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British Goblins: Welsh Folklore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions
One of the most beautiful and complete collections of stories, legends, myths, folktales, and traditions to ever emerge from Wales. Compiled by an American—the United States consul for Wales in the late nineteenth century—this volume was the work of several years’ labour.
Scouring the hills and valleys of Wales after falling in love with the land, the author wrote down the oral traditions, stories, myths, and legends related to him by the people he met on his travels. The result was a spectacular work, divided up into four sections: “Faerie Realm,” the “Spirit-World,” “Quaint Old Customs,” and “Bells, Wells, Stones, and Dragons.”
In this book, the reader will not only learn of the greatest Welsh legends (including King Arthur, Iolo ap Hugh, the Green Lady of Caerphilly), but also of the local fairy stories and even the superstitions of ancient—and not so ancient—Wales.
Rarely has a nation’s mythos and essence been so elegantly captured as in this work. The legacy of Welsh mythology and folklore has entered the vocabulary of modern English, and spread around the world, being some of the oldest tales in all Europe.
As the author states in his introduction:
“In a certain sense Wales may be spoken of as the cradle of fairy legend. It is not now disputed that from the Welsh were borrowed many of the first subjects of composition in the literature of all the cultivated peoples of Europe.”
This edition has been completely reset, contains the full text and all the wonderful—and hand restored—illustrations of the original work. It is a literary treasure of the first class.
— Written on the back of the Second Edition, 2017
Scouring the hills and valleys of Wales after falling in love with the land, the author wrote down the oral traditions, stories, myths, and legends related to him by the people he met on his travels. The result was a spectacular work, divided up into four sections: “Faerie Realm,” the “Spirit-World,” “Quaint Old Customs,” and “Bells, Wells, Stones, and Dragons.”
In this book, the reader will not only learn of the greatest Welsh legends (including King Arthur, Iolo ap Hugh, the Green Lady of Caerphilly), but also of the local fairy stories and even the superstitions of ancient—and not so ancient—Wales.
Rarely has a nation’s mythos and essence been so elegantly captured as in this work. The legacy of Welsh mythology and folklore has entered the vocabulary of modern English, and spread around the world, being some of the oldest tales in all Europe.
As the author states in his introduction:
“In a certain sense Wales may be spoken of as the cradle of fairy legend. It is not now disputed that from the Welsh were borrowed many of the first subjects of composition in the literature of all the cultivated peoples of Europe.”
This edition has been completely reset, contains the full text and all the wonderful—and hand restored—illustrations of the original work. It is a literary treasure of the first class.
— Written on the back of the Second Edition, 2017
414 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1880
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 11, 2018
A poignant collection of folk lore taken mainly from the small rural villages and towns of Wales -particularly North Wales. It was rather lovely to read a 'natural history' of sorts of places where I often walk. Many of these stories lie hidden or lost. Like another reviewer put it, the fairies have largely been chased away by the industrial revolution and I suppose ultimately the Enlightenment.
January 19, 2014
British Goblins, written in 1880, does a good job at its stated purpose- collecting and loosely categorizing Welsh Folklore of every category, ranging from the reasons behind certain customs and superstitions of daily life, to descriptions and associated stories of various faeries, goblins, and giants, to descriptions of apparitions and the view of the afterlife, to more fantastic things, like dragons, standing stones, and magic wells and stones.
It stays away from sneering at the superstitions-most of the time- but some of this has to be expected in the era. Mr. Sikes also does a decent enough job tying in how changing Christian beliefs intermixed with native folklore, and occasionally remarking on similar customs(often very unusual ones) that are present almost everywhere in the world.
The reason I removed one star, is simply that it isn't really insightful enough to impress much, and often turns to Greek predecessors in mythological archetypes with little reason I can see, and treats them as unassailably "obvious." Something, which, I think stems from older models of cultural progress that are entirely too focused on Rome and Greece.
If it's important- I got this in digital format from Forgotten Books.
It stays away from sneering at the superstitions-most of the time- but some of this has to be expected in the era. Mr. Sikes also does a decent enough job tying in how changing Christian beliefs intermixed with native folklore, and occasionally remarking on similar customs(often very unusual ones) that are present almost everywhere in the world.
The reason I removed one star, is simply that it isn't really insightful enough to impress much, and often turns to Greek predecessors in mythological archetypes with little reason I can see, and treats them as unassailably "obvious." Something, which, I think stems from older models of cultural progress that are entirely too focused on Rome and Greece.
If it's important- I got this in digital format from Forgotten Books.
