Boggarts, Trolls and Tylwyth Teg: Folk Tales of Hidden People and Lost Lands

by Peter Stevenson

The Grimms called them The Quiet Folk, in Māori they are Patupaiarehe, in Wales Y Tylwyth Teg: hidden people who live unseen, speak their own languages and move around like migrants, shrouded from our eyes – like those who lived in the utopian world of Plant Rhys Ddwfn off the west Welsh coast, where this book begins.

In mythology, lost lands are coral castles beneath the sea, ancient forests where spirits live, and mountain swamps where trolls lurk. Strip away the mythology, and they become valleys and villages flooded to provide drinking water to neighbouring kingdoms, campsites where travellers are told they can't travel, and reservations where the rights of first nations people are ignored.

The folk tales in this book tell of these lost lands and hidden people, remembered through migrations, dreams and memories.

293 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2021

Reviews

[E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to write a review for Stevenson’s book because I thoroughly enjoyed it. I ended up picking this book on a whim, I was visiting wales and stopped by a little bookshop, and this was the one that intrigued me the most.

Boggarts, Trolls & Tylwyth Teg isn’t just a collection of folktales; it’s a story about the culture and the history behind the stories. The forgotten voices of storytelling. Dortchen Wild, the dwindling Sampi, the writer Yusuf Hanna Diyab, the fox spirits of China (just to name a few); not to mention the Maldivians, Maori people, the Jamaicans, the Igbo people, the Cherokee people, all of whom have been subject to slavery, mistreatment and displaced from their homeland. There are so many more stories I’ve missed out but each of them were so well written and so well told.

I’m almost surprised this book hasn’t had more reviews, and it’s definitely underrated. The stories are compelling and the writing is engaging. As a someone who loves history and stories, this was a great read.

[Lara Calleja · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're in for some folk and magical tales from tiny corners of the world, this book is a treat.

What I liked best is that the author gives a historical context to the stories. You can appreciate the struggles, the politics and the actual storylines of our past through fantastic, metaphorical characters - all different in the different worlds. But all speak of the same awes, struggles and heartache.

[Anne Lydolf · Rating 2 out of 5]

A poor retelling of folk tales, often with modern concepts such as smartphones added to them but without actually being a modern retelling, so it seems wildly out of place.