Myths, legends and ghosts in
Myths, legends and ghosts in Great
Great Britain
Britain
Some key vocabulary
• Myths
• Legends
• Ghosts
Haunted Places
• Key vocabulary:
– ghosts
– spirits
– haunted
– killed
– associated with
Haunted Places
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Chillingham Castle is situated in Northumberland, in the north-east of England
It is thought to be full
of ghosts and spirits
There is also a
torture chamber full
of horrible things
Haunted Places
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Glamis Castle in Scotland is thought to be the most haunted place in Britain
One of the ghosts is the “Grey Lady”, who was killed in 1537
The castle has a small chapel in the garden, and no-one is allowed to sit in one of
the chairs, because it belongs to the Grey Lady
King Arthur
King Arthur
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The legend of King Arthur is one of
Britain´s most famous stories
It is about a good king who fights
monsters and evil people
His sword is called Excalibur and he
has the Round Table where all his
knights sit
Some say that Excalibur was stuck in a
rock, others that the Lady of the Lake
gave it to Arthur
King Arthur
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The BBC has made a television series called “Merlin,” which is about Arthur when
he was a teenager
Let´s meet some of the characters!
King Arthur
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Arthur is a prince who will one day be king
He lives in Camelot with his father
He is quite arrogant, but is also strong, brave and
caring
King Arthur
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Merlin is a boy who can do magic
He works for Arthur
He will be an important part of Arthur´s reign and he often uses magic to save
Arthur´s life
King Arthur
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Guinevere is a servant in Arthur´s palace
One day, in the future, she will marry Arthur and become his queen
She is kind, caring and sensible
King Arthur
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Lancelot is a knight who is Arthur´s best friend
In the legend, he is ugly – do you think he is ugly?!
He is in love with Guinevere and their
love will cause many problems
King Arthur
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Morgana is a friend of Arthur
She also has magical powers
She is caring, strong and passionate
King Arthur
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King Uther Pendragon is Arthur´s
father, and king of Camelot
He hates magic and kills anyone
who practises magic
Although he can be cruel and nasty,
he loves Arthur very much and
wants him to be a good king
King Arthur
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Here are some of the monsters and enemies that Arthur has to fight!
King Arthur
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The legend tells us that Arthur is badly wounded in a battle
He asks one of his friends to throw Excalibur back into the lake
As he is dying, a boat arrives to take him away
It is said that King Arthur will return to Britain when the country is in danger
Robin Hood
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The legend of Robin Hood is
also extremely well-known in
Britain
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Robin Hood was a rich man
who had his money taken
away by the bad king of
England, King John. He
decided to steal money from
rich people and give it to`poor
people
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He is widely regarded as a
hero
Robin Hood
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Once again, the BBC has made a television series about Robin Hood, so… let´s
meet the characters!
Robin Hood
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Robin Hood is a young man who steals money to help the poor
He is very brave, kind and principled
He is a skilled fighter and brave warrior
Robin Hood
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Marian, or Maid Marian, is Robin´s girlfriend
She helps him to steal money and fight his enemies
She is very brave, passionate and determined
Robin Hood
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Guy of Gisbourne, the Sheriff of Nottingham and King John are the “bad guys,”
Robin Hood´s enemies
They are cruel and nasty to the poor
Robin Hood
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Robin has many friends to help him battle against the wicked Sheriff
Their names are Will, Much, Djaq, Friar Tuck, Little John and Allan
They live in Sherwood Forest to hide from the bad guys
Fairies
• Fairies are generally thought to be
small, pretty people
• However, they are also thought to be
extremely tall and potentially
dangerous
• Which film is this fairy from?
Fairies
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The case of the Cottingley Fairies is one of the most famous fairy stories in Britain
In 1917 two girls called Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright, who were cousins, took
five photographs of fairies playing in their garden
Fairies
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Some people thought the
photos were real, others said
that they were fake
The famous author Arthur
Conan Doyle, who wrote the
Sherlock Holmes stories,
believed that the photos were
genuine
However, in 1981 the girls (now
old ladies) said that the photos
were fake, that the fairies were
made out of paper and held
upright by hairpins
But Frances always said that the
fifth photo was genuine
The mysterious fifth photo – is it real or not?
Green Man
• The Green Man is not only found in Great
Britain, but is one of its most frequent
symbols
• It is usually found on churches
Green Man
This Green Man is in Cadiz
This Green Man is in
Rochester Cathedral
Selkies
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Selkies are creatures from Irish and Scottish mythology
They are seals which can shed their skin to become humans
Traditionally selkies become humans and fall in love
with another human being
However, after a certain period of time
the selkie becomes a seal again and returns to the sea
They are associated with romantic, sad stories
Banshees
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Banshees are from an Irish mythology
When someone is dying, the banshee
wails and screams
They wear long dresses of white or
grey and often have long fair hair
It is said that if you see a comb lying
on the ground, you should not pick it
up, because a banshee has prepared a
trap and is ready to take you away
Mermaids
The word “mermaid” comes from
the Old English word “mere,”
meaning sea, and “maid”
meaning young woman
They have the upper body of a
human and the lower body of a
fish
They typically appear with a
comb and a mirror
While films like “The Little
Mermaid” show kind mermaids,
other stories say that they
deliberately drown humans
Leprechauns
• Leprechauns are a type of
fairy which are found in
Ireland
• They look like old men,
dressed in a green suit
• They are the same size as a
small child
• They like to play tricks and
tell jokes
Fairies and fairy circles
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A fairy ring is a circle of mushrooms, found mainly in woods and forests
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It is said that it is the home of fairies and spirits
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It is thought that if a human steps into the ring, they will become invisible and will not be
able to leave the ring
Crop Circles
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Crop circles are detailed patterns which
appear in fields across Britain
It was thought that the devil had made the
designs
Some people think that aliens make the
patterns!