The Celtic Heart of France

When Roman legions marched through Gaul, when Frankish kings claimed dominion, when French revolutionary fervor sought to erase regional differences, Brittany remained stubbornly itself. The Breton language, cousin to Welsh and Cornish, preserved stories that elsewhere existed only as whispers. Here, the old gods never quite departed; they merely donned new guises or retreated to hidden realms, waiting.

The very landscape of Brittany seems designed for legend. The Forest of Brocéliande (today's Paimpont Forest) harbors Arthurian mysteries. Carnac's prehistoric stone alignments—over 3,000 menhirs marching in formation—inspire tales of petrified armies. Rocky coastlines riddled with caves and grottos provide perfect homes for supernatural beings, while inland moors stretch endlessly under grey skies, places where a traveler might easily lose their way between worlds.