Welsh folklore is the collective term for the folklore of the Welsh people. It encompasses topics related to Welsh mythology, folk tales, customs, and oral tradition.
Welsh folklore is related to Irish and Scottish folklore due to its Celtic traditions, as well as English folklore. It also shares similarities with Breton and Cornish folklore due to shared history.
Welsh mythology, also known as Y Chwedlau (Welsh for 'the legends'), consists of both folk traditions developed in Wales, and traditions developed by the Celtic Britons elsewhere before the end of the first millennium. As in most of the predominantly oral societies Celtic mythology and history were recorded orally by specialists such as druids (Welsh: derwyddon). This oral record has been lost or altered as a result of outside contact and invasion over the years. Much of this altered mythology and history is preserved in mediaeval Welsh manuscripts, which include the Red Book of Hergest, the White Book of Rhydderch, the Book of Aneirin and the Book of Taliesin. Other works connected to Welsh mythology include the ninth-century Latin historical compilation Historia Brittonum (History of the Britons) and Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th-century Latin chronicle Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain), as well as later Welsh folklore, such as the materials collected in The Welsh Fairy Book by William Jenkyn Thomas (1908).
British folklore includes topics such as the region's legends, recipes, and folk beliefs seen throughout the United Kingdom or Britain. British folklore includes English folklore, Scottish folklore and Welsh folklore. Many of these shared tales are tied to real modern and ancient geographical features that have inspired stories of mythical creatures and characters. The traditions inherited from folklore of generations past also still continue to influence present British culture in regards to current local festivals, literature and preserved customs.