Legends of the lakes of Wales : thematic classification and analysis.

This paper seeks to collect as many Welsh lake legends as possible, to produce a thematic classification and to analyse each resultant category and subcategory from a historical point of view. The collection of lake stories is substantially based upon several reliable works edited during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are also the base for more recent volumes. After an a thorough research, I gathered legends about more than forty lakes. The next step was classifying them into three main categories, namely legends of fairies, legends of catastrophes and legends of magic and ghosts. Finally, the analyses of the tales consisted of identifying relevant folklore motifs, trying to fit them into a historical context within the Celtic world. That process opened the way to propose and revise theories about the appearance of such motives and, to a certain extent, the possible origin of each legend and its influence on later Welsh traditions. In conclusion, the research underlines the importance of lake mythology as a contributor to a better understanding of Welsh culture.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

ma

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

masters

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Fernandez, Carles-Enric

• DA Prydain Fawr
• GR Llên gwerin

Dc Identifier Grantnumber

UWTSD

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.uwtsd.ac.uk:381