What’s great about a truly interesting Welsh folklore book is that it not only brings you the classic myths and legends of Wales but also ties the tales to specific areas of Cymru. This list of amazing books will take you by the hand through the wilds of Wales to places real and yet only dreamed of.
If you’re looking for a Welsh folklore book, I’ve pulled together a list with a little something for everyone. These tales will take you walking through the mists on Ynys Môn (Anglesey) or strolling alongside the green hills and rushing rivers of North Wales.
Books on Welsh mythology start with The Mabinogion and continue from there. For example, did you know there are different types of Welsh fairies—or “Tylwyth Teg” as they’re known in Welsh? Wirt Sikes, the author of The Realm of Faerie (1880), classified these beings into five types.
The Ellyllon are the elves, the Coblynau are the spirits of the mines, and the Gwyllion are mountain spirits resembling older women. Then there are the Bwbachod, household spirits like hobgoblins and brownies, and one final type: the Gwragedd Annwn, maidens who live beneath lakes and rivers. In addition to fairies, in the list below, you’ll find a Welsh folklore book containing magic, mythical beasts, witches, secret caves, bottomless pools, and more.
This post gives a curated book list for readers looking for a Welsh folklore book.
Welsh Folklore Book
Welsh Folklore Book for Kids
North Wales Folk Tales for Children by Fiona Collins and Ed Fisher
North Wales Folk Tales for Children is a brilliant collection for readers who love magic and adventure. Master storyteller Fiona Collins tells these best-loved stories with lightness and humor while giving the tales the respect they deserve. Ready yourself for a journey through the magical mountains and lush countryside of North Wales. In your adventure, be prepared to meet giants, wizards, monsters, a powerful witch, and, of course, dragons! You’ll also get up close and personal with the Tylwyth Teg, the Welsh fairies mentioned earlier.
One of the most lovely things about this book is how the specific locations in North Wales are woven into each story, being as much a part of the magic as the tale itself. The book is also beautifully illustrated. It’s an enchanting read for children and one that will bring back fond memories for parents if they’ve lived in or are from North Wales.
Welsh Folklore Book for Adults
Snowdonia Folk Tales by Eric Maddern
Snowdonia, Ynys Môn, and the Llŷn Penisula might quite possibly be the most breathtaking, mystical landscapes in all of Britain. These regions in North Wales were also the old Welsh kingdom of Gwynedd. Some of the stories from this historic area include the tale of Bran the Blessed, who kept the land free from harm, wizards who created Blodeuwedd, a maiden made entirely of flowers, and Merlin, who could speak to dragons. This collection of stories also includes that of Taliesin, a poet who walked the hills of Cymru, saints who made pilgrimages there, and Welsh bards who gave us the Arthurian legends.
We see how the Fair Folk, the Tylwyth Teg, appear at just the right times to harass and make use of humans. We also learn the stories of Llywelyn the Great and Owain Glyndŵr, who fought for Wales and became legendary leaders. While people have told these stories since ancient times, the author has made them new again.
Folklore of Wales by Anne Ross
The people of Wales have always highly valued storytelling, handling down tales from one generation to the next. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the tales of Wales’ past are all so different and colorful. In Folklore of Wales, Anne Ross examines the medieval church’s role in this tradition. She also shows us which place names are associated with particular legends. There are also individual chapters on giants and monsters, witches, omens and second sight, supernatural animals and birds, folk healing and herbal remedies, calendar customs, and ghosts and fairies. In the folktales, the ancient monuments in Cymru’s landscape are seen as being created by the heroes and gods of old.
Wales’ many lakes also have their own legends. For instance, a dark and dangerous afanc might inhabit each body of water. An “afanc” is a water monster, variously described as looking like a giant crocodile or beaver, depending on the region of the story. Sometimes, a beautiful, enchanted maiden inhabits the lake, and in other places, one might find a drowned settlement where ghostly occurrences still warn visitors.
Ross also takes the reader through the folklore of giants and dangerous fairies who demand gifts. She also includes stories of girls seeking omens of potential marriage partners and, at the other end of the spectrum, the legendary “corpse candles.” Corpse candles are ghostly death lights seen moving toward someone doomed to die. This book is a treasure trove of rich lore that will keep you up past your bedtime.
