Land of Mist and Magic:
The Myths and Legends That Shaped Britain
A Book Review by Fiona Dowson
The fair island of Britain is home to strange beings who dwell among the stone circles, in ancient mounds, deep in the last remains of forests and, essentially in the cultural memory of our people.
Author Philip Parker has brought together the myths and legends of our nation into one phenomenal volume. Cleverly he has woven together the twin strands of story and history.
The tale of Lady Godiva is one we are all familiar with. Parker fills in the details, how the story evolved over the centuries until it reached the ears of Tennyson. Our historical wife of Leofric is very different from the campaigner who rode unclothed on a white horse but just as interesting. Leofric and Godiva were part of the resistance against the invading Normans in the years after the Battle of Hastings.
Another brave Anglo-Saxon resisting the Norman Yoke was Hereward the Wake (the Watchful) who lead a band of outlaws living in the fens around Ely in modern day Cambridgeshire. The story is of how Hereward overcame the dastardly Normans use of magic by burning a sorceress.
He is included here in the chapter dedicated to outlaws which is dominated, inevitably, by Robin Hood. It was Joseph Ritson who gathered the tales, described when he was writing in 1795 as ‘ancient’. Parker concentrates on the old versions of the stories which are raw and violent. It’s certainly easy to see why they would appeal to a medieval audience who were suffering from the ravages of the Black Death, Plantagenet kings and the constant threat of famine.
With the Welsh Robin Hood, Twm Sion Cati, we are on firmer historical ground but the stories of daring raids are just as entertaining.
King Arthur is, of-course, well represented here with the familiar stories of the sword in the stone, Vortigern’s Tower and Gawain and the Green Knight.
The Mabinogion, the tome of Welsh legends, is represented by the tale of How Culhwch Won Olwen.
Less well known stories also feature with the Black Dog of Lyme Regis standing cheek by jowl with boggarts and mermaids.
At first glance this looks like a weighty tome but with stories in coffee time chunks and beautifully illustrated this is the ideal gift for the history lover in your life.
You can buy Philip Parker’s book HERE
Fiona Dowson is a Norwich based storyteller. Links to her YouTube channel, FionaDowson4550, can be found via the Anglo-Saxon Storytelling Facebook Group HERE