Woodland Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland

Lisa Schneidau gathers traditional tales rooted in the woodlands and forests of Britain and Ireland, where trees, hunters, rebels and otherworldly beings share the same landscape. Oak, ash and thorn stand alongside stories of hunting forests, timber, battle and resistance, while wild ghosts and woodwoses give the woods a darker presence.

The collection includes tales of Merlin, Robin Hood, Herne the Hunter, Tamlane and the Green Man, alongside stories of enchanted trees, shapeshifting, giants and encounters with woodland spirits. Schneidau retells these older narratives and relates them to the trees and forests that remain in the landscape today, presenting folklore as a continuing way of understanding Britain and Ireland’s wild places.