WE MAY all be familiar with the mighty Welsh red dragon, but our folklore is filled with many more wonderful and fearsome beasts – so much so they have inspired a new book. 

Illustrator CC J Ellis has created an illustrated guide called Welsh Monsters and Mythical Beasts to help introduce current and future generations to the stories that have shaped Welsh history and legends from the dawn of time. 

The book is due for release on St David’s Day next year via the Inuit-owned publishers, Eye of Newt Books. It builds on a project Ellis had begun with a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign after being taken aback by the response to an exhibition the Bangor-based artist had created. 

“I started creating art around Welsh dragons for an exhibition at Oriel Ynys Môn, people were so enthusiastic and kept sending me creatures and stories from their childhood to illustrate,” said Ellis. 

“This sparked something and I was having so much fun discovering new creatures from Welsh mythology.  

“I decided to create an illustrated guide and used the platform Kickstarter to fund its creation and the first copies of the book. The project has been over six years in the making and is quite different now from the first edition I produced.” 

South Wales Argus: The cover of Ellis' bookThe cover of Ellis' book

Previously Ellis had only really been familiar with the tale of the Dragons of Dinas Emrys, the story of how a red dragon triumphed over a white dragon in an underground lake below a mountain near Beddgelert. 

But as Ellis discovered more of the mythological creatures of Wales there was a determination to help explain and safeguard the unique tales. 

“I remember going on holiday to Norway and Iceland... there were so many books available about their mythology and they were so beautifully illustrated.

"I wanted to create something like that for Wales, so people had a fun introduction to these creatures that they may never have heard of before.  

“There’s definitely some fantastic books available on Welsh folklore, but not many are fully illustrated.” 

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Among the beasts to feature in the book is the Mari Lwyd, best known as the horses skull adorned with ribbons which is carried around during the Christmas and New Year period by groups singing or reciting rhymes.

Also brought to life is the Llamhigyn Y Dwr, the evil pond-dwelling water leaper. The giant toad with bat like wings was said to not only hunt fish but also sheep that strayed too close to water and even fishermen. 

Ellis has been working on the book, which features an introduction from Esther Powell and forward from Stephanie Law, for six years and the book reflects previously available information and what Ellis could learn from tales that have been handed down through the years. 

“Many of the creatures and stories featured were collected over six years of research. Some creatures had lots of descriptions available. Others I had to piece together from local legends and folk stories.  

“I wanted to preserve them for future generations and it’s been so nice to see some local schools adopting the book and having ‘mythical creature’ painting days with the kids.” 

  • This article originally appeared on our sister site The National.