Welsh Monsters & Mythical Beasts - C.C.J. Ellis, Stephanie Law, Sian Powell

Upon the dramatic landscape of Wales there have been born many creatures and beings of legend. This lushly illustrated guide delves into the dragons, beasts, fair folk, and spirits of Wales. Tales become blended and one with history, and this history meets illustration with C.C.J. Ellis’ rich renderings of these creatures. Detail and colour lift these beings off the page and bring this compendium to life.Now available worldwide, this new edition includes a Welsh language guide so that each of the creatures might be known by their original Welsh names. You may have heard of the Red Dragon (Draig Goch) featured on the national flag of Wales, but have you heard of the Water Leaper (Llamhigyn Y Dŵr) or of the Mary White (Mari Lwyd)? Ellis aims to re-introduce the beasts of Welsh myth and legend to the world and bring a touch of Wales to your shelves. Part of the Wool of Bat series focused on the preservation and promotion of folklore and oral history from around the world.

My Review: I've always been fascinated by world mythology and even though creatures appear often in diverse cultures under different names, it's always interesting to look at their background. I picked up this small, fantastic encyclopedia not knowing much about Welsh mythology, and in the first few pages I was incredibly happy to discover a small history of the Welsh language as well as a small guide on pronunciation. It would come in very handy when trying to read the names of the creatures, despite them being given an English equivalent underneath.

It felt like I opened J.K. Rowling's famous book, full of various dragons, beats, spirits, and much more. The colored and black and white sketches and illustrations give this book a truly magical feel. It can be regarded as an artbook just as much as a small mythology encyclopedia. 5/5

Publisher: ‎ Eye of Newt Books (June 21, 2022)

Language: ‎ English

Hardcover: ‎ 88 pages

ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1777081775

Review copy provided by Ingram Publisher Services @ Edelweiss+