August 24, 2024
I read a digital public domain edition on my tablet, so unfortunately, I was denied the illustrations. Whatever. It is still a delightful, occasionally powerful, surprisingly readable book!
Read
May 8, 2018A book, very much of it's time but with echo's of another world which has disappeared on the surface. An interesting insight into folklore, beliefs and customs ,many of which still linger under the surface of modern life and need preserving
May 14, 2024
A pretty solid review of Welsh folklore and folkloric tradition ... once I accepted it for what it was.
While the title on Goodreads clearly says "Welsh Folklore...", the version I have only had "British Goblins" on the front (and I don't usually pay attention to title pages and such), so I was expecting a book on BRITISH folklore/goblins, not just Welsh. But that's a "me problem", not an issue with the book.
I've read quite a bit of folklore, so there weren't too many new things here for me. That said, the history of the stories and traditions often was new to me, and there were a lot of fun folk tales and stories that I hadn't seen before that added some depth and quality to it.
The author's tone was pleasant throughout, not mocking or drily academic as some of these books can get.
If you're curious about Welsh folklore, superstitions, and so on, you could do a lot worse than this book.
While the title on Goodreads clearly says "Welsh Folklore...", the version I have only had "British Goblins" on the front (and I don't usually pay attention to title pages and such), so I was expecting a book on BRITISH folklore/goblins, not just Welsh. But that's a "me problem", not an issue with the book.
I've read quite a bit of folklore, so there weren't too many new things here for me. That said, the history of the stories and traditions often was new to me, and there were a lot of fun folk tales and stories that I hadn't seen before that added some depth and quality to it.
The author's tone was pleasant throughout, not mocking or drily academic as some of these books can get.
If you're curious about Welsh folklore, superstitions, and so on, you could do a lot worse than this book.
August 29, 2017
Interesting volume classifying and re-telling fairy lore from Wales. Stories are various collected by the author or collected from earlier sources. The book does well as collecting and categorising these stories without offering too much larger commentary on why people believed the things they did.
The edition I read was printed by Wildside press. The physical object is lovely - bound with a sense of age and printed on good quality paper to give it the air of an artifict. Unfortunately, images from the original text were not reproduced but the image captions were, at times, left him. Typographical erros were also preserved so make of that what you will.
The edition I read was printed by Wildside press. The physical object is lovely - bound with a sense of age and printed on good quality paper to give it the air of an artifict. Unfortunately, images from the original text were not reproduced but the image captions were, at times, left him. Typographical erros were also preserved so make of that what you will.
October 22, 2021
The folk stories are interesting and there is a wealth of information that I think anyone would be glad to have access to but Sikes is typical of western folklorists and assumes that attention to categorisation and characteristics, especially in relation to other "fairies" found in Europe is what's most important to the stories themselves rather than understanding the reason and method for telling the stories in the first place.
April 12, 2022
3.5 - it’s interesting and helpful in knowing the legends of fairy. As assumed it is also heavy in Christianity and how it adds depth to those legends. My only complaint is strictly due to the fact that I thought it contained more information regarding the Wild Hunt and there was a single paragraph.
I learned a few legends I didn’t know though and the writing whilst entirely of its time wasn’t completely unreadable.
I learned a few legends I didn’t know though and the writing whilst entirely of its time wasn’t completely unreadable.
January 23, 2023
I have looked for a long time for a book that says what people who believed in faeries in antiquity believed about faeries. This is as close as I’ve seen to that purpose, though it comes with some additional (understandable) divergences in discussing ghosts and customs that are adjacent to the desired subject matter. Still, it provided a wealth of faerie lore accompanied by occasional illustrative stories and citations to other books from which it got its information.
August 29, 2021
Wirt Sikes shows his appreciation of welsh culture
Wirt Sikes, an American diplomat in Wales near the end of the nineteenth century. In this quartet of books, he catalogs his in-depth observations about contemporary welsh culture and beliefs. At the time, doubtless the disconnect between Walea and England was greater, allowing for more diversity of language and custom. This short book then probably preserves beliefs that have since gone extinct in all but the most remote corners of Wales.
Wirt Sikes, an American diplomat in Wales near the end of the nineteenth century. In this quartet of books, he catalogs his in-depth observations about contemporary welsh culture and beliefs. At the time, doubtless the disconnect between Walea and England was greater, allowing for more diversity of language and custom. This short book then probably preserves beliefs that have since gone extinct in all but the most remote corners of Wales.
March 27, 2017
The Industrial Revolution scared the fairies away, and now our current administration is talking of eliminating the EPA. The world is cruel!
September 1, 2019
Interesting wander through the Welsh countryside visiting numerous sites of significance. Dated and occasionally humorous.
