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Enchanted Wales

Myth and Magic in Welsh Storytelling

Delve into the ancient roots of Welsh mythology, exploring sculptures, carvings, and artifacts that were made at least a thousand years before evidence of them was written down.

The magical world of Welsh mythology deserves to be better known outside its homeland. With its cast of heroes and tricksters, animals that can talk and change shape, and magicians and witches who can bring disaster or triumph to the people in their paths, Enchanted Wales brings the vibrant worlds of Welsh mythology to a wider audience and explores both their physical and ethereal origins. Voyage through the key stories of Welsh literature, exploring not just their medieval texts but also their ancient roots, which can be glimpsed in sculptures, carvings, and other artifacts from at least a thousand years earlier. A skillful storyteller, Miranda Aldhouse-Green, guides readers through this weird, wonderful, and Narnia-like world of dreams. Tales of witches, magicians, heroes, and villains are more than just epic entertainment, as they challenge readers to explore the human questions of life and death, war and peace, and good and evil.

168 pages | 10 halftones | 5.43 x 8.5 | © 2024

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Reviews

"It is a sign of success in a book of this type that it should be both enjoyable and spark debate and if I may take issue with Aldhouse-Green’s conjectures in places, I salute her for the bold way in which she challenges us to blow the dust off our greatest literary treasures and read them afresh."

Nation.Cymru

"The Welsh mythical tales, first written down by clerics in the Middle Ages, preserve vivid narratives told and retold by travelling storytellers over many centuries before. In this delightful book, the author explains the cultural and social background from which the stories come, going back to the Roman period and the Iron Age. Everything is here, severed heads, boar cults, magic cauldrons and shape-shifting. This is a fascinating, scholarly analysis made accessible to all."

Barry Cunliffe

Table of Contents

Pronunciation Guide
Foretaste: Myths and Mythmakers
Chapter 1: Opening the Door on the Welsh Myths
Chapter 2: Gods and Heroes
Chapter 3: Fabulous Beasts and Shape-Shifters
Chapter 4: Otherworlds and Immortality
Chapter 5: Capricious Cauldrons and Burnished Bowls
Chapter 6: Goddesses, Witches and Shamed Women
Chapter 7: Magic Numbers and Mythic Colours
Chapter 8: Love, Marriage and Sacral Kingship
Afterglow: Mythscapes and Deep Roots
Further Reading
Acknowledgements

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