76 tales of brave warriors, clever women, star-crossed lovers, magic, miracles, cruelty, compassion, betrayal, and wry humour. Three pre-eminent historical legends are featured: El Cid, Fernán González, and The Seven Princes of Lara. Other stories include the 13th-century BC The Coming of the Almujuces to Galicia, How the Basques Discovered Ireland, the naming of Madrid's Street of the Head, the tragic Peña de los Enamorados (Lovers' Peak) in Antequera, and the dramatic true history behind the legend of Guzmán el Bueno's Heroic Deed of Tarifa. Lavishly illustrated with photographs of the locations of the stories. ... an engaging book which might well appeal to a popular readership. ... a concise, readable style ... helps to bring history to life. --Enda Ó Catháin - Béaloideas: The Journal of the Folklore of Ireland Society, Vol. 78, 2010 In short, this is a book which we absolutely need to take along on our next journey to Spain. --Gabriele Haefs, Folk Magazin, Germany (translated from German by the reviewer) All told in the same straightforward style with a minimum of flourishes or description. ... a nice production with colour photographs of places mentioned in the text. --Books Ireland, No. 321, May 2010 Fascinating, especially to those of us who live down in the south of Spain. --Gillie Revill, Talk Radio Europe (Spain), 14 December 2010 This collection of legends (broadly defined) is meant to be representative rather than comprehensive. As a Basque saying goes, "A small fountain quenches your thirst as well as a big one." I have selected the stories based on period, place, theme and type. Galicia and the Basque Country are especially rich in local tales, Burgos (Old Castile) in medieval historical legends. During the Christian Reconquest of Moorish Spain between AD 718 and 1492, there is a concentration of accounts of courage and compassion, cruelty and outrage at action hot spots such as Toledo and Seville and throughout the shifting borderlands. Most of the legends have come to me from multiple sources. I have compiled my versions of these in a straightforward manner in the style I feel is best suited to each story, giving precedence to the narrative while reflecting the often formal tone of the older sources. Historical and background information necessary to the appreciation of each story is provided in a brief introduction or incorporated in the text. Additional information is in the Notes section in the back of the book. These 76 tales of brave warriors, clever women, star-crossed lovers, magic, miracles, cruelty, compassion, betrayal, and wry humour feature the pre-eminent El Cid Fernán González The Seven Princes of Lara Other stories include the 13th-century BC Coming of the Almujuces to Galicia, How the Basques Discovered Ireland , the naming of Madrid's Street of the Head , the tragic Peña de los Enamorados in Antequera, and the dramatic true history behind Guzmán el Bueno's Heroic Deed of Tarifa . Richard Marsh is a storyteller specialising in Irish, Spanish and Basque legends. He tells in Ireland, Spain, the USA and elsewhere and collects stories on his travels to tell in other countries. In Ireland, he is also a Legendary Tours guide, taking people to the places where the legends happened and telling them on site. Other books include The Legends and Lands of Ireland , Tales of the Wicklow Hills , Au Pair in Ireland , and English Like It Is: Right, Wrong and Changing Usage .