Why were fairies said to steal healthy babies? What happened to the children they left behind? And could the fairy folk return at the end of your life... to steal the dead as well?

In this episode of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast, I explore one of the strangest beliefs in Celtic folklore. Alongside the familiar tales of changelings and stolen children, we'll uncover an extraordinary tradition claiming that fairies also carried away the dying, leaving one of their own behind to be buried instead.

Along the way, we'll discover the simple charms once believed to protect children from the fairy folk, compare traditions from Wales, Scotland, England and Ireland, and ask why these stories survived for so many generations.

If fairies could steal babies, why would they return at the end of someone's life to do the same again?

Coming up: Welsh folklore, fairy lore, changelings, Celtic traditions, supernatural beliefs and some truly remarkable stories from Britain and Ireland.

Tune in now... if you dare! 👻

Until next time, nos da x

Ghosts and Folklore of Wales is a monthly podcast exploring Welsh ghost stories, folklore, strange history and forgotten accounts drawn from books, newspapers, archives and personal experiences.

Hosted by Mark Rees, a Welsh journalist and author of books including Ghosts of Wales and Paranormal Wales, each episode looks at the uncanny stories people recorded across Wales and beyond - from rural legends and Victorian sightings to odd reports that never quite settled into explanation.

New episodes four weeks.

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