The best books on folklore and traditions of ancient sacred places

By Brian Haughton

Who am I?

I have been fascinated by ancient sacred sites since I first visited the ancient Rollright Stones on the Oxfordshire/Warwickshire border decades ago. I am interested in how the study of folklore and local traditions can be used in conjunction with archaeology to trace the origins and purposes of ancient monuments. I am an author and researcher who has had seven books published on the subjects of ancient civilizations, prehistoric monuments, and supernatural folklore. Born in Birmingham, England, I am a qualified archaeologist with a BA in European Archaeology from the University of Nottingham, and an MPhil in Greek Archaeology from Birmingham University.

I wrote...

Haunted Spaces, Sacred Places: A Field Guide to Stone Circles, Crop Circles, Ancient Tombs, and Supernatural Landscapes

By Brian Haughton,

Book cover of Haunted Spaces, Sacred Places: A Field Guide to Stone Circles, Crop Circles, Ancient Tombs, and Supernatural Landscapes

What is my book about?

Examines the megaliths of Britain and Ireland, the tombs of the Etruscans, the ancient Native American city of Cahokia, and other legendary and mysterious places around the world, with a review of the myth, lore, and paranormal phenomena for which they are known.

The books I picked & why

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Avebury: Biography of a Landscape

By Joshua Pollard, Andrew Reynolds,

Book cover of Avebury: Biography of a Landscape

Why this book?

Dating back over 4,500 years, Avebury is the world's largest prehistoric stone circle. It stands inside a village in Wiltshire, southern England. This book is not just a biography of the ancient site itself but also of the fascinating and highly unusual ritual landscape surrounding it. The most detailed, interesting, and clearly expressed account of the origins of Avebury I have read. The context of this magnificent prehistoric site is finally revealed in all its mysterious glory.

Pagan Celtic Britain

By Anne Ross,

Book cover of Pagan Celtic Britain

Why this book?

I am fascinated by the author’s contention that neither the Roman invasion of Britain nor the coming of Christianity eliminated pagan religious practice across the land. I also like the combination of archaeological and anthropological evidence with folklore and tradition, which is very unusual in such works, and provides a far broader insight into the early Celtic world than most books of its type.

Lore Of The Land: A Guide To Englands Myths And Legends

By Jennifer Westwood, Jacqueline Simpson,

Book cover of Lore Of The Land: A Guide To Englands Myths And Legends

Why this book?

For me, the widely varying folklore and myths of England covered in this book help to reveal the rich, unique history that the country possesses. One worry I have is that such traditions are already disappearing from the fields and squares of the land, and indeed the minds of the people. This is due in no small part to the homogenisation of individual cultures by the mainstream mass media, something which unfortunately shows no signs of abating.

Britain Begins

By Barry Cunliffe,

Book cover of Britain Begins

Why this book?

I was attracted to this book as it uses the most up-to-date archaeological evidence together with new work on DNA and other scientific techniques to tell the story of the origins of the British and the Irish peoples, from around 10,000BC to the eve of the Norman Conquest. Whilst there are new archaeological discoveries made every week, one or two of which could potentially challenge some of the ideas in this work, at the moment it is the most up-to-date book on the subject which we have, and as such should be treasured.

The Greek Myths

By Robert Graves,

Book cover of The Greek Myths

Why this book?

Whilst there have been hundreds of books published about Greek myths, for me this is the one that appeals to my peculiar nature the most. Although the work has been heavily criticised by many academics, what I like is that Graves combines scholarly detail with the skill and imagination of the poet. Hence the characters are made to live and breathe again, as if the stories had been first recorded last month rather than thousands of years ago.

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Interested in folklore, England, and Celtic mythology?

5,309 authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about folklore, England, and Celtic mythology.

Folklore Explore 144 books about folklore

England Explore 647 books about England

Celtic Mythology Explore 11 books about Celtic mythology

And, 3 books we think you will enjoy!

We think you will like The Sword in the Stone, Concepts of Arthur, and Religion and the Decline of Magic: Studies in Popular Beliefs in Sixteenth and Seventeenth-Century England if you like this list.

The Sword in the Stone

By T. H. White,

Recommended by David Long

From David's list on the best adventure stories for young readers.

I love the medieval English setting, and the author clearly knew what he was talking about when it came to such energetic pursuits as archery, falconry, hunting, and jousting. The novel wasn’t terribly well-served by Disney’s cinematic retelling of it, but the idea of exploring King Arthur’s childhood is a fascinating one and the execution is terrific. The main character, Wart, is very well realised and White’s Merlyn is a brilliantly cunning and believable wizard.

Concepts of Arthur

By Thomas Green,

Recommended by Nicholas J. Higham

From Nicholas's list on the best books about the origins of King Arthur.

Green’s book is a great read, very scholarly, and inclusive of a great deal of comparatively early source material on Arthur. If you want a good discussion of how you could go from a figure of Celtic myth to one of history, again and again in multiple stories, this is the best guide to that journey and deserves a hearing, whether ultimately you agree with it or not. You’ll probably not be surprised to hear that I am not persuaded, despite my considerable respect for the arguments made herein, largely for the same reasons as I noted in looking at Padel’s work above. It is extraordinarily difficult to determine whether Arthur passed from ‘history’ to folk-lore or folk-lore to ‘history’, better in my view to not distinguish these as two separate genres with this much clarity.

As usual, it all comes down to the Historia Brittonum, which is called a ‘History’ but is not one in anything like the modern sense, containing as it does large numbers of fictional characters. Arthur is best seen as one of these, developed by its author to fit a particular need as a British hero who triumphed repeatedly and with divine aid over the Saxon in-comers who stole Britain.

Religion and the Decline of Magic

By Keith Thomas,

Recommended by Larry Silver

From Larry's list on the best books about values in European historical periods.

An unlikely complement to Huizinga tracing the overlap between magical beliefs in religion as well as astrology and the emerging accusations of witchcraft. Deeply immersed in research about 16th-17th century England, this book offers a form of historical anthropology for baseline views of the strange ideas that drove spiritual life.