Welsh Folktales: Mabinogion
Y Mabinogi by Gwyn Thomas
Your kids will most enjoy the folklore if it’s told in their own language. If that language is Cymraeg, here’s a Welsh language edition of The Mabinogion for children. This one is available in paperback only but is perfect for magical bedtime stories they read alone or that you read to them.
From the blurb:
Chwedlau o Bedair Cainc y Mabinogi wedi eu hailadrodd ar gyfer plant gan Gwyn Thomas, gyda lluniau trawiadol a lliwgar gan Margaret Jones.
Lady Guest’s Mabinogion with Essays on Medieval Welsh Myths and Arthurian Legends
Considered one of the best Welsh folklore books, Lady Charlotte Guest’s version of these Welsh myths and legends was the first English translation. This 2024 edition brings us Guest’s original from 1877 so that we who don’t speak Cymraeg (yet) can enjoy this medieval compilation of Celtic myths and Arthurian legends.
This compilation includes the original twelve tales of gods, magical creatures, and heroes from the Four Branches of the Mabinogi. It also gives us some of the first stories of the legendary King Arthur. Additionally, the book gives Lady Guest’s notes about the text, extracts from her journal entries, and six essays to provide context for us who live in the modern age.
What I love about The Mabinogion is how it allows us to look back in time through the ancient stories. While understandably, readers may agree that certain magical events probably didn’t really happen (right?), the beliefs and meanings behind the stories are very real and a huge part of Welsh history. It’s also fascinating to see how the people of ancient times viewed things so differently. When it comes to the cornerstone Welsh folklore book, The Mabinogion is definitely it!
Books About the Types of Welsh Fairies
The Realm of Faerie: Fairy Life and Legend in Britain (Folklore History Series) by Wirt Sikes
First published in 1880, The Realm of Faerie by Wirt Sikes focuses on Welsh tales and legends centered around the life of fairies—the Tylwyth Teg—and their types. Learn all about the ancient mythological creatures of Wales, including the classification of Welsh fairies, changelings, fairy tales and ancient mythology, lake fairies, fairy rings, living with the Tylwyth Teg, fairy money, and fairy gifts in general, fairy music, piety as a protection from the Tylwyth Teg, and the origins of Welsh fairies. I’ll see you on the other side of the fairy ring!
Books on the Ancient Spiritual Beliefs of Wales
Witches, Druids, and Sin Eaters: The Common Magic of the Cunning Folk of the Welsh Marches by Jon G. Hughes
For readers looking for a Welsh witch book, Witches, Druids, and Sin Eaters covers ancient spiritual beliefs of Wales, including how to work your own spellcasting and magic. Jon G. Hughes, a Druid, and Sophie Gallagher, a witchcraft researcher, intricately describe the ancient principles, arcane rituals, and secret rites of the Welsh Marches. Those were the lands bordering Anglo-Saxon England and Celtic Wales. These loosely defined and frequently changing areas became the most notable locations for witchcraft and the keeping of Druidic lore.
Learn about the repressed rituals of sin eaters—those who take the sins of one who has recently died. On the other hand, the eye-biters are powerful witches who can curse with a look. Spirit hunters are people who can control their victim’s spirit.
With the authors’ personal access to the National Museum of Wales’ archives and visiting local museums within the Welsh Marches, Hughes and Gallagher share the ancient practices from their sources. You’ll even see original photos of artifacts like wax effigies and spell and charm bottles. In part two of the book, the authors give us a Grimoire of the Welsh Marches containing all the spells and workings with their instructions.
Welsh History Books with Mythology
Mysterious Wales by Chris Barber
In Mysterious Wales, Chris Barber takes the reader to beautiful and magical places, many of them haunting and rarely visited. Be prepared for a journey to prehistoric megaliths, burial chambers, secret caves, remote stone circles, seemingly bottomless pools, and lonely lakes. This Welsh folklore book also shows us many sites in Wales that are associated with legendary people and things, such as fairies, the Devil, water nymphs, Merlin, and King Arthur. It also explores the Golden Age of Celtic Saints in the locations of ancient crosses, inscribed memorial stones, primitive churches, and island sanctuaries and holy wells. The book gives plenty of illustrations and photos that help unravel the mystery of the ancient past. In Barber’s book, the written word brings Welsh tradition to life in this collection of mysterious sites throughout Wales.
This post gave a curated book list for readers looking for a Welsh folklore book.
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