Snowdonia Folk Tales

North-west Wales - Old Gwynedd - is one of the most mythic parts of Britain and has some stories whose roots go back more than 2,000 years. Some, like 'Blodeuwedd, the Woman of Flowers', feature in the Mabinogion. Others like the story of 'Merlin and the Dragons' were written by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the first bestseller of all time (after the Bible), the History of the Kings of Britain. Eric Maddern retells these ancient classics in a fresh, contemporary style. He also includes lesser-known tales from Ynys Môn (the island known as Mâm Cymru, 'Mother of Wales'), once the heartland of the Druids (like 'The Story of the Druid Prince') and the majestic mountains of Snowdonia (Marged Ferch Ifan, 'the Welsh Amazon').

Auteur

Eric Maddern studied Psychology and Sociology at the University of Sheffield. After a long and varied career which saw him travel all over the world and work with the Aborigines in Australia he returned to Britain. He toured with a show about Aboriginal Australia and worked as educational coordinator for an exhibition on human evolution at the Commonwealth Institute. He moved to North Wales and began storytelling at English Heritage sites. He has written eleven children's books. Over the last twenty-six years he has developed the Cao Mabon Eco-Retreat Centre, which has been described as a 'Welsh Shangri-La'.

Résumé
The old kingdom of Gwynedd the mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia), Ynys (Anglesey) and the Llyn Peninsula may be the most mythic landscape in Britain. The ancient Druids and from it sprang the tales of Blessed Bran who protected the land, wizards who made a Woman of Flowers, and Merlin the dragon whisperer whose prophecy echoes still. The poet Taliesin walked these hills, Welsh bards told stories of Arthur by these hearths and saints made pilgrimages along these paths. From these hidden nooks the Tylwyth Teg (Fair Folk) emerged to tease the people, and through these mountain passes rode Llywelyn the Great and Owain Glyndw r, living lives that would be spun into legend. Storyteller and singer Eric Maddern has gathered these old tales here and breathed fresh life into them.