Storyland: A New Mythology of Britain.
Amy Jeffs

Riverrun. ISBN 978-1-52940-797-6. £25 hb.

The stories in this book are, of course, old myths. They are largely tales of the British and the origin of Britain, with only a few stories about the Saxons and later. Many are taken from Geoffrey of Monmouth. We hear about the naming of Albion, the arrival of Brutus, King Bladud of Bath, Cordelia, Llud and Llewelys, and many more, including many of the Arthurian stories, but also Weland the Smithi, King Edward the Martyr and even the brith of William the Conqueror.

The retellings are modern in style, but still retain a feeling of a past time, that of the medieval period where most of the stories were first written down. They are illustrated by the author’s linocuts, modern in style without being anachronistic.

What really distinguishes this book is not the stories, enjoyable as they are, but the commentaries. The author is an academic, but the style is popular. She tells us about the origins of the texts and of specific manuscripts.She also gives evocative descriptions of sites associated with the stories. It is this mix of story and commentary that makes this book fascinating.

Facts & Fiction 119. November 2021.
©Daniel Cohen