call the folklore of Snowdonia, there are plenty of surviving tales to choose from, each one as colourful as the next. Here are a few of our favourites.

St Twrog’s Stone

In the village of Maentwrog, just outside Blaenau Ffestiniog, an unusual boulder stands next to the porch in the churchyard. Legend has it that a local giant, Twrog, disgusted by the pagan rituals being carried out in the village, threw a large rock down from a nearby hill which destroyed the unholy altar. His followers later erected the church where the boulder had landed.

The Mermaid’s Curse

Many hundreds of years ago a group of fishermen caught a mermaid in their nets while fishing in the Conwy estuary. Ignoring her pleas for freedom, they paraded her through the town until, like a fish, the mermaid started to suffocate on air. As she died, the mermaid cursed the men of Conwy, their wives, their children, and future generations. She cursed the buildings, future buildings, and vowed that Conwy would suffer many drownings, wars, diseases and disasters until the end of time.

In 1966 Conwy Town Hall, which stood on the spot where the mermaid was said to have died, burned down. Several locals said they heard the mermaid’s ghostly laughter as the building burned. The land on which it had stood was later developed as a library, but within two months of completion it had burned down again – and once again, the mermaid’s laughter was heard through the flames.

The Sunken Town

In the basin of the valley where Lake Bala (Llyn Tegid in Welsh) lies, there was once a town. This town was inhabited by immoral and selfish people, and ruled by a very cruel and wicked man, who one night held a huge party in his palace to celebrate the birth of his first child.

A local harpist was ordered to provide entertainment at the party. Despite hating the ruler, who ruled the town harshly, the harpist knew it would be very dangerous to refuse, so reluctantly attended and played for the guests.

As the party progressed the harpist heard a strange whispering behind him. He turned and saw a little bluebird which kept repeating the same word over and over again: “Vengeance! Vengeance!” – at the same time beckoning the harpist to follow it.

The harpist left the palace and followed the bird up a hillside, where he slept all night. When he awoke the next morning, he looked down at the town and saw that it had disappeared, and in its place was an enormous lake. And there, floating on the surface of the lake, was the young man’s harp.

King Arthur in Snowdonia

There are many folk tales placing Arthur, legendary King of the Britons, in Snowdonia. Perhaps the most dramatic of these claims that Arthur fought his last battle in the region, at a pass near Cwm Dyli. When Arthur was mortally wounded by a hail of enemy arrows, his men raised a cairn over his body, which still stands today and is called Carnedd Arthur – Arthur’s Cairn – while the mountain pass where the ambush happened is called Bwlch Y Saethau, or Pass of the Arrows.

After Arthur died, his surviving knights entered a cave below the summit of Lliwedd and the entrance was sealed behind them. This cave is known as Ogof Llanciau Eryri, or Cave of the Young Men of Snowdonia. It is said that the knights slumber there still, fully armoured and armed, waiting for their king to awaken and fulfil the ancient prophesy that Arthur merely sleeps until Wales is in mortal danger, whereupon he will arise and save his country.

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    Fairy Tales With a Twist

    July 21st, 2010 by Al

    Kathy Rupert asked:




    Wicked by Gregory Maguire

    This book is an alternate story of The Wicked Witch of the West. It is the story of her birth, life and death. The author tells the story with great passion and believability.

    The book tells of the birth of Elphaba (the witch) and how she is green at birth. It tells of her growing up years and the trials she must endure. Trials such as a mother who cannot stand her, a father who believes the child is his punishment, and people who make fun of her as a small child. It tells us of her siblings, Elphaba’s sister, who is known as The Wicked Witch of the East, and her brother. The story also tells of her college years, her friends, and her enemies. It tells of her years after college and how she became known as The Wicked Witch of the West along with her death.

    The book explains how the wizard came to be in Oz and who the rulers of Oz were before he came along. It gives the geography of the Land of Oz and the many different people who live in each region. The book also tells of Glinda and how she became known as the Good Witch of the North.

    The book is very well written and holds the reader’s attention all through the story. The story is told in such a way that the reader finds himself/herself believing it is true. This is the story of an underdog and how she tried to overcome all the trials in her life.

    This is a great read!

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      Fairy Costumes Satisfy Our Love of Fantasy

      July 8th, 2010 by Al

      Andy West asked:

      Man’s fascination with fantasy, including fairies, leprechauns and elves, began centuries ago and has never left us. Today children love to dress up in fairy costumes from the time they’re toddlers, running around their homes with colorful wings strapped to their shoulders and sparkling wands clutched in their hands. Many of us never outgrow that sense of wonder and continue to be charmed by the thought of fairies all our lives.

      We love fairies because they touch our sense of wonder and remind us that we can believe in something mystical and otherworldly that is good and pure and beautiful. Our passion for fairies has been a common thread across centuries and countries. Legends of mysterious fairies watching over newborns were well-known in the Middle Ages, and ancient Irish and Celtic legends of leprechauns and little people told of fairy people living in the forests and playing tricks on folks. Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream and other plays prominently featured fairies who meddled in the affairs of men. In fact, in the Renaissance Italy, fairy costumes were extremely popular with noblewomen attending the many masquerade balls that were popular in cities like Venice and Rome.

