The old kingdom of Gwynedd – the mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia), Ynys (Anglesey) and the Llyˆn 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 Glyndwˆ 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.

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’).

If you love magic and adventure, here is the book for you. In this treasure trove of tales, storyteller Fiona Collins has collected the best-loved stories from the misty, magical mountains, rushing rivers and green rolling hills of North Wales. In these stories you will meet dragons, giants, wizards, monsters and one extremely powerful witch – and of course the Tylwyth Teg, the Welsh fairies. From 'Once upon a time...' to 'Happy ever after' you will be transported to North Wales, where even the stones have stories to tell.

If you love magic and adventure, here is the book for you. In this treasure trove of tales, storyteller Fiona Collins has collected the best-loved stories from the misty, magical mountains, rushing rivers and green rolling hills of North Wales.In these stories you will meet dragons, giants, wizards, monsters and one extremely powerful witch – and of course the Tylwyth Teg, the Welsh fairies. From ‘Once upon a time...’ to ‘Happy ever after’ you will be transported to North Wales, where even the stones have stories to tell.

Reproduction of the original. The publishing house Megali specialises in reproducing historical works in large print to make reading easier for people with impaired vision.

This book, a selection of folk tales, true tales, tall tales, myths, gossip, legends and memories, celebrates and honours unique Welsh stories. Some are well known, others from forgotten manuscripts or out-of-print volumes, and some are contemporary oral tales. They reflect the diverse tradition of storytelling, and the many meanings of ‘chwedlau’. If someone says, ‘Chwedl Cymraeg?’ they are asking, ‘Do you speak Welsh?’ and ‘Do you tell a tale in Welsh?’ Here is the root of storytelling, or ‘chwedleua’, in Wales. It is part of conversation.This book, one to linger over and to treasure, keeps these ancient tales alive by retelling them for a new audience.