Cornish Folk Tales

by Mike O'Connor

The ancient land of Cornwall is steeped in mysterious tradition, proud heritage and age-old folklore. Before books were widely available, wandering 'droll tellers' used to spread Cornish insight and humour to all parts of the Duchy - exchanging their tales for food and shelter. Anthony James was one such droll teller, and this collection follows him as he makes his way around Cornwall one glorious summer. Richly illustrated with hand-drawn images and woodcuts, Cornish Folk Tales will appeal to anyone captivated by this beautiful land and its resident kindly giants, mischievous piskeys, seductive mermaids, bold knights and barnacle-encrusted sea captains.

Genres: Folklore, Fiction, Short Stories

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Sarah Budd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our Cornish drolls are dead, each one;
The fairies from their haunts have gone;
There's scarce a witch in all the land,
The world has grown so learn'd and grand.
Poem by Henry Quick

You might think that it's just the Irish who have a rich history of spinning tales around the fire, but the Cornish too have their own wealth of celtic tales that have been passed down through the centuries.
By reading Cornish Folk Tales by Mike O'Connor you'll discover the true history of Cornwall, of piskies, giants, trolls mermaids and unruly demons and how they once ruled the land. In these pages you'll learn how places really got their name and why it is that Cornwall has so many saints. You can find out all Lyonesse; the lost city. Learn of the strange ties between King Arthur, his birthplace, the location of his last battle and the lake in which went the sword Excalibar.

The book is written about an old droll, a story teller, Anthony James who was a real person. Sources say he was born in the late 1700's in Cury and spent his youth in the armed forces, he also played the fiddle and was a prolific story teller. He was blinded during service and after leaving he lived in Stoke Military Hospital in Devonport during the winters months but as soon as the weather grew fair he would travel all over Cornwall telling his tales in exchange for supper and shelter.

In this tale Anthony James travels the land with his young companion Jamie one summer. The writing is utterly charming and Mike O'Connor sure knows how to spin a tale. These fantastic tales have only been preserved through the efforts of people like Robert Hunt and William Bottrell who made it their missions to capture these tale sin print so they could be enjoyed forevermore.

[Han · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cornish Folk Tales at first, just by looking at the exterior of a book, appears to be a straightforward folklore book, giving you the stories of the fascinating creatures supposed to exist here. I wasn’t expecting much more, but the way this book is written pleasantly surprised me. The actual folktales are stories within stories. This overarching narrative is that of a droll-teller (an old Cornish bard, of sorts). I’ve never seen folktales written in this way, as if the reader is part of that audience. It was engaging and really well structured, following Anthony and his apprentice Jamie around the county. Most of the tales I had heard here and there but seeing them written down brought a smile to my face. What an awesome read this was.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of folktales, anecdotes, proverbs, customs, history, and superstitions from Cornwall, deftly woven together into a colorful tapestry of a frame story. The reader follows the blind droll (storyteller) and fiddler Anthony James (based on a real historic figure) and his son Jamie as they wander the Cornish countryside one summer in the late 18th century. Although he is blind, Anthony vividly remembers the land of his youth and brings the landscape of old Cornwall to life for young Jamie and for us. After reading the book, you feel as though you would know your way about Cornwall if you were ever lucky enough to visit.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the layout of this book, i.e. the parallel stories of the "crowder" traveling Cornwall and telling all of the tales. It broke up the stories instead of just reading one tale after another like most folk tale books. The stories were simple, short, interesting, and entertaining.

[Mavis Hewitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable tour of Cornwall, with the legends attached to each place, would be a good book to take with you if touring Cornwall.

[Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly enjoyable read! The pacing of the chapters leant to the ease with which it kept my attention throughout. A wonderful telling of many Cornish tales. I like that the chapter numbers were also written in Cornish. I particularly enjoyed 'A Voyage with the Piskeys', 'King Mark and The Moon', and loved the stories of St Petroc in chapter 22.
I could hardly put it down and read almost every day after work.
A perfect little book for lovers of folklore and of Cornwall.

[Rose Chaplin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most magical book to read whilst in Boscastle. I liked how the various tales were woven into a journey through the landscape. A lovely range of folk tales that range from moral fables to mermaids and pikseys and giants!

[Kathryn Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

[Claire Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

More enjoyable and entertaining than I’d thought it would be 🥲

[Scarlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Soon the giants will reclaim the moors, piskeys will own the fields and mermaids will rule the ocean” lush odyssey throughout old Kernow 🩷💙