February 16, 2020
Unreadable, names and language unpronounceable!
May 20, 2020
Part comparative mythology, part summaries of folk tales and customs. Not wholly satisfying on either count but interesting nonetheless.
February 21, 2021
Kind of boring (how it was written), but I enjoyed a lot of the info and tales
June 5, 2024
MASTERPIECE ABSOLUTE BEAUTY I LOVE BRITISH GOBLINS I LOVE THEM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo MUCH
March 1, 2017
Very good, but I think I read this several years before I joined goodreads as it seems very familiar.
May 20, 2011
An enjoyable enough book and one which I got from Project Gutenburg as it was in the public domain and the subject matter was of interest as recently I have read a few european texts based on legends and fables.
It was an enjoyable enough read..the version I read missed the illustrations but still has a large index offering other suggested readings and as such was well sourced,In some ways however 'welsh goblins' might have made a better title as much of the tales and folklore where based in Wales and England,Scotland and Ireland make for very brief entries.
Tales of Corpse candles,Goblins,Hags,Fairys,Giants and Arthurian folklore however abound and although some of the tales have little impact it was a fun book and worthwhile if only to keep memory of some of the tales through the decades.
an enjoyable book then...but not one I am likely to re-read soon and I suspect I could have found better books on the subject but for now...this did OK.
It was an enjoyable enough read..the version I read missed the illustrations but still has a large index offering other suggested readings and as such was well sourced,In some ways however 'welsh goblins' might have made a better title as much of the tales and folklore where based in Wales and England,Scotland and Ireland make for very brief entries.
Tales of Corpse candles,Goblins,Hags,Fairys,Giants and Arthurian folklore however abound and although some of the tales have little impact it was a fun book and worthwhile if only to keep memory of some of the tales through the decades.
an enjoyable book then...but not one I am likely to re-read soon and I suspect I could have found better books on the subject but for now...this did OK.
June 21, 2020
This book, originally published in 1880, is a collection of mainly Welsh folklore dealing with fairies, ghosts, spirits, assorted quaint customs connected to life events and holidays, and, in the last section, sacred wells, bells, standing stones (think Stonehenge only not quite as spectacular), dragon legends etc. Although a somewhat anecdotal approach is taken, I suspect the author has in fact preserved a good deal of information that might have otherwise been lost. Some of his informants were older people who had memories of the early 19th century and had heard of things alleged to have happened in the 18th century and before. The author, Wirt Sikes, was the American Consul in Cardiff, Wales, beginning in 1876.
December 12, 2015
I found this book difficult, not particularly bad but rather dry and written in a very old-fashioned style. However I've always been fascinated by myths and legends of any sort and so the content was interesting in it's own way.
The way the book is written is more like a list than a continuous narrative, with mini-stories lumped together into categories, which are then divided into chapters. This would make it an excellent reference book but not really a book for entertainment or relaxation :).
The way the book is written is more like a list than a continuous narrative, with mini-stories lumped together into categories, which are then divided into chapters. This would make it an excellent reference book but not really a book for entertainment or relaxation :).
August 17, 2013
Reading this gave me a fascinating look at folk-lore and fairy stories from someone who was much closer to the time period than we are. Some of the chapters were dull, and many of the stories were redundant, but I enjoyed it overall and recommend it.
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May 2, 2014i have not read this yet, but for research purposes i need to know if there are actual fairies making an appearance in this book? i know that they appear commonly in welsh folklore, and so im looking for some mythology collections. thank you (and im sorry my question was so poorly worded)
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April 7, 2019
[Quick review from memory before I re-read at a later date:
Read for research purposes. Mostly concerning Welsh folklore but veers in to the wider British isles at times. It's pretty loose but a really nice collection of mostly lost stories.]
Read for research purposes. Mostly concerning Welsh folklore but veers in to the wider British isles at times. It's pretty loose but a really nice collection of mostly lost stories.]
June 22, 2022
Wirt Sikes imagines a world of fairies, giants, sleeping kings and more in one of the most iconic resources on Welsh mythology. Bringing to life an often forgotten lore, "British Goblins" is an entertaining read steeped in magic, fantasy and wonder. Do you believe in fairies?
December 29, 2013
Interesting source for folks who are interested in the various mythologies of Wales.
Want to read
July 28, 2021From Chapter II. I.
"Fairies being creatures of the imagination, it is not possible to classify they by fixed and immutable rules." Actually, there are 338 identified species.
"Fairies being creatures of the imagination, it is not possible to classify they by fixed and immutable rules." Actually, there are 338 identified species.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews