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Cornish Legends and Their Origins
How Cornwall's oral stories of giants, saints, spirits and drowned lands were passed on, written down in the 1800s, and reshaped along the way.
Arts and Lore
Legends and the Supernatural
Giants, saints, spirits and the stories behind them.
Ghost Stories and Haunted Places
Cornish ghost stories as folklore rather than fact: the types of tale, famous figures like Tregeagle, how haunted places get their reputations, and why.
Giants in the Cornish Landscape
How tales of giants became attached to Cornish rocks, hills and islands, from Cormoran at St Michael's Mount to Bolster and the stones said to be thrown.
Knockers in the Mines
The legend of the knockers, the small spirits miners believed they heard underground, and how the tradition reflects the beliefs, risks and customs of mining life.
Lost Lands and Drowned Villages
Legends of Lyonesse and other drowned places in Cornwall, set beside the geology of rising sea levels, submerged forests and eroding coasts.
Mermaid Tales of the Coast
A survey of well-known Cornish mermaid stories, including Zennor, Padstow and Cury, and how the tales differ in mood, moral and setting.
Piskies and Little People
Folk beliefs about Cornish piskies, spriggans, buccas and other small spirits: what they were said to do, how people protected themselves, and where the ideas came from.
Saints Legends and Holy Wells
How tales of early Cornish saints, such as Ia, Neot and Keyne, grew into local lore, and how holy wells became places of story, custom and healing belief.
The Legend of King Arthur and Cornwall
The traditional links between King Arthur and Cornwall, from Tintagel to Dozmary Pool, and why historians treat most of them with caution.
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