Ghosts and Folklore of Wales with Mark Rees

From nautical corpse candles to swashbuckling Devils, explore the folklore of the high seas on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast. In times gone by, the brave seafaring men who set sail from Wales needed all the help they could get for a trouble-free voyage. What would the weather be like? Would it be calm sailing? And were there any evil entities in the waves looking to cause them mischief?...

Who is the mysterious Lady in Grey haunting Victorian Cardiff? In October 1893, strange events were reported in the village of Tongwynlais. The country house owned of Mr and Mrs Lewis was said to be haunted by many a ghost, including the so-called Lady in Grey who was heard, felt, and even seen - a full body apparition. Its activity included wrapping her arm around an unsuspecting victim, stomping...

The Secret Origins of the Ellyllon, Wales' mischievous fairy folk  If you think all elves are tall and noble like in a J.R.R. Tolkien Middle Earth book or a Games Workshop Warhammer game, think again! The ellyllon - Welsh fairy folk - are small and goblin-like, dwelling in misty and sleepy hollows where they can help you make your fortune, or take it away again at the drop of a hat. But how can yo...

Mystery of the Ghost Ship and Phantom Funeral  The town of Milford Haven is well-known for its harbour. What might be less well-known are the eerie ghost ships which are said to dock there at night. Oh, and there's also been sightings of a phantom funeral nearby.  Is there a connection between these two real-life ghost stories? To find out more, journalist and author Mark Rees ( Ghosts of Wales )...

Beware the Devil Goats: A cautionary folk horror fairy tale They might look friendly enough, but you should never mess with a goat. We've all heard tales of how they might - just might - be in league with the Devil or some other diabolical characters, and it pays to keep on their good side. As this cautionary folk horror fairy tale reveals, a Welsh farmer who acted rashly pays a heavy price for hi...

The Haunted Highway: Phantom Coaches and the Ice-cold Ghosts For centuries, a phantom coach has been spotted travelling along the same Welsh road. And while the times might have changed, this carriage with it's black horses and eerie passenger continue to travel at speed after night has fallen. If that wasn't eerie enough, ghostly women have also been seen along the same route, seemingly waiting f...

St David's Day Special: How to fight evil spirits and other uses for the leek, Wales' national vegetable St David's Day is celebrated in Wales and around the world on March 1, but why do people wear a leek to commemorate Wales' patron saint? Welsh folklore tells us that the leek has many important historical uses, from winning wars to fighting off evil spirits, and all is revealed by Mark Rees (au...

Vampires of the Valley and Other Strange Creatures There are strange creatures lurking in the Vale of Neath. There are vampires, witches, dog demons and the devil, not to mention the poison fish and the magical frog. Join Mark Rees (author of Ghosts of Wales ) as he goes in search of the weird and wonderful entities that inhabit Wales' "waterfall country" and home of the Welsh fairies, y tylwyth t...

Pesky Poltergeists in Wild Wales Join Mark Rees (author of Ghosts of Wales ) for some eerie tales of "evil spirits" - what we might call poltergeists nowadays - from Wales' oldest collection of "real-life" ghost stories. Dating from as far back as the seventeenth century, while these "most haunted" tales might be old, they are just as terrifying - if not more so! - than modern-day accounts. Becaus...

Ghosts, Devils and Death Omens; or, A Wild Night by the Romantic Lakes In this long-lost ghost story from the archives, Mark Rees (author of Ghosts of Wales ) explores a real-life account of an apparition which haunted the sublime lakes and mountains of Wales. It was one moonlit night that a Victorian painter, who was in Wales to capture the romantic landscapes, discovered something far more haunt...

The Dark Fairy Tale of Rhys and Llewellyn Have you ever heard sweet music drifting on the breeze as you walk home through the woods at night? And what would happen if you followed that music, and were lured into an endless dance with the Welsh fairy folk - y Tylwyth Teg? All is revealed as Mark Rees (author of Ghosts of Wales ) investigates the dark fairy tale of Rhys and Llewellyn, an old Welsh s...

Witchcraft by the Sea; or, A Tragic Prophesy Do you believe in clairvoyance? What about fortune telling? One Welsh man thought it was all a load of rubbish, but soon changed his mind after a chilling death omen was sent his way from an all-seeing 19th century witch. To find out more, join Mark Rees (author of Ghosts of Wales ) as he investigates this seaside tale in which Witch's Point on the sout...

St Dwynwen, the Welsh patron saint of lovers and the 'island of love' According to the legend, the life of fifth-century saint St Dwynen was far from easy. She is said to have forsaken love for herself in order to bring it to others, and was granted wished by angels, and a magic potion, in order to make it happen from a church off the coast of Anglesey.  Join  Mark Rees (author of Ghosts of Wales...

The Murdered Knight The Ghosts and Folklore podcast kicks off 2021 in the best possible way - with a real-life "Ghosts of Wales" story sure to send a shiver down your spine! Join  Mark Rees (author of Ghosts of Wales ) as he investigates a long-lost tale from the Victorian archives, in which an "intelligent" man is turned from a hard-nosed sceptic to a true believer in the paranormal after spendin...

New Year's Folklore of Wales It's out with the old and in with the new on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast! Join Mark Rees (author of Paranormal Wales/ Ghosts of Wales ) as he explores the old New Year's Eve and New Year's Day traditions, from such curious customs as the Mari Lwyd to seasonal favourite Calennig. Is it good luck or bad luck if a you see a woman before a man on New Year's Da...

It's Christmas Eve - the perfect time to pull up a chair next to the log fire, pour yourself a glass of mulled wine and listen to some old folklore of Wales. In this festive special, Mark Rees takes a look at: • Why kissing under the mistletoe isn't just about the romance • The incredible Plygain services, in which countless candles are used to illuminate the night • How the town of Tenby ensured...

Welsh folklore tells us that on Christmas Eve, a magical Christmas tree would spring to life in the garden of a west Wales mansion. What was its supernatural purpose, and where did it come from? And more to the point, where is it now? The old tales tell us that the tree was destroyed, but that isn't the whole story. In fact, there could be a lot more to the tale of this tree than just folklore, an...

There is a Welsh pub which is said to be haunted by many ghosts, which range from the good old "lady in black" to a "headless cavalier." They are, for most part, seemingly harmless enough, but on Christmas Eve a more troublesome phantom - a pesky poltergeist, you might say - has been known to cause mischief at the Castle Hotel in Neath. This spirit - of the supernatural variety, rather than the al...

The Mari Lwyd is arguably the most well-known character in Welsh folklore. But why do people carry a horse's skull door-to-door late at night, and challenge their neighbours to a battle in verse? In a similar way to Krampus, the Central European "evil Santa", and Gryla, the Icelandic troll, this curious Christmas custom fascinates people around the world. In this special festive episode of the Gho...

What is it REALLY like to go ghost hunting in Wales' "most haunted" places? To find out, Mark Rees (author of Ghosts of Wales ) caught up with fully-trained paranormal investigators Cymru Paranormal to learn not just how to track down the paranormal, but how to do it ethically.  What are their scariest experiences? What equipment do you need for an overnight vigil? Do they use Ouija boards? And is...

Welsh folklore tells us that the fairy folk of Wales can be traced back to the times of King Arthur. But what connection do they have with the legendary island of Avalon, and why are they called y Tylwyth Teg in Welsh? Join Mark Rees (author of " Ghosts of Wales "/ "Paranormal Wales" etc.) as he explores these questions and more in this episode of the Ghosts & Folklore of Wales podcast. Do you...

Can the changing room of a sports stadium really be jinxed? And did it really cause team after team to continuously lose important games? That's exactly what was claimed to be happening at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, when more than 10 English football league teams in a row (along with a few rugby teams) lost major games after being stationed in the dreaded south changing room. The odds that s...

Guy Fawkes Night: The folklore, ghosts, history and traditions Remember, remember, the fifth of November, Gunpowder, treason and plot! On this episode, Mark Rees (author of Ghosts of Wales / Paranormal Wales etc.) is joined by storyteller Owen Staton to discuss Guy Fawkes Night in Wales. Because while Halloween might be a few days behind us, there's still time for another autumn festival with bonf...

Ghosts of Wales Live - A Halloween Special: A paranormal podcast party for Nos Calan Gaeaf How are you celebrating Halloween this year? Do you fancy some ghost hunting, but don't where to start? Or maybe you want to visit a haunted pub, but need some tips and advice? Or maybe you're just looking for a good spooky book to read? Then this is the podcast for you! On this extra-long Halloween edition,...

Halloween Folklore and Traditions of Wales: How to celebrate Nos Calan Gaeaf, the Welsh Halloween Join cultural adventurer Mark Rees (author of Ghosts of Wales / Paranormal Wales etc.) on this journey in search of the curious, dark, and at times macabre history and folklore of Nos Calan Gaeaf , the Welsh Halloween. One of three spirit nights, it was a time for fun and festivities, but also a time...