Page "The Weirdstone of Brisingamen" Paragraph 9

Alan's own grandfather, Joseph Garner, " could read, but didn't and so was virtually unlettered ", but instead taught his grandson the various folk tales about The Edge, with Alan later remarking that as a result he was " aware of Edge's magic " as a child, when he would often play there with his friends.

The story of the king and the wizard living under the hill played an important part in the young Alan's life, becoming " deeply embedded in my psyche " and heavily influencing his novels, in particular The Weirdstone of Brisingamen.