      More recently, the Lord of the Rings created an entire world of elves, fairies and other creatures with their own language, culture and manner of dressing. Renaissance Fairs increased sharply in popularity after the movie trilogy was released on the big screen, with Elves, Hobbits and Dwarves appearing in full force.

      Drew Barrymore’s ethereal fairy costume in the romantic movie Ever After was an example of an adult costume that combined romantic femininity with fairy tale charm. Glimmering wings, gossamer layers of chiffon and soft colors gave her the illusion of glowing with light and magic.

      Our love of fantasy allows us to play many roles when we dress in fairy costumes. Whether we want to reflect the delicate beauty of a woodland flower fairy or the more mischievous and dangerous look of a sultry nymph, you can find a costume you’ll fall in love with. You can even find evil fairies with blood red dresses and devilish wings! Your husband may fall in love with you all over again if you slip into a sexy little set of fairy wings and skimpy adult woodland fairy costume it could be his fantasy come true!

      Children’s fairy costumes offer even more variety. Disney’s Tinkerbelle is a perpetual favorite, but sugar plum fairies, fairy princesses and sweet pixies are available in all the colors of the rainbow. Share the fun this Halloween by ordering matching fairy costumes this year for you and your daughter you’ll love trick-or-treating with her in mother-daughter fairy outfits and she’ll adore wearing her fairy costume every time her friends come over to play dress up.

      Add a little fantasy to your life with some lovely fairy costumes!

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      Fantasy Role Playing Games and Fairy Tales About Fairies – Powell, Prince of Dyfed

      July 5th, 2010 by Al

      Ty Hulse asked:




      One of the more interesting fairy tales involving the land of fairy Powell, Prince of Dyfed is one of many early fantasy stories from the land of Arthur (Wales). There are a number of stories regarding the exploits of Powell; however the one which introduces him is perhaps of the most interest for those who play fantasy role playing games. In this story Powell is out hunting when he meets and befriends a fairy king. The fairy king is having trouble with an enemy he can’t defeat, so he and Powell switch places so that Powell may continue the war with the other fairy princes and defeat their leader.

      It is interesting how human many of the fairies seem in this fairy tale, very different from much of what we currently think of fairies as being. Fairies it would seem from this and a number of other stories gained their abilities primarily through knowledge, their ability to know almost anything. For like Powell the fairy king too enjoys hunting and holds court, similarly enough that they could pass for each other.

      The idea behind what made a hero in the eyes of the Welsh is also interesting to take note of. For it was said of Powell that;

      “He could ride a horse, draw a bow, and speak the truth. He was always honored by men, and he kept his faith and his promises to women. The children loved him, for he loved them. In the castle hall, he could tell the best stories. No man, bard, or warrior, foot
      holder or commoner, could excel him in gaining and keeping the attention of his hearers.”

      One must of course realize that this story was indeed edited by those who wrote it down and so some of this description may have been based on the thinking of the 1800s. However this description of a hero is useful for anyone trying to create an RPG or fantasy character which will have to deal with fairies, for fairies believe very firmly in honesty, and admire greatly the skills of story telling and music. Indeed Powell would not have done so well in fairy land if he had not had these traits.

      Another quality Powell had was politeness, for in his discussion with the king of the fairies it was how polite he was that allowed him to become friends with the king of the fairy. This theme is repeated over and over throughout the stories of fairies that no matter how rude they are one must be very polite to them. For in politeness a person will be rewarded by fairies and in rudeness they will cursed.

      In fantasy stories it would be easy to use the idea of politeness and fairy curses and blessings as an element to add interest to the story. For with this element the characters gain unique powers, or interestingly horrible curses. For temporary lapses of rudeness a person could become horribly cursed, and may need to go on a quest to find the fairy who laid the curse on them, or to prove themselves worthy of getting it removed.

      The story of Powell is of interest also because it shows a mortal entering the world of fairy to help a fairy king. One could easily see how a story that followed the exploits of someone who switched places with a fairy could be very interesting. Or of someone who entered fairy land and had to return home to grow bored. For in Powell’s later exploits he is constantly entering realms of the fairy because he misses the excitement of living within this realm.

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      American Fairy Tales (Webster’s Spanish Thesaurus Edition) (Paperback)

      March 2nd, 2010 by Al

      American Fairy Tales (Webster's Spanish Thesaurus Edition)

      Review

      Check out these other great works (hundreds of volumes): Ultimate Handheld Bible Library(121 volumes, 1 Million + Links) Ultimate Handheld Classic Library(more than 1000 works) Ultimate Bible Study Suite(8 volumes, 1 Million + Links)
      –This text refers to the

      Kindle Edition
      edition.

      Webster’s edition of this classic is organized to expose the reader to a maximum number of synonyms and antonyms for difficult and often ambiguous English words tha (more…)


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