The alkonost, the sirin, the roc, the phoenix and the caladrius are all five mythical birds from legend and folklore.

In February 1862 a riot broke out in a Suffolk churchyard over a ghost story. Margaretta Greene, the story’s author,

In Welsh legend and myth the Owl of Cwm Cowlyd lived in the woods that once surrounded Llyn Cowlyd.

Gnomes trace their origins back through alchemical theory to Greek and Roman mythology.

For many, the Woman in the Tower is a symbol of female oppression and repression, a highly negative image charged

The story of William of Cloudesly is found in a 16th century ballad, Adam Bell, Clym of the Cloughe and

alking deep into a mine, when the last gleam of sunlight is eclipsed by the next turn, reveals the overwhelming

Mention Maid Marian and Sherwood Forest in the same breath, and most people think of Robin Hood’s lady love. The

In a daring act, facing frightful peril, Mark Twain exploited a legend to launch his onstage comic career. With his

Ship’s cats have been sailing the seven seas alongside humans for centuries. They were not usually taken along as

'The Weardale Fairies'. Extracted from English Fairy Tales and Legends by Rosalind Kerven, published by Batsford. Illustration by Arthur Rackham,

old! The very word fuels the imagination. And when that furnace is stoked, folklore is not far behind. Legends of lost

The Swansea Devil is a three-foot tall “cursed” sculpture which is said to have been responsible for destroying a church.

Wild Edric was an Anglo-Saxon earl from Shropshire who was also known as Eadric Salvage, Eadric Silvaticus and Eadric the

hile the Pied Piper of Hamelin is undeniably a fairy tale, it’s uniquely grounded in real-world specifics – the date

King Leir and his youngest daughter, Queen Cordelia, were legendary rulers of the the Britons. Their story appeared in

Bees have been an ally to humankind since ancient times. Discover how even now we look to the wisdom of

In the middle years of the 12th century, two green-skinned children mysteriously appeared in a field in Suffolk. But who

Japan is monster country. Nowhere else on earth has the sheer variety of bizarre beasties lurking in every shadow. And

A griffin is a legendary beast believed to be the offspring of a lion and an eagle, depicted in various

A story of love, betrayal and impending war became entwined with upheavals that affect the discipline of folklore to this

Spring is the herald of new life, and throughout the animal world, spring is a time to forecast the weather

The Cailleach, which translates as ‘old woman’, ‘hag’, and ‘veiled one’, exists in both Irish and Scottish Gaelic, and is

The epic unfinished poem, The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser, published 1590-96, created a parallel of the medieval universe.

For centuries, stories from Irish myth and legend have ignited imaginations all over the world. Today, mysterious records of seemingly-impossible

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, is a fourteenth century poetic masterpiece. No mere Arthurian romance, it is a work

The Vita Merlini, written by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the twelfth century, tells the story of Merlin after the Battle

The Vita Merlini, written by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the twelfth century, tells the story of Merlin after the Battle

For almost 300 years, the story of the mysterious dobhar-chú, or King Otter, has haunted the shores of Glenade Lake

The Folklore of Cornwall: The Oral Tradition of a Celtic Nation addresses everything from piskies – south west Britain’s fairies

Through myth, fairy tale and legend, powerful women are depicted as dark, cruel and calculating, and they are often naturally

In Arthurian tradition the elusive sorceress Morgan le Fay becomes one of King Arthur’s most dangerous foes.

In 1078, William the Conqueror built a white tower on the north bank of the River Thames that would become

In the early 17th century, the celebrated London engraver William Hole created some of the strangest maps of Britain ever

he Headless Horseman captures the imagination like nothing else at Halloween. Regional American history and urban legend influences the interpretation

In Arthurian romance the mystical, magical quest of the Sangreal is a popular story that has its roots in medieval

here is no name from the period of England's witch trials more infamous than that of Matthew Hopkins, the self-styled

Scottish lore contains some of the darkest and strangest figures in folkloric history: shape-shifters, blood-suckers, monsters without skin.

The tale of Tristan and Isolde became a popular Arthurian tale during the 12th century, though it is believed to

The Japanese raccoon dog or tanuki, a shape-shifting, hedonistic and jovial trickster, has always lived in the borderlands between human