LEGENDS & ROMANCES of BRITTANY - 162 Breton Myths and Legends

Book excerpt: Herein are 162 folk and fairy tales, customs and traditions of Brittany, France compiled and retold by Lewis Spence. In this volume you will find legends of heroes and Saints, King Arthur, his sword Excalibur and of the Isle of Avalon; as well as ballads, legends and romances of Counts, Dukes, Princes and Kings, tales of their castles, adventures, loves and lovers, sorceresses, wizards plus many, many more. The 162 legends are grouped into 13 sections which are as follows: I - The Land, the People and their Story II - Menhirs and Dolmens III - The Fairies of Brittany IV - Sprites And Demons of Brittany V - World-Tales in Brittany VI - Breton Folk-Tales VII - Popular Legends of Brittany VIII - Hero-Tales of Brittany IX - The Black Art and Its Ministers X - Arthurian Romance in Brittany XI - The Breton Lays of Marie De France XII - The Saints of Brittany XIII - Costumes and Customs of Brittany In typical Spence style we are provided with ample background to the stories which provides valuable insights to the times, although I would not bemoan any young reader who skims over these and goes straight to the legends themselves. The 32 colour and BnW plates by W. Otway Cannell, portrayed in a classic style, are entirely suited to the era from which these tales come. This volume is sure to keep you enchanted for hours, if not because of the quantity, then because of the quality of the tales and legends, which will have you coming back for more. ============ TAGS: folklore, fairy tales, myths, legends, children’s stories, bedtime, fables, romances, Brittany, France, breton tongue, ancient, armoricans, Samson, wax for wine, vision, jud-hael, Taliesin, hervé, blind, nomenoe, alain barbe-torte, norman, poison, hunting-horn, war, two joans, bertrand du Guesclin, ward, du Guesclin, death of marguerite, castle of trogoff, anne, menhirs, dolmens, monuments, legend of dol, subterranean, dolmen chapel, camaret, carnac, mont-saint-michel, rocenaud, cup-and-ring, markings, gallery gavr’inis, ile aux moines, fairy builders, stones that travel, broceliande, korrigan, seigneur of nann, goddess of eld, unbroken vow, merlin, vivien, fountain of baranton, bruno of la montagne, lost daughter, fisherman, changelings, king of the fishes, queen, prince, princess, origins, margots, serve, sprites, demons, nain, crions, courils, gorics, teurst, Nicole, mourioche, ankou, youdic, world-tales, youth, did not know, tronkolaine, starbright, castle of the sun, seigneur , horse's head, bride of satan, baron of jauioz, man of honour, magic rose, norouas, north-west wind, foster-brother, gilles de retz, comorre the cursed, ys, rohan, lady of la garaye, falcon, marquis of guérande, châteaux, la roche-jagu, clisson, josselin, hennebont, largoet, chateaubriand, palaces, past, suscino, lez-breiz, morvan, adventure, king's cavalier, blackamoor, severed head, ballad of bran, fontenelle, return, marriage-girdle, combat, saint-cast, song of the pilot, druidic magic, abelard, Heloise, hymn, nantes, magicians, Arthur, sword, Excalibur, tristrem, tristram, ysonde, isolda, forester, ermonie, moraunt, fytte, minstrel, boon, forest lovers, manuscript, giant, mont-saint-michel, doubting Thomas, dragon, isle of Avalon, were-wolf, superstition, lay of gugemar, laustic, eliduc, equitant, ash-tree, graelent, dolorous knight, st barbe, st convoyon, steal, relics, tivisiau, hepherd saint, st nennocha, st enora, corseul, accursed, st keenan, st Nicholas, st bieuzy, st leonorius, st patern, st Samson, lawyer saint, st budoc, dol, miraculous, crossings, azenor the pale, st pol, léon, st ronan, st goezenou, st winwaloe, gwenaloe, tartarus, paradise