One could hear about the Breton forest from the works of numerous poets and writers who praised it, admired it and marveled at its anomalies. This place is located in France. It is also called the "Broceliande" forest, but this forest is fictitious, and its prototype is the real forest in Brittany "Pempon".
If you believe all the legends compiled about the above-described area, then in ancient times mythical magical creatures such as dwarfs, fairies, gnomes lived there, and terrible fire-breathing monsters flew in the sky, with which brave knights fought.
The Broceliande Forest was originally a haven for druids and mages
The first legends about the forest appeared in ancient times, when modern Brittany was inhabited by Celts, who called it Amorica. Based on the stories, the entire territory of Brittany was densely covered with the oldest trees, and also small fast rivers flowed through it. Each tree supposedly had a certain power, was able to fulfill wishes, and severely punished uninvited guests.
It is now believed that the Pempon forest is a small part of the above-described area, which miraculously survived to our time. In the ancient "Broceliande" druids lived - good magicians-sorcerers, whose designation literally translates as "people of the oak". It was here that the rulers of the Celts stayed in order to consult with wise priests and druids before campaigns and wars.
Several ancient oaks have survived in the modern Pempon forest, which may have seen real druids in their time. The most famous of these is the Gil Oten relic oak.
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According to some reports, the age of this tree is more than two thousand years. Its trunk has about nine meters in girth, and ten adults can easily fit in its old hollow.
The Broceliande Forest is guarded by fairies
The most famous inhabitants of the fairytale forest "Broceliande" were fairies. Legends of Brittany tell that in ancient times these creatures somehow deserved the wrath of the gods, who sent them to the forest as punishment. In the Broceliande forest, the poor fairies have found the magical spring Barenton.
The water from this reservoir helped them to maintain their youth and beauty. So that the locals of Brittany did not bother the fairies, they decided to take patronage over them, after which they began to help them in any difficult situation.
Inside the forest and "Pempon" there is a beautiful small lake called "Fairy Mirror". According to legend, once an evil sorcerer wanted to take possession of this area, for which he drove all the fairies out of the Broceliande forest. Those, in turn, cried incessantly until they cried the whole lake. A little later, the fairies managed to regain their territory, and the "Fairy Mirror" became a reserved place for local residents.
According to rumors, fairies still live in the Pempon forest, but the lake there is no longer so beautiful and magical. Previously, it was mirror-clear, so that some people could see their future in it. But today, except for duckweed, nothing can be examined there.
Tiny little men Corrians are no less interesting inhabitants of the ancient forest "Broceliande"
Some legends say that after the onset of autumn frosts in the ancient forest "Broceliande", or rather in the one that remained of it ("Pempon"), from all around small men converge, which are called Corrians. They hide there in winter.
Despite the fact that this people is considered harmless, some locals claim that it is the Corrians who scare passers-by at night, having fun in this way. If the passer-by is not afraid of their jokes, then they offer him to dance for a reward, which he will receive only if he can dance Corrian. According to the rules, the agreeing sticks a knife into the ground and dances around him. He must not touch the weapon, otherwise the confrontation is automatically lost.
The grave of the most famous wizard Merlin is located in the Pempon forest
Today "Pempon" is often visited by crowds of tourists in order to visit the grave of the most famous sorcerer of all times, Merlin, whose life path ended in the forest "Broceliande". Legend has it that after a quarrel with his student Arthur, an upset Merlin hid in the forest described above, in which he found his only love - the sorceress Viviana.
The old man fell in love with a beautiful young sorceress, and she, taking advantage of his kindness, drank all the vitality from him. Once, when Merlin was walking with Viviana, she invited him to sit and relax under the shade of an oak tree. When he agreed, she drove him to sleep, and then imprisoned him in the dungeon, in which the great sorcerer died.
There are two large boulders at the site of the Pempon, where Merlin's tomb is located. Some guides say that the wizard is still in the dungeon, and alive. Others claim that Merlin is dead.
Knights considered "Broceliande" a place of glory
According to legend, all the knights fought with the last dragons on Earth in this ancient forest. But with the ancient giants, who may well have been the descendants of dinosaurs, it was not easy to fight. With the last dragon, two knights had to fight at once.
The lake had its own personal knight-protector, which was also called the Fountain of Youth. It was his water that preserved the beauty of fairies, and also could heal. It should be noted that even in the official old documents it was indicated that almost every knight sought to visit the "Barenton" (Source of Youth). The reason for this was the miraculous power of the lake, the water from which supposedly could cause a powerful storm that could protect against enemies.