Folklore of the Fens

In this episode, we delve into the rich folklore of the long lost Anglian fens.

Heroes and phantoms had made the marshlands their home, often during tumultuous and decisive moments in history.

Featured in this episode are a collection of tales. Hereward the Wake, Saxon England's last hero, stood stalwart against the Norman invaders under the command of Duke William. He held off the army by fortifying Ely Abbey, before the invaders made a bridge to cross to the isle, and hired a witch to curse the English into damnation.

King Canute sought refuge after a late night fishing on the fens, and found it in the humble hut of a fisherman, whose tragic past had him on a path to vengeance, one the Viking king was willing to aid.

Will o' the Wisps, also known as Jack o' Lanterns, lure unsuspecting travellers to their doom upon the marshes. The dancing flames are said to be fairies bent on misleading folk to their deaths in the sucking bogs and marshes.

[jodu]

I live in Ely. Have recently walked the area from which William the conqueror laid siege to Ely. You can still see the raised ground used as a port used by him to bring in material to conduct the battle. Seems to me the place is full of history but no one seems to want to celebrate it.

[V.T.]

Generations of family from the Fenns, I'm going for the first time to England this year. Staying in ely, but my peaple were mostly from Mepal and Sutton. Great video.

[psychachu]

Hey, I live in the Fens, and this was great! Thanks for the upload. :)

[teachingme]

Live on the edge of the Fens. I loved the tone of this video and the imagery. Fantastic work x

[leahmontgo]

"Brain-Biter" is a fantastic name for a sword lol

[THINKincessantly]

Howdy from Texas! Well told story mate, enjoyed the pictures as the story played out even moreso——some of those of the Ely Cathedral were very neat! Although those of Hereward always outshine the rest! Long and good health to you !🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[nicolabraybrooke]

I was born in Ely so this is very interesting

[Edge-of-Reason]

Ely is not named after eels although the fact Christianity claimed it was them that done so is no surprise. Élig is anglo saxon for higher. Hence ely is actually named quite sensibly from the simple fact its higher. Yet another example of the church making it up as they go along

[tikkathreebarrels]

Turned monks into eels: show us the proof!

[TheWizardOfTheFens]

Please, please, PLEASE....Get things correct. The Normans did not fight or conquer the Saxons. At the time of the invasion they were then known as the Englisc.