Chapter I: Front Matter

WELSH FAIRY-TALES AND OTHER STORIES

By Anonymous

Collected And Edited By P. H. Emerson

To

Leonard, Sybil, Gladys, And Zoe.

AUTHOR’S NOTE.

These tales were collected by me whilst living in Anglesea during the winter 1891-2.

With the exception of the French story, they were told me and I took them down at the time.

Particulars respecting the narratives will be found in the Notes.

In most cases I have done but little “editing”, preferring to give the stories as told.

The old book referred to in the Notes I bought from a country bookseller, who knew neither its author, title, or date, but I have since been informed the book is Williams’ _Observations on the Snowdon Mountains_, published in 1802, a book well known to students of Celtic literature.

P. H. E.

CLARINGBOLD, BROADSTAIRS. _April 1894_.

CONTENTS.

THE FAIRIES OF CARAGONAN Welsh
THE CRAIG-Y-DON BLACKSMITH Welsh
OLD GWILYM Welsh
THE BABY-FARMER Welsh
THE OLD MAN AND THE FAIRIES Welsh
TOMMY PRITCHARD Welsh
KADDY’S LUCK Welsh
THE STORY OF GELERT Welsh
ORIGIN OF THE WELSH Welsh
THE CROWS Welsh
ROBERTS AND THE FAIRIES Welsh
THE FAIRY OF THE DELL Welsh
ELLEN’S LUCK Welsh
THE FAIRIES’ MINT Welsh
THE PELLINGS Welsh
THE LONG-LIVED ANCESTORS Welsh
THE GIANTESS’S APRON-FULL Welsh
A FABLE Welsh
THE STORY OF THE PIG-TROUGH Irish
BILLY DUFFY AND THE DEVIL Irish
JOHN O’ GROATS Scotch
EVA’S LUCK Jersey
THE FISHERMEN OF SHETLAND Shetland
THE PASTOR’S NURSE French
NOTES

THE FAIRIES OF CARAGONAN.

Once upon a time a lot of fairies lived in Mona.

One day the queen fairy’s daughter, who was now fifteen years of age, told her mother she wished to go out and see the world.

The queen consented, allowing her to go for a day, and to change from a fairy to a bird, or from a bird to a fairy, as she wished.

When she returned one night she said:

“I’ve been to a gentleman’s house, and as I stood listening, I heard the gentleman was witched: he was very ill, and crying out with pain.”

“Oh, I must look into that,” said the queen.

So the next day she went through her process and found that he was bewitched by an old witch. So the following day she set out with six other fairies, and when they came to the gentleman’s house she found he was very ill.

Going into the room, bearing a small blue pot they had brought with them, the queen asked him:

“Would you like to be cured?”

“Oh, bless you; yes, indeed.”

Whereupon the queen put the little blue pot of perfume on the centre of the table, and lit it, when the room was instantly filled with the most delicious odour.

Whilst the perfume was burning, the six fairies formed in line behind her, and she leading, they walked round the table three times, chanting in chorus:

“Round and round three times three,
We have come to cure thee.”

At the end of the third round she touched the burning perfume with her wand, and then touched the gentleman on the head, saying:

“Be thou made whole.”

No sooner had she said the words than he jumped up hale and hearty, and said:

“Oh, dear queen, what shall I do for you? I’ll do anything you wish.”

“Money I do not wish for,” said the queen, “but there’s a little plot of ground on the sea-cliff I want you to lend me, for I wish to make a ring there, and the grass will die when I make the ring. Then I want you to build three walls round the ring, but leave the sea-side open, so that we may be able to come and go easily.”

“With the greatest of pleasure,” said the gentleman; and he built the three stone walls at once, at the spot indicated.