Discover folklore books from across the UK and Ireland, from local legends and old customs to supernatural traditions and strange regional tales. These titles explore the beliefs, stories and traditions that have shaped communities for generations.
425 books found
Cover unavailableCavan Folk Tales
Cavan Folk Tales gathers stories linked to the county’s history, landscape and living storytelling tradition. Gary Branigan brings together accounts of Bishop Bedell, the Great Hunger, the Black and Tans, and the Beaufighter crash on…
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Cover unavailableCeltic Myths and Legends
Celtic Myths and Legends gathers traditional tales from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Brittany. Its stories feature gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines, enchanted weapons, fabulous beasts and beings associated with…
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Cover unavailableCeltic Warriors
Celtic Warriors examines the armies and martial culture of the ancient Celts, placing their warfare within the wider history of Iron Age Europe. Dáithí Ó hÓgáin draws together classical accounts of Celtic tribes, campaigns and…
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Cover unavailableCeredigion Folk Tales
Peter Stevenson gathers thirty tales rooted in Ceredigion’s landscapes, communities and storytelling traditions. The collection moves from the submerged kingdom of Cantre’r Gwaelod and the Devil’s Bridge to the Holy Grail’s association with Nanteos, blending…
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Cover unavailableCheshire Folk Tales
Cheshire Folk Tales gathers and retells stories rooted in the county’s landscape, traditions and oral culture. Johnny Gillett brings together tales of mythical heroes, demons, dragons, boggarts and sniddlebogs, linking them with Cheshire’s canals, forests,…
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Cover unavailableCircles of Stone: Weird Tales of Pagan Sites and Ancient Rites
Edited by Katy Soar, this British Library Tales of the Weird collection draws together stories about ancient stones, burial sites and the unsettling traditions surrounding them. Its contributors include Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen, Lisa Tuttle…
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Cover unavailableCity of Streams
City of Streams presents folklore and everyday experience in Galway during the 1930s, using material gathered by senior pupils in fourteen National Schools. Guided by their teachers and an Irish Folklore Commission questionnaire, the children…
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Cover unavailableClare Folk Tales
Ruth Marshall’s collection gathers traditional stories from across County Clare, linking its landscapes with tales of legendary people, heroic figures and otherworldly beings. Biddy Early, the county’s renowned wise woman, appears alongside Brian Boru, Finn…
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Cloven Country: The Devil and the English Landscape
Cloven Country examines how English folk legends have attached the Devil to hills, valleys, roads, rocks and other features of the landscape. Jeremy Harte traces stories of infernal labour, from stones hurled into place and…
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Cover unavailableComplete Guide to Celtic Mythology
Complete Guide to Celtic Mythology surveys the traditions associated with the Celtic world, beginning with background on the Celts and druids before turning to stories of saints, giants, monsters, heroes and sea gods. It also…
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Cover unavailableConcepts of Arthur
Concepts of Arthur examines the earliest surviving literary and folkloric evidence surrounding Britain’s most enduring legendary figure. Thomas Green assesses the case for a historical Arthur while questioning the assumption that the stories must preserve…
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Cover unavailableCork Folk Tales
Kate Corkery gathers folk stories from across County Cork, drawing on recorded folklore, historical sources and local reminiscences. The collection includes tales of the Goddess Cliona, the Hag of Beara and the giant Mac Mahon,…
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Cover unavailableCornish Folk Tales
Cornish Folk Tales follows Anthony James, a travelling ‘droll teller’, as he journeys around Cornwall during one glorious summer. His route provides the framework for stories rooted in the Duchy’s tradition of itinerant storytellers, who…
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Cover unavailableCornish Folk Tales for Children
Mike O’Connor retells 20 Cornish folk tales through Jamie, the son of a travelling droll teller who crosses the county hearing stories of legends, ghosts and marvels. The collection is intended for children aged 7…
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Cover unavailableCornish Folk Tales of Place: Traditional Stories from Mid and West Cornwall
Anna Chorlton retells traditional stories rooted in the landscapes of Mid and West Cornwall, from cliff tops and sandy shores to granite villages, mines and open moorland. The collection brings together accounts of lovesick giants,…
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Cover unavailableCornish Folk Tales of Place: Traditional Stories from North and East Cornwall
