Chapter I: Preface (1)

To this Essay on the "Folk-lore of North Wales," was awarded the first prize at the Welsh National Eisteddfod, held in London, in 1887. The prize consisted of a silver medal, and 20 pounds. The adjudicators were Canon Silvan Evans, Professor Rhys, and Mr Egerton Phillimore, editor of the _Cymmrodor_.

By an arrangement with the Eisteddfod Committee, the work became the property of the publishers, Messrs. Woodall, Minshall, & Co., who, at the request of the author, entrusted it to him for revision, and the present Volume is the result of his labours.

Before undertaking the publishing of the work, it was necessary to obtain a sufficient number of subscribers to secure the publishers from loss. Upwards of two hundred ladies and gentlemen gave their names to the author, and the work of publication was commenced. The names of the subscribers appear at the end of the book, and the writer thanks them one and all for their kind support. It is more than probable that the work would never have been published had it not been for their kind assistance. Although the study of Folk-lore is of growing interest, and its importance to the historian is being acknowledged; still, the publishing of a work on the subject involved a considerable risk of loss to the printers, which, however, has been removed in this case, at least to a certain extent, by those who have subscribed for the work.

The sources of the information contained in this essay are various, but the writer is indebted, chiefly, to the aged inhabitants of Wales, for his information. In the discharge of his official duties, as Diocesan Inspector of Schools, he visited annually, for seventeen years, every parish in the Diocese of St. Asaph, and he was thus brought into contact with young and old. He spent several years in Carnarvonshire, and he had a brother, the Revd. Elijah Owen, M.A., a Vicar in Anglesey, from whom he derived much information. By his journeys he became acquainted with many people in North Wales, and he hardly ever failed in obtaining from them much singular and valuable information of bye-gone days, which there and then he dotted down on scraps of paper, and afterwards transferred to note books, which still are in his possession.

It was his custom, after the labour of school inspection was over, to ask the clergy with whom he was staying to accompany him to the most aged inhabitants of their parish. This they willingly did, and often in the dark winter evenings, lantern in hand, they sallied forth on their journey, and in this way a rich deposit of traditions and superstitions was struck and rescued from oblivion. Not a few of the clergy were themselves in full possession of all the quaint sayings and Folk-lore of their parishes, and they were not loath to transfer them to the writer's keeping. In the course of this work, the writer gives the names of the many aged friends who supplied him with information, and also the names of the clergy who so willingly helped him in his investigations. But so interesting was the matter obtained from several of his clerical friends, that he thinks he ought in justice to acknowledge their services in this preface. First and foremost comes up to his mind, the Rev. R. Jones, formerly Rector of Llanycil, Bala, but now of Llysfaen, near Abergele. This gentleman's memory is stored with reminiscences of former days, and often and again his name occurs in these pages. The Rev. Canon Owen Jones, formerly Vicar of Pentrefoelas, but now of Bodelwyddan, near Rhyl, also supplied much interesting information of the people's doings in former days, and I may state that this gentleman is also acquainted with Welsh literature to an extent seldom to be met with in the person of an isolated Welsh parson far removed from books and libraries. To him I am indebted for the perusal of many MSS. To the Rev. David James, formerly Rector of Garthbeibio, now of Pennant, and to his predecessor the Rev. W. E. Jones, Bylchau; the late Rev. Ellis Roberts (Elis Wyn o Wyrfai); the Rev. M. Hughes, Derwen; the Rev. W. J. Williams, Llanfihangel-Glyn-Myfyr, and in a great degree to his aged friend, the Rev. E. Evans, Llanfihangel, near Llanfyllin, whose conversation in and love of Welsh literature of all kinds, including old Welsh Almanacks, was almost without limit, and whose knowledge and thorough sympathy with his countrymen made his company most enjoyable. To him and to all these gentlemen above named, and to others, whose names appear in the body of this work, the writer is greatly indebted, and he tenders his best thanks to them all.

The many books from which quotations are made are all mentioned in connection with the information extracted from their pages.

Welsh Folk-lore is almost inexhaustible, and in these pages the writer treats of only one branch of popular superstitions. Ancient customs are herein only incidentally referred to, but they are very interesting, and worthy of a full description. Superstitions associated with particular days and seasons are also omitted. Weather signs are passed over, Holy wells around which cluster superstitions of bye-gone days form no part of this essay. But on all these, and other branches of Folk-lore, the author has collected much information from the aged Welsh peasant, and possibly some day in the uncertain future he may publish a continuation of the present volume.

