It’s Christmastime, and all you really want is to know… how to make a Mari Lwyd! The Mari Lwyd is one of Wales’s most unique winter traditions — a ghostly, skeletal horse who appears around Christmas and New Year, knocking at doors, singing, rhyming, and demanding entry. But while the legend is well known, a…
What happens when you spend Halloween night at one of Wales’ most haunted ruins? On Nos Calan Gaeaf — the Welsh Halloween, when the veil between worlds is thinnest — shadowy figures and death omens are said to roam the Gower Peninsula. Among the haunted sites of Wales, Pennard Castle stands out: ruins perched above…
What ghostly games did people in Wales dare to play on Halloween night? On Nos Calan Gaeaf — the Welsh Halloween, when spirits roamed and the veil between worlds was thinnest — neighbours gathered to test their fate with eerie rituals. These games could be playful and fun, but also terrifying… sometimes even fatal. From…
Who is the mysterious Ghost Rider haunting a lonely Welsh road — and why does he appear when Halloween jack-o’-lanterns flicker in the darkness? And what dark connection links this eerie horseman to an ancient crossroads, a deadly old murder, and the chilling folklore of Nos Calan Gaeaf, the Welsh Halloween? Could the Devil himself…
Is the ghost of a global opera superstar haunting her private Welsh castle? Or is something even stranger at work at Craig-y-Nos? What happens when the world’s greatest diva builds a fairytale home in the Swansea valley… and never quite leaves? Can a song recorded over a century ago still stir the spirits? And what…
What kind of uncanny creature leaps onto a corpse and rides in a hearse? What on earth are graveyard dogs? Is it a ghost? A supernatural omen? Or something stranger still? 👻🕯️ In this week’s episode of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast, author and folklorist Mark Rees dives deep into the unexplained with…
Who knocks at midnight—and what do they want? Are these uncanny visitors of the night bringing gifts or a curse? When a knock came at midnight, the family inside had no idea the supernatural visitors weren’t just visiting—they were hunting. A seemingly generous call from the Tylwyth Teg—the fairy folk of Welsh folklore—soon unravels into…
Kidwelly Castle: an imposing ruin standing guard over the River Gwendraeth, steeped in centuries of history, rebellion, and bloodshed. But beyond its picturesque exterior lies something far more unsettling—whispers of ghostly figures, lingering spirits, and the chilling legend of Wales’ first warrior princess, Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd. What makes Kidwelly one of Wales’ most haunted castles?…
Welcome to the latest episode of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales Podcast, in which we explore… ghost dogs! Yes, this week, we’re diving into a topic that’s bound to send shivers down your spine: ghost dogs. Those eerie canine spirits that, while some remain loyal and friendly, others aren’t quite as welcoming. You might…