Anna Chorlton retells traditional stories rooted in North and East Cornwall, where rugged coasts, moors, tors and sandy shorelines provide the settings. The collection includes reports of powerful mermaids, spiteful witches, crafty smugglers and woeful…
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Cover unavailableCountry Folklore: Northumberland
This source collection brings together printed accounts of Northumberland folklore, arranged by subject rather than presented as a continuous narrative. Its opening sections cover tree and plant superstitions, goblindom, witchcraft, leechcraft, magic and divination, preserving…
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Cover unavailableCountry Lore and Legends
Country Lore and Legends gathers English tales rooted in particular places, drawing on the larger county-by-county work The Lore of the Land by Jennifer Westwood and Jacqueline Simpson. Its entries bring together local myths, legends…
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Cover unavailableCounty Durham Folk Tales
County Durham Folk Tales gathers traditional stories from across a varied landscape, moving from rugged coastlines and limestone cliffs to remote moorland, pastoral dales and settled coalfields. The county’s places provide settings for tales shaped…
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Cover unavailableCuchulainn and the Crow Queen
This retelling of the Irish Ulster Cycle traces Cúchulainn from his disputed birth to the battle of the bulls and his final death. Along the way, it presents the young champion’s defence of Ulster, his…
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Cover unavailableCumbrian Folk Tales
Cumbrian Folk Tales gathers stories rooted in the landscapes, characters and traditions of Cumbria, from Long Meg and John Peel to hobs, fairy figures and the oak men. Taffy Thomas retells tales shaped by the…
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Cover unavailableCures and Curses: Ritual and Cult at Holy Wells
Cures and Curses examines the rituals, beliefs and traditions surrounding holy wells, with particular attention to healing, divination and cursing. Janet Bord considers why springs were associated with saints, how their waters were believed to…
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Cover unavailableDál Riada Folk Tales
Dál Riada Folk Tales gathers stories linked to the ancient Gaelic kingdom stretching from north-east Ireland across Argyll and the Hebrides to Skye. Its coastal world is shaped by seafaring warriors, Viking raiders, island communities,…
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Cover unavailableDancing with Trees
Dancing with Trees gathers retold folk tales from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, tracing old connections between people, place and the more-than-human world. Its stories draw on a range of traditions, including Celtic, Norse, Aesopic,…
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Cover unavailableDark Folklore
Dark Folklore examines the darker edges of British belief and custom, bringing together accounts of folk ghosts, historic witchcraft, folk horror and superstition. Its subjects include the Old Hag tradition and the ways demons were…
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Cover unavailableDefiant Irish Women
Defiant Irish Women presents the stories of five Irish women remembered for ruthless actions, political cunning or violent resistance to the restrictive conventions of their times. Eddie Lenihan brings together history, legend and oral storytelling…
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Cover unavailableDenbighshire Folk Tales
Fiona Collins gathers Denbighshire stories shaped by the county’s castles, wells, hills and historic communities. The collection includes reported hauntings at Bodelwyddan Castle, the White Lady of Dyserth, a corpse candle at Melin y Wig…
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Cover unavailableDerbyshire Folk Tales
Derbyshire Folk Tales gathers traditional stories associated with the county, from the regional legend of ‘The Derby Ram’ to local versions of familiar tales such as ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Pete Castle organises the collection…
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Cover unavailableDerry Folk Tales
Derry Folk Tales gathers stories from County Derry drawn from historical sources and newly recorded local reminiscences. Its subjects range from the legends of St Columba and the skeleton on Derry’s coat of arms to…
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Cover unavailableDevils in the Details: On Location with Folk Tales in England’s Forgotten County
Rory Waterman goes into the Lincolnshire landscape to investigate thirteen folk tales where they were supposedly born. Devils in the Details combines folklore, local history and travel writing to uncover the people, places and traditions…
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Cover unavailableDevon Folk Tales for Children
Devon Folk Tales for Children gathers stories rooted in the county’s rivers, farms, moors and wild coastline. Its cast includes goblins tinkering in old ore mines, pixies playing along pack routes trodden by Dartmoor ponies,…
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Cover unavailableDevonshire Folk Tales
Michael Dacre’s collection brings together thirty tales rooted in Devonshire folklore, local tradition and the county’s long history. Some were gathered from residents, while others have developed through repeated tellings, giving the book the feel…