He has already all but finished a volume on the Holy Wells of North Wales, and this he hopes to publish at no very distance period.

The author has endeavoured in all instances to give the names of his informants, but often and again, when pencil and paper were produced, he was requested not to mention in print the name of the person who was speaking to him. This request was made, not because the information was incorrect, but from false delicacy; still, in every instance, the writer respected this request. He, however, wishes to state emphatically that he has authority for every single bit of Folk-lore recorded. Very often his work was merely that of a translator, for most of his information, derived from the people, was spoken in Welsh, but he has given in every instance a literal rendering of the narrative, just as he heard it, without embellishments or additions of any kind whatsoever.

ELIAS OWEN

_Llanyblodwel Vicarage_,
_St. Mark's Day_, _1896_.

INDEX

Aberhafesp, Spirit in Church of 169
_Angelystor_, announcing deaths 170
AEschylus' Cave-dwellers 113
_Annwn_, _Gwragedd_ 3 134
Annwn, Plant 3
Antagonism between Pagan faiths 160 161 181
_Animal Folk-Lore_ 308-352
Ass 337
Bee 337-340
Birds Singing 310
Flocking 310
Blind worm 352
Cat 321 323 340-342
Cow 129-137 342
Crow 304 314-315
Crane 321
Crickets 342-3
Cuckoo 317-321
Cock 310 321
Duck 321
Eagle 321
Flying Serpent 349
Frog 281
Fox 193
Goose 304 305 312
Goatsucker 322
Haddock 345
Hare 343-345
Heron 321 323
Hen 305 322
Hedgehog 345
Horse 346
Jackdaw 324
Ladybird 347
Magpie 324-327
Mice 348
Mole 348
Owl 304 327
Peacock 327
Pigeon 327
Pigs 348
Raven 304 328
Rook, Crow 304 314 316 316
Robin Redbreast 329 332
Seagull 329 330
Sawyer, Tit 331
Snakes 348-350
Slowworm 352
Sheep 351
Swallow 330 331
Swan 331
Swift 331
Spider 351
Squirrel 351
Tit-Major 331
Woodpigeon 333-336
Woodpecker 336
Wren 331-333
Yellowhammer 337

All Hallow Eve, Nos Glan Gaua 95 Spirits abroad 138-9 168-70 Divination on 280-1 286 288-9 Apparitions 181-209 293-297 Applepip divination 290 Arawn 128 _Avanc_ 133

"_Bardd Cwsg_, _Y_" 144 284 285 Baring-Gould--Spirit leaving body 293 Piper of Hamelin 307 Beaumaris spirit tale 293 Bell, Hand, used at funerals 171-2 Corpse 172 Passing 171-2 Veneration for 172 Devil afraid of 171 Ringing at storms 173 Spirits flee before sound of 173 Bella Fawr, a witch 223 Betty'r Bont, a witch 236 240 Belief in witchcraft 217 Bennion, Doctor 216 Bees, Buying a hive of 337 Swarming 338 Strange swarm 339 Deserting hive 339 Hive in roof of house 339 Informing bees of a death 339 Putting bees into mourning 340 Stolen 340 _Bendith y Mamau_ 2 Bible, a talisman 151 245 248 Bible and key divination 288 Bingley's North Wales--Knockers 121 Birds singing in the night 305 before February 310 Flocking in early Autumn 310 Feathers of 310 Blindworm 352 Boy taken to Fairyland 48 _Brenhin Llwyd_ 142 Bryn Eglwys Man and Fairies 36 "_British Goblins_," Fairy dances 94 97 "_Brython_, _Y_," Fairies' revels 95 Burne's, Miss, Legend of White Cow 131-2 Burns, Old Nick in Kirk 168 Nut divination 289

