English mythology, like the conglomerate society which it represents, with a long and elaborate history of invasion and settlement by diverse cultures, is one which has nevertheless an entirely idiosyncratic nature of its own. England is the largest and most populous of the four main divisions of the United Kingdom. ...

Laying aside the considerations of contemporary myths such as that of Deep England, there are a number of distinctive mythical folk heroes and legends, many of which have their roots steeped in the vestiges of historical fact: King Arthur, Hereward the Wake, Robin Hood, the lost land of Lyonesse. The term Merry England, or in more jocular, half-timbered spelling Merrie England, refers to a semi-mythological, idyllic, and pastoral way of life that the lucky inhabitants of England allegedly enjoyed at some poorly-defined point between the Middle Ages and the completion of the Industrial Revolution. ... King Arthur is an important figure in the mythology of Great Britain, where he appears as the ideal of kingship in both war and peace. ... Hereward the Wake was an 11th century leader in England who led resistance to the Norman Conquest and was consequently labelled an outlaw. ... Robin Hood is the archetypal English folk hero, an outlaw who, in modern versions of the legend, stole from the rich to give to the poor. ... Lyonesse, Lyoness, or Lyonnesse is the sunken land (or, Lost Land) believed in legend to lie off the Isles of Scilly, to the south-west of Cornwall. ...

There is a great deal of regional vegetation, and this reflects the historical sense of geographical separation which pre-existed today's transport systems. In Cornwall, for example, there are a number of faery species including the pixies, sometimes known as piskeys, and the spirits of the mine-shafts, the knockers, and these are known nowhere else in England. On Dartmoor, a traveller thought to have gone astray on the moor was said to have been 'pixie-led'. Motto: Onan hag oll (Cornish: One and all) Englands Great Toe Geography Status Ceremonial and (smaller) Administrative county Traditional county Duchy of Cornwall Region South West England Area - Total - Admin. ... In mythology and in fiction, Faerie (also Faery) is an otherworldly realm, home to the Fae or fairies. ... Pixies are mythical creatures of English folklore, considered to be particularly concentrated in the areas around Devon and Cornwall. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... Dartmoor is a National Park in the centre of the English county of Devon. ...

Fantasy author JRR Tolkien believed that traditional English mythology had been largely wiped out by the Norman invasion, and much of his writing stems from his belief that this mythology could be reconstructed through linguistics - for example, the Barrow-wights stem from an Old English word meaning "man", which survives today in the name of the Isle of Wight. J. R. R. Tolkien in 1916, wearing his British Army uniform in a photograph from the middle years of WW1. ...

See also

• English folklore