BCM - British Mythology Background Lesson
British Mythology
The mythology of Britain encompasses all of the British Isles including Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England, among over five thousand smaller islands. The time span for the mythology of the Isles ranges from the pre-Celtic era to Christianized age.
This unit will serve as an overview of the mythology of the British and Celtic people. Many stories could be considered myths, as well as legends. Read through the following texts to learn more about the mythology of these lands.
Reading Assignment: The Legends of Knights and Kings
Read the following selections from Age of Chivalry or Legends of King Arthur by Thomas Bulfinch. Students may also listen to the text, using the links that follow. Audio files take time to load. Please be patient.
Click here to read the Age of Chivalry or Legends of King Arthur Links to an external site.
Introduction-Pages 13-33:
Merline-Pages 50-56:
Arthur-Part 1- Pages 57-85:
Arthur-Part 2:
Sir Gawain-Pages 86-91:
Mythical Creatures
Barghest or Barguest is the name often given in the north of England, especially in Yorkshire, to a legendary monstrous black dog with huge teeth and claws, though in other cases the name can refer to a ghost or Household elf, especially in Northumberland and Durham. One is said to frequent a remote gorge named Troller's Gill. There is also a story of a Barghest entering the city of York occasionally, where, according to legend, it preys on lone travellers in the city's narrow Snickelways. Whitby is also associated with the spectre. A famous Barghest was said to live near Darlington who was said to take the form of a headless man (who would vanish in flames), a headless lady, a white cat, a dog, rabbit and black dog. Another was said to live in an "uncannie-looking" dale between Darlington and Houghton, near Throstlenest.
Elves and Fairies
The elf makes many appearances in ballads of English and Scottish origin, as well as folk tales, many involving trips to Elphame or Elfland (the Álfheim of Norse mythology), a mystical realm that is sometimes an eerie and unpleasant place. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind. English folktales of the early modern period commonly portray elves as small, elusive people with mischievous personalities. Successively, the word elf, as well as literary term fairy, evolved to a general denotation of various nature spirits like Puck, hobgoblins, Robin Goodfellow, the English and Scots brownie, the Northumbrian English hob and so forth. These terms, like their relatives in other European languages, are no longer clearly distinguished in popular folklore.
A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural. Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term fairy offers many definitions. Sometimes the term describes any magical creature, including goblins or gnomes: at other times, the term only describes a specific type of more ethereal creature. Fairies also appear in literature in plays, ballads, legends, folk tales, etc. They can take on the characteristics of changelings, helpers, mischief-makers, enchantresses, wise men, and many more characters.
J.R.R. Tolkien also had a huge impact on the notion of elves and fairies. His works, including The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, among others, tell the stories of a Middle-Earth, with its own languages, creatures, rules, and adventures. His works contain many of the mythical figures that are well-known to England and the surrounding countries.
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