13 h 57 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 13 h 57 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Beyond Brittany’s granite coast lie a sunken city, an enchanted forest, and ancient stones haunted by fairy folk.
In Legends & Romances of Brittany, Lewis Spence gathers the myths, romances, and country tales of France’s western peninsula. He begins with the land and its early history, then leads you into stories of saints, kings, and enchantment. Along the way, he explores their roots in older Celtic belief.
King Gradlon holds the key to the sea wall protecting Ys. Merlin meets Vivien in the forest of Broceliande, where human and fairy worlds draw close. Tristan’s love for Iseult brings trouble and sorrow. Beyond these romances, Spence turns to farms and fishing villages, where the Ankou’s creaking cart warns of death.
What you’ll discover
- A land of old memories Explore how Brittany’s coasts, forests, and standing stones give its legends a living setting.
- The lost city of Ys Enter the legend of a splendid coastal city said to lie beneath the waves.
- Merlin and Vivien Follow the enchanter into Broceliande, where his bond with a skilled young woman shapes his fate.
- Tristan and the Breton lays Discover Brittany’s place in Tristan’s romance, including the story of Iseult of the White Hands.
- Fairy folk and death’s cart Meet the korrigans and the Ankou in tales rooted in country life and old beliefs.
Who will love it
You will enjoy this if you love fairy lore, saints' legends, medieval romance, ghost ballads and old stones, or like to travel through a region by way of its stories.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A Celtic peninsula shaped its stories
- Dukes and heroes fought for Breton freedom
- Standing stones hold the oldest mysteries
- Breton fairies are cold, tricky and dangerous
- Dealing with fairies requires care and cunning
- Sprites and demons haunt moors and bogs
- Quest tales carry world stories into Brittany
- Dark legends turn history into warning
- Heroes, Arthur and lovers fill the romances
- Saints, sorcery and customs keep old beliefs alive
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Leggende e romanzi della Bretagna
by Lewis Spence · 1917
A knight rides through Broceliande, finds a lit château deep in the forest, and must keep his vow until dawn.
Medium level5–10 hours to readItaliano
Learn a language with medium classicsSpagnoloFranceseTedescoItalianoGiapponesePortogheseIngleseHow we measure levels
Excellent
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In short
What do you find when you ride into the forest of Broceliande at night and see a hall blazing with light where no hall should stand? Sir Roland, a knight of Brittany, finds music, a feast and a lady of dazzling beauty.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A Celtic peninsula shaped its stories
Brittany was known in ancient times as Armorica, a name meaning on the sea. Spence begins with its land, because the stories grow from it. The coast is ragged and lined with reefs, and the inland plateaus are bleak moorland. It is an isolated place where legends naturally take root.
The people are Celtic in language and custom. The Bretons speak Brythonic, the sister tongue of Welsh and Cornish. Their language arrived with refugees who fled Britain between 450 and 500 to escape Saxons, Picts and Scots. Christian missionaries followed, and Saint Samson came with forty monks and built his cells beside the great menhir of Dol.
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- 15-minute summary
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Details
- First published
- 1917
- Language
- Italiano
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Spence, Lewis. Legends & Romances of Brittany. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/legends-romances-of-brittany.
Spence, L. (2026). Legends & romances of Brittany. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/legends-romances-of-brittany (Original work published 1917)
Spence, Lewis. Legends & Romances of Brittany. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/legends-romances-of-brittany.
@book{spence2026legends,
author = {Spence, Lewis},
title = {Legends \& Romances of Brittany},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/legends-romances-of-brittany},
note = {First published 1917}
}
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What is Legends and Romances of Brittany about?
It gathers the stories of Brittany, including standing stones, fairies, demons, folk tales, ballads, hero tales, Arthurian episodes, the lays of Marie de France, saints' lives, black magic and Breton customs, all set in a short history of the region.
Who are the Korrigans in Breton legend?
Korrigans are forest fairies who guard wells and springs. They appear as lovely women with golden hair and red eyes, tempt travelers with enchanted halls, and become hags at daybreak. Breton tradition says they are pagan princesses under a curse.
Are the tales in the book true stories?
They are legends, ballads and folk tales rather than documented history. Some attach to real figures such as Nomenoë, Du Guesclin and Gilles de Retz, and Spence says which sources are doubtful, including some ballads reworked by Villemarqué.
The author
Lewis Spence
1874–1955 · Scottish folklorist and occult writer
Lewis Spence (1874–1955) was a Scottish writer and journalist. He was born in Angus, Scotland, and lived in Edinburgh, where he died. His books on mythology and folklore appeared in the early twentieth century, including The Myths of Mexico and Peru, The Myths of the North American Indians, and Legends and Romances of Brittany.
More by Lewis Spence
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