Gloucestershire Folk Tales

  ‘'It's my belief that knowledge of traditional stories can impart an enchanted sense of significance to the landscapes and townscapes in which they're set. If the sharing of these Gloucestershire tales may contribute in some way to the appreciation of the county's specialness and a deeper caring for its communities and landscapes, then I shall be well pleased.''        Anthony Nanson
Anthony Nanson invites you on a journey to the heart of Britain's history. A land of myths, legends, ancient magic and Christian mysticism, a land of passionate lovers, misguided ambitions and dark comeuppance. Told in the unique, wondrous voice of an absolutely brilliant storyteller, these folk tales will remain with you, lingering in your mind, narrating vices and virtues we can all relate to regardless of space and time, rich in elegant sensuality and a deep love for Nature.
‘'On an isle in the river's East Channel ancient stones lurked among the willows, and a woeful wailing shuddered through the earth as if to give vent to sorrows beyond sharing. Guarding the island's muddy shores were nine hideous women, in robes of black, with manes of grey hair straggling wild and knotted to their knees- the Nine Hags fo Gloucester.''
A young prince must kill a giant to marry his beloved. The Devil tries to trick others, disregarding the fact that he is always the most stupid creature imaginable, an idiot, ensnaring other idiots. A traveller finds refuge from a snowstorm in a strange inn.
I mean, come on. Read this haunting description and tell me that THIS is NOT perfection...
‘'There was no one about downstairs, neither landlord, nor servant, nor guest. Empty chairs behind empty tables. The fire's embers smouldered in the hearth. Outside, the night air was shiveringly crisp and chill. Silver starlight illuminated the black sycamores beside the inn and the swell and hollow of the hills and valleys below, all blanketed with snow.''
An elm stands witness to a tragic death and a divine punishment in a haunting story that will break your heart. Sky-ships are flying over Bristol, a pious nun becomes the innocent prey to a heathen, a mysterious woman haunts a village, requiring fresh flowers on her grave. A wife commits the ultimate sacrifice to save her beloved, and two lovers are only united when death comes, persecuted by a hateful, barbaric man. Learn the beautiful story of St Kenelm of Mercia and witness a child's ordeal to save his baby sister, aided by a magic cat on Christmas Eve when the animals acquire human speech. I adored the story of The Buckstone and the Britannic Palace, a tale from the mists of the Roman times and the union of the British and the Romans under the One, True God. (And what a film this story would make!!!).
In Kempsford, a haunting song signals the appearance of Lady Maud as her bitter story echoes through the centuries. In Stroud, a living, breathing man is taken to his own funeral, and a girl from the Cotswolds is led to her doom as the seventh bride of a mysterious man in a wonderful rendition of the legend of Bluebeard. The Wish Bottle is an enchanting, moving contemporary folk tale as a father does everything in his power to save his dying daughter. Just take a look at the following extract:
‘'So Dick followed the bottle's trail across America, the price of purchase steadily decreasing each time it had moved on. The man in Pittsburgh had wished for the love of a woman he'd adored for twenty-five years, but mostly people had wished for huge amounts of dosh. Dick felt a bit sheepish that his own wish - the second one- had been so predictable and that he'd asked for so modest a sum. The amounts these American had wished for had increased the money supply soo much that the whole country was suffering inflation. There were exceptions, of course. A woman in Dallas had wished she'd never lose her books. A boy in Thermopolis, Wyoming, had wished for an endless supply of chocolate. A pastor in Tuscon had wished to know for sure whether God really exists. A hippie in Marin County, California, had wished that the land around her little commune would never get ruined by development.''
The tale of The Unchristened Baby will make you cry your eyes out as a heartless priest sees Jesus' light in his heart when a woman begs him to baptise her dead infant. The collection ends with a modern tale of two Australians who find themselves in the middle of a strange haunting in an inn in the Cotswolds. 
Anthony Nanson and Kirtsy Hartsiotis have written the wonderful Gloucestershire Ghost Tales, published by The History Press. With this volume, Nanson has created one of the most beautiful, unique instalments in the beloved series. Full of legends, myths, truish stories about the mythical past of the Great Albion, Gloucestershire Folk Tales is a pure, must-have.
‘'For sure, children ought to be able to play in the woods without danger, and people need to cultivate gardens and crops without them getting trashed. But can't a balance between these impulses be found? Can't the dream of true wilderness be restored in some part to this island?''
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