The Fabled Coast: Legends & Traditions from Around the Shores of Britain & Ireland

The Fabled Coast gathers legends, customs and superstitions from around the shores of Britain and Ireland. Sophia Kingshill and Jennifer Westwood range from pirates, smugglers and ghost ships to sea-serpents, fishermen’s prayers and sailors’ rituals, showing how coastal traditions have shaped local history and belief.

The book considers the origins and possible factual basis of stories including the Kraken, the disappearance of the Mary Celeste’s crew and Drake’s Drum, said to sound when England is in peril. Other accounts concern Lyonesse, the phantom island of Hy Brazil, the Fata Morgana seen off Kent, enchanted seals in the Scottish Highlands and a mermaid market on the Channel Islands.