_Canwyll Corph_, see Corpse Candle, Canoe in Llyn Llydaw 28 Card-playing 147-151 Cat, Fable of 323 Black, unlucky, &c 321 341 indicates weather 340 Black, drives fevers away 341 May, brings snakes to house 341 Witches taking form of 224 Caesar's reference to Celtic Superstitions 277 310 343 _Careg-yr-Yspryd_ 212 _Careg Gwr Drwg_ 190 Caellwyngrydd Spirit 214 Cave-dwellers 112-13 _Ceffyl y Dwfr_, the Water Horse 138-141 _Cetyn y Tylwyth Teg_ 109 Ceridwen 234 Cerrig-y-drudion Spirit Tale 294 Cerrig-y-drudion, Legend of Church 132 _Ceubren yr Ellyll_, Legend of 191 Changelings, Fairy 51-63 Churches built on Pagan sites 160 Mysterious removal of 174-181 Chaucer on Fairies 89 Charms 238-9 258 262 276 Charm for Shingles 262-3 Toothache 264-266 Whooping Cough 266 Fits 266 Fighting Cocks 267 312 Asthma 267 Warts 267-8 Stye 268 Quinsy 268 Wild wart 268 Rheumatism 269 Ringworm 269 Cattle 269-272 Stopping bleeding 272 Charm with Snake's skin 273 Rosemary 273-4 Charm for making Servants reliable 272 Sweethearts 281 Charm of Conjurors 239-254 Charm for Clefyd y Galon, or Heart Disease 274 _Clefyd yr Ede Wlan_, or Yarn Sickness 275 Christmas Eve, free from Spirits 192 Churns witched 238 _Clefyd y Galon_ 274 _Clefyd yr Ede Wlan_ 275 Crickets in House lucky 342 Deserting house unlucky 343 Crane, see Heron _Coblynau_, Knockers 112-121 _Coel Ede Wlan_, or Yarn Test 283 Corpse Candle 298-300 Cock, unlawful to eat 343 Devil in form of 310 Offering of 311 Crowing of, at doors 311 Crowing at night 298 Crowing drives Spirits away 311 Charm for Fighting 312 White, unlucky 321 341 Crow 304 314 315 Conjurors 251-262 Charms of 239 254 258-260 Tricks of 255 257 260-1 Cow, Dun 129 131 137 Legend of White 131 Freckled 130-1 Fairy Stray 134-137 Witched 243 _Cyhyraeth_, Death Sound 302 Cynon's Ghost 212 Cuckoo Superstitions 317-321 _Cwn Annwn_ 125-129

Dancing with Fairies 36-39
Davydd ab Gwilym and the Fairies 3 24
Death Portents 297-307
_Deryn Corph_, Corpse Bird 297
Devil 143-192
Devil's Tree 185
Bridge 190
Kitchen 190
Cave 191
Door 170
Destruction of Foxes 193
Dick Spot 212 255 256
Dick the Fiddler 84
Divination 279-290
Candle and Pin 287
_Coel Ede Wlan_, or Yarn Test 283
Frog stuck with Pins 281
Grass 288
Hemp Seed 286
Holly Tree 288
Key and Bible 288
Lovers' 289-90
Nut 289
Pullet's Egg 286
Snail 280
St. John's Wort 280
_Troi Crysau_, Clothes Drying 285
_Twca_, or Knife 284
Washing at Brook 285
Water in Basin 287
Dogs, Hell 125 127
Sky 125 127
Fairy 49 81 83 125
Dwarfs of Cae Caled 97
Droich 113-121
_Dyn Hysbys_ 209 259
_Drychiolaeth_, Spectre 301 302

Eagle, Superstitions about 263-4 321 _Erdion Banawg_ 131 _Ellyll_ 3 4 111 191 _Dan_ 112 _Ellyllon_, _Menyg_ 111 _Bwyd_ 111 Elf Dancers of _Cae Caled_ 98-100 Stones 110 Shots 110-11 Elidorus, the Fairies and 32-35 Epiphany 285-6 Evil Eye 219

Fable of Heron, Cat, and Bramble 323
Magpie and Woodpigeon 335
Robin Redbreast 329
Sea Gull 329
Famous Witches--
Betty'r Bont 236 240
Bella Fawr 223
Moll White 229 232
Pedws Ffoulk 242
Fabulous Animals, see Mythic Beings
Fairies, Origin of 1 2 35 36
Chaucer's reference to 89
Shakespeare's reference to 72 96 97
Milton's reference to 86
Fairies inveigling Men 36-44
Working for Men 85-87
Carrying Men in the air 100-102
in Markets and Fairs 108
Binding Men 112
Children offered to Satan by 63
Love of Truth 35
Grateful 72
Fairy Animals 81-3 124-5 129-132
Dances 87-97
Tricks 100-103
Knockers 112-124
Ladies marrying Men 5-24
Changelings 51-63
Implements 109-112
Men captured 104-107
Mothers and Human Midwives 63-