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Fairy dogs, dog folklore and the origin of the Welsh Corgi: Ghosts and Folklore of Wales with Mark Rees EP09
Did you know that fairies used to ride corgis into battle? And that the name corgi is derived from Welsh folklore? The ninth episode of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast is live…. NOW! Welcome to what I like to think of as the “happy episode” of my podcast, because that’s what it is – non-stop happy folklore. Well, for the most part… I noticed recently that GHOSTS AND FOLKLORE OF WALES was becoming increasingly grim and gritty with each episode. There were terrifying tales of two-headed ghosts, satanic statues, and even a bishop who filled a well with his the blood of his victim. I also noticed that,…
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The Ghost of Dylan Thomas, and his many haunts in Wales and the world: Ghosts and Folklore of Wales with Mark Rees EP08
Does the ghost of Dylan Thomas continue to visit his old haunts? Has his spirit gone gently in that good night, or does it rage, rage against the dying of the light? The eighth episode of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast is live… NOW! In what is the most ambitious, and truly epic episode to date, I go in search of the truth behind the many claims that the great Welsh poet Dylan Thomas continues to visit his old haunts. Some are outlandish, some are more compelling, and there’s even the time the bard himself spoke of his own belief in life after death, how he’d seen a…
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The Dog of Darkness; or, Gwyllgi, the Welsh Hound of Hell: Ghosts and Folklore of Wales with Mark Rees EP07
Have you heard about the “dog of darkness” which stalks the haunted lanes at night? The seventh episode of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast is live…. NOW! In this episode we go in search of a dreaded creature which patrols the haunted lanes of Wales at night, a terrifying beast with glowing red eyes and putrid breath, none other than the “hound of hell” itself, the gwyllgi. This four-legged fiend has patrolled the Welsh roads for centuries, and bears many similarities with other paranormal creatures seen across Britain and Ireland. For this is no mere fantastical animal from folklore, but a modern-day apparition which is still said to…
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Mark Rees: Ghosts and Folklore of Wales is now on YouTube
I’ve got a new YouTube channel! Yes, after finally launching my spooky new podcast, I’ve also got a spooky new YouTube channel to go with it. Which means that if you’d rather listen to my spine-chilling ghost tales and fantastical folk stories in video form, it’s as easy as clicking on this link. As well as uploading all of the GHOSTS AND FOLKLORE OF WALES podcasts to it – which are a bit like a Welsh X-Files in podcast form – I also plan on expanding its scope with some original video content very soon. A live Halloween ghost hunt and launch party, maybe? Watch this space! You can visit…
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The Real-life Ghost-hunting Scooby-Doo Dog and the Victorian Paranormal Hoaxers: Ghosts and Folklore of Wales with Mark Rees EP06
Did you know… a real-life Scooby-Doo dog once caught a ghost in a Welsh village? The sixth episode of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast is live…. NOW! This time out, I explore one of my favourite, but also one of the most frustrating, subjects to research. It’s a topic I love to hate, and that is the ingenious – and not-so-ingenious – escapades of the paranormal hoaxers. These are the people who pretend to be ghosts in order to fool people for all manner of reasons – some are just kids messing around, but others are much more sinister in their decpetions. I’ve chosen three long-lost ghost stories…
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The Legend of Gelert, the Heroic Hound of Beddgelert: Ghosts and Folklore of Wales with Mark Rees EP05
Is there any truth to Wales’ most famous folk tale? Did a dog named Gelert really fight with a gigantic wolf for the life of the Prince of Wales’ son and heir? The fifth episode of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast is live…. NOW! In this episode, the spotlight is switched from ghosts to folk tales, and not just any old folk tale but arguably the most famous Welsh folk tale of all – that of Gelert, the heroic hound who paid the ultimate price for being man’s best friend. It’s a tragic tale which begins with a piece of folklore before taking some unexpected twists and turns…
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The Women in White: Ghosts and Folklore of Wales with Mark Rees EP04
Do some ghosts really swear at people? And do other ghosts dress up in the clothing of the clergy? The fourth episode of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast is live…. NOW! Please join me, if you dare, for an investigation into the supernatural secrets of two eerie real-life tales featuring a ‘woman in white’ haunting on both sides of the Severn Bridge. Unlike previous episodes, I tried something a little bit different with this one by looking at two “new” stories, one of which takes place over the border in…. not Wales. On the Welsh side of the Severn Estuary, a “ladi wen” left the “superstitious” residents in…
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A Ghost to Rival Hamlet’s Father: Ghosts and Folklore of Wales with Mark Rees EP03
Did a ghost really help the police discover a buried skull? The third episode of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast is live…. NOW! In this real-life Welsh ghost story, I go in search of the facts surrounding a persistent spectre which haunted Swansea’s “most haunted” house in the late 19th century. During a key scene, which sounds more like a work of Gothic fiction than a real event, the supernatural visitor lured the occupiers out of the house and into the moon-lit night, where it revealed its true purpose. This lead to the discovery of what appeared to be a buried skull, which saw the press dub it…
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The Curse of the Swansea Devil: Ghosts and Folklore of Wales with Mark Rees EP02
Can a statue really be cursed? And if so, can it really destroy a church? The second episode of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast is live…. NOW! The Swansea Devil is a “cursed” Victorian work of art which, if the legend is to be believed, was responsible for burning down a Welsh church during the Second World War. But the mystery doesn’t end there. It disappeared without a trace, only to reappear a long way from home following an appeal by the media to track it down. In this episode I go in search of the truth behind one of Wales’ most infamous sculptures, which also happens to…
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The Two-Headed Phantom of Wales: Ghosts and Folklore of Wales with Mark Rees EP01
How can a ghost have two heads? The secret might shock you! The first episode of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast is live…. NOW! To kick things off, I decided to start with a Welsh ghost story which always goes down well at my live events, and which also happens to be one my personal favourites. I discovered the tale of the “two-headed phantom of Abersychan” while researching my first collection of spooky stories, “Ghosts of Wales: Accounts from the Victorian Archives“, and this rather unique account does indeed involve a – you guessed it! – phantom with not one but two heads. This terrifying-looking fiend was hunting…
