One of the most beautiful and complete collections of stories, legends, myths, folktales, and traditions to ever emerge from Wales. Compiled by an American&mdash;the United States consul for Wales in the late nineteenth century&mdash;this volume was the work of several years&rsquo; labor.<br />Scouring the hills and valleys of Wales after falling in love with the land, the author wrote down the oral traditions, stories, myths, and legends related to him by the people he met on his travels. The result was a spectacular work, divided up into four sections: &ldquo;Faerie Realm,&rdquo; the &ldquo;Spirit-World,&rdquo; &ldquo;Quaint Old Customs,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Bells, Wells, Stones, and Dragons.&rdquo;<br />Rarely has a nation&rsquo;s mythos and essence been so elegantly captured as in this work. The legacy of Welsh mythology and folklore has entered the vocabulary of modern English, and spread around the world, being some of the oldest tales in all Europe.