Jacqueline Simpson Libri

Explore England's legendary past with this guide, featuring tales of hauntings, highwaymen, family curses, and lovers' leaps. Discover the mysteries of the 'Devil's footprints,' the 'hangman's stone,' and the truth behind Sweeney Todd and King Arthur's resting place.

In The Folklore of Discworld, Terry Pratchett teams up with leading British folklorist Jacqueline Simpson to take an irreverent yet illuminating look at the living myths and folklore that are reflected, celebrated and affectionately libelled in the uniquely imaginative universe of Discworld.

From stone-throwing Cornish giants to a haunted Northumberland mine, from the ghostly Mistletoe Bride of Oxfordshire to the ‘bloody hand’ in a Kent church, here are the myths, legends and supernatural stories that have been passed down through the generations all over England. Containing tales of fairies, hobgoblins, spectral huntsmen, black dogs, bogey beasts, screaming skulls and clanging bells, as well as real and mythical figures such as King Arthur, Robin Hood, St George, Boadicea and Dick Turpin, this is a magical journey through England’s legendary past. Generations of inhabitants have helped shape the English countryside – but it has profoundly shaped us too.It has provoked a huge variety of responses from artists, writers, musicians and people who live and work on the land – as well as those who are travelling through it.English Journeys celebrates this long tradition with a series of twenty books on all aspects of the countryside, from stargazey pie and country churches, to man’s relationship with nature and songs celebrating the patterns of the countryside (as well as ghosts and love-struck soldiers).

Delving into the rich tapestry of Sussex folklore, this book uncovers the fascinating tales of giants, bogeymen, fairies, and witches that have shaped the region's cultural heritage. It offers a comprehensive examination of these mythical figures and their significance in local traditions, revealing how they reflect the beliefs and values of the community. Through vivid storytelling and in-depth analysis, readers will gain insight into the enchanting world of Sussex's legendary inhabitants.

Nearly 50,000 entries recall the living speech of a world now largely lost. Often wry and flippant, occasionally "blue", and sometimes uproariously comical, they recapture the rich idiom of English life through the ages.

Most say there are no dragons - but this has never stopped poets, artists, story-tellers and musicians from exploiting the fascination these mythical beasts exert on the human imagination. Jacqueline Simpson gathers and examines the material to be found in folk tales in England, Scotland and Wales, together with folk customs using the dragon. In addition there is a brief general history of dragons. This book brings together the various mythic forms of the dragon as treasure guardian, voracious beast to be killed, the luck-giving snake and many others. All of these are drawn from the rich dragon folklore tradition of Britain including the Dragon of Wantley, the Lambton Worm and the Muckle Mester Stoor Worm. A full appendix and a gazetteer of places with dragon legends and a full listing of dates relevant to British dragon lore accompany this revised edition.

Prakticky všechno, co je na Zemi nazýváno folklorem, nachází svůj odraz v realitě Zeměplochy. Je samozřejmě v dokonalém pořádku, že se dům paní Gogolové pohybuje sem a tam na čtyřech velkých kachních nohách, protože chalupa baby Jagy v hustých ruských lesích se pohybuje na kuřecích nohách. Samozřejmě, že Nac Mac Fíglové jsou piktmužíci, ne pidimužíci, díky příběhům, jež si Skotové vyprávějí o Piktech, samozřejmě, že v jeskyni hluboko pod jakousi horou v Lancre spí prastarý král, protože přesně to dělá král Artuš v Anglii a ve Skotsku, nebo panovník Barbarossa v Německu. Víme o takových věcech celá staletí, i když je nazýváme pohádkami, mýty a folklorem. Když jsme ale na Zeměploše, stávají se skutečnými, a my se mezi nimi cítíme jako doma.