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Cover unavailableDictionary of Earth Mysteries
Dictionary of Earth Mysteries is an A–Z reference to Britain’s ancient sites, legends, customs and earth-mystery traditions. Janet and Colin Bord bring together entries on stone circles, burial grounds, ley lines, the Green Man and…
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Cover unavailableDonegal Folk Tales
Donegal Folk Tales brings together traditional stories associated with County Donegal, placing legends within the landscapes that shaped them. Joe Brennan’s collection ranges from Balor of the Evil Eye and stories of St Colmcille to…
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Cover unavailableDorset Folk Tales
Dorset Folk Tales gathers legends rooted in the county’s oral tradition, with stories connected to its hills, coastline, ancient buildings and fortified places. Giants, dragons and remembered local characters appear alongside tales shaped by family…
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Cover unavailableDorset Folk Tales for Children
Dorset Folk Tales for Children brings together 14 traditional West Country stories retold by folk singer, musician and actor Tim Laycock. Its cast includes demons, dragons, giants, mermaids and Jack-o’-lanterns, while the tales draw on…
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Cover unavailableDorset Mysteries
Dorset Mysteries is a short, multi-contributor collection concerned with unexplained mysteries associated with the county of Dorset. Its subject classification places it within occult and paranormal nonfiction, while the regional focus ties the material to…
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Cover unavailableDown Folk Tales
Steve Lally’s collection brings together stories linked to County Down, ranging from outlaw legends and ghost accounts to fairy traditions and local curiosities. Redmond O’Hanlon appears as a notorious rapparee whose reported career inspired tales…
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Cover unavailableDruids
Anne Ross examines the Druids as religious specialists within the Celtic world, considering their origins, authority and relationship with kings, warriors and wider society. The study brings together evidence from classical commentators, archaeology, and the…
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Cover unavailableDublin Folk Tales
Dublin Folk Tales gathers stories rooted in the people, streets and landmarks of Ireland’s capital. Brendan Nolan brings together accounts of Bang Bang Dudley, a street character associated with shootings, and Lugs Brannigan, remembered as…
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Cover unavailableDublin Folk Tales for Children
Dublin Folk Tales for Children gathers 10 stories rooted in Dublin places, memories and storytelling traditions. Órla Mc Govern draws on subjects including the River Poddle, Castleknock Castle, Dalkey, sea glass and the city’s everyday…
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Cover unavailableDublin Urban Legends
Dublin Urban Legends gathers stories that have circulated around the capital as fact, near-fact or whispered possibility. Brendan Nolan, a Dublin folklorist and native Dubliner, records the tales attached to the city’s streets, landmarks and…
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Cover unavailableDumfries and Galloway Folk Tales
Tony Bonning gathers Dumfries and Galloway stories rooted in local places, speech and tradition. The collection moves from faeries and changelings to witches, warlocks, ghosts, spectres, wraiths and poltergeists, alongside tales of tricksters, magical creatures…
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Cover unavailableEarth Rites: Fertility Practices in Pre-Industrial Britain
Earth Rites examines fertility beliefs and customs associated with pre-industrial Britain, placing them within a landscape marked by standing stones, holy wells and sacred trees. Janet and Colin Bord consider how communities understood the earth’s…
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Cover unavailableEast Lothian Folk Tales
East Lothian Folk Tales gathers traditional stories and local legends from the county’s coastlines, beaches, countryside and Lammermuir Hills. Tim Porteus retells accounts involving Scottish saints, kings and queens, witches, fairies, ghosts, giants, fools and…
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Cover unavailableEast Lothian Folk Tales for Children
East Lothian Folk Tales for Children gathers stories rooted in particular places across the county, linking local landscapes with folklore, legend and eerie happenings. Tim Porteus’s retellings feature witches and wizards, dragons, faeries, ghosts and…
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Cover unavailableEast Yorkshire Folk Tales
Ingrid Barton gathers legends from the East Yorkshire coast, the Wolds, Holderness and neighbouring stretches of the North Yorkshire shore. The collection ranges from animal lore and sea stories to accounts of saints, village oddities,…
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Elements of Epping Forest
The Elements of Epping Forest examines the woodland’s layered history through four organising themes: air, fire, earth and water. Penny Griffiths-Morgan considers its royal and medieval associations, highwaymen, wartime sites, prisons, murders and other tragedies,…
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