Welsh Giants, Ghosts & Goblins

Claire Fayers

I’m often asked if I believe in ghosts and magic. The short answer is, sadly, no. I say sadly, because sometimes I really wish there was a bit of magic in the world. (I’m not so sure about ghosts.)

But I believe there are plenty of things in the world we haven’t explained yet. And I absolutely believe in the ability of the human brain to scare its owner silly.

Take the terrifying Gwyllgi – Twilight Dogs – for example. They are almost always seen by people travelling alone at night. Maybe its because they only appear at night, or maybe at night it’s a lot easier to mistake a rock or a tree stump for the shape of a huge, black dog. In many of these tales, the traveller hurries on, not daring to turn around but knowing that the fiery-eyed hound is right behind them.

My favourite sighting of a Gwyllgi comes from a farmer called Edward Jones who claims he saw one when riding home across the Denbighshire moors. It was night, of course. He describes how he suddenly realised he was being stalked by a ‘beast of fearsome visage and blood-shot eye.’ It took all his courage to turn around and when he did, the beast had vanished. This may be the same Mr Edward Jones who claimed to have seen fairies pulling all the tiles off his roof, so he may not be the most reliable narrator.

Meanwhile, if you live in West Wales, beware of the giant black dog which haunts Pant-y-Madog near Laugharne Castle. It was last seen by a Miss Rebecca Adams who was warned by her mother not to stay out late, and not to go near Pant-y-Madog because it was haunted. Naturally, Rebecca took a detour to prove her mother wrong, and so she was treated to the sight of a giant black dog with fiery eyes, so terrifying she fainted on the spot.

Did these people see anything? Probably not, but who cares? It makes for a great story.

The Gwyllgi in my collection comes from just over the border in Hergest Court, which was home to the evil Thomas Vaughan. According to local legend, he was decapitated in battle, and before his head hit the ground, a giant, black dog came running across the battlefield, grabbed the head in its jaws and ran off with it. Some people say the black dog in the story was the inspiration for the Hound of the Baskervilles. Again, I am staying firmly on the fence as to whether that’s true or not, but it could be.

That’s what I love about ghost stories. They exist in that gap between truth and fiction. They give us an explanation for things we can’t explain. And they’re always spooky good fun.

Helen (@HelenByles)

Just before the schools broke up for summer I was talking to my line manager about the new library sessions for September. I told her my plans for each class, but I was stuck on a year 3 class, I didn’t know what to read with them.  She mentioned some  African folklore books she had planned to read in her class so this got me thinking. 

After I finished reading this book I decided to use this book for the year 3 class. The idea being  they get one story a week until the book is finished.

The stories are really short, maybe 5 – 10 minutes long, they all have a hidden message and they all will have something to talk about after.

What I love about books like these are the variety of stories contained in one book.

There is something for everyone.

The idea is that the Giant King, Idris (only a young lad) travels Wales looking for stories, to take back to the palace with him.

 One of the stories I liked best is called Idris and the lonely shepherd. It tells the story of a shepherd who marries a fairy. The only problem is that iron will harm the fairy. Of course she accidentally gets touched by iron and disappears. The shepherd spends his day looking for his wife when he comes across Idris, well I’m not giving the ending away, you’ll just have to get yourself a copy of the book.

I just love everything about this book and hope there is more to come.

Sam (@SamJDThomas)

I love a book that involves many adventures, and this book, Welsh Giants, Ghosts & Goblins by Claire Fayers, is my new favourite in that style/format/genre. I love that the timeline varies between modern and further back, and that gives a beautiful variation to these short stories that are contained within this utterly beautiful gold foil detailed hardback book. I love that Claire gave an introduction at the start of the book, and also introduces each individual story with some context at the beginning of each of them.

My favourite story, which was difficult to choose, is A Game of Goblins, a modern story that involves some sneaky goblins who appear in front of a young lad, Dylan, who is on his way to his friends birthday party when he literally bumps into goblins partying nearby, and subsequently makes a swap with one of them, which has negative repercussions as a result. When Dylan realises the situation impacting his friend as a result of his interactions with the goblins, he sets about making it right again – with a bag of baubles and tinsel no less! I loved the mixture of normal relatable events and surroundings for readers to appreciate being mixed with goblins and welsh fairy creatures. This book is jam packed with the most incredible Welsh short stories that have a genuine authenticity to them, and are so enjoyable to read. Claire has totally outdone herself with regards to all the research and efforts she has put into this book and it reflects in the stories perfectly too. I cannot not mention the illustrations that feature within the book to separate the stories as they are stunning to admire and give the book a traditional feel, as though you’ve wandered into a huge library in a stately home, pulled out a book from the shelves to read, settled into a comfy armchair, and then fallen into adventure after adventure in this glorious book. Please write more of them Claire, as I want to continue enjoying them.

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