Mark Rees Journalist and Author

Podcast: Don’t mess with the Elf ladies and their magical fairy cows!

Ghosts and Folklore of Wales with Mark Rees podcast

EP47 The Elf Ladies’ Stray Fairy Cow: Magical farm animals emerge from a dark and ominous lake in this cautionary folk tale on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast

Warning: don’t mess with elf ladies, and don’t mess with fairy cows!

In this cautionary Welsh folk tale, a greedy farmer finds out the hard way that you shouldn’t look a gift horse – or, in this case, a gift cow – in the mouth.

When the dark waters of Llyn Barfog provide him with a cash cow he can’t believe his luck. But when madness takes over, and darkness descends… 

To discover all the secrets, join author Mark Rees (Ghosts of Wales) as he explores this fascinating old folk-horror fairy tale on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast.

And remember – don’t mess with fairy women or fairy cows!

Did you catch last week’s episode of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast?

Did you miss last week’s episode? Catch up now: EP46 Ghost of the Hanged Lady: The tragic tale of a spirit with a message for a heart-broken traveller.

For a full list of every episode, from the Mari Lwyd to the Mabinogion, and to subscribe, visit the Ghosts of Wales podcast page.

Enjoy this folk tale podcast? Read lots more tales in The A-Z of curious Wales!

Ghosts of Wales by Mark Rees, host of the Ghosts of Wales podcast

The A-Z of curious Wales by Mark Rees – as well as Mark’s other weird and wonderful books – is available now from all good bookshops, and online from the books page.

Published in 2019 by The History Press, here’s the blurb:

Wales’ history is packed with peculiar customs and curious characters. Here you will discover alien landscapes, ancient druids and a Victorian ghost hunter.

Find out why revellers would carry a decorated horse’s skull on a pole door to door at Christmastime, how an eccentric inventor hoped to defeat Hitler with his futuristic ray gun, and why a cursed wall is protected by a global corporation for fear it might destroy a town.

From the folklore surrounding the red dragon on the flag, to the evolution of the song ‘Sosban Fach’, this compendium of weird and wonderful facts will surprise and delight even the most knowledgeable resident or visitor.

Click here to order The A-Z of Curious Wales by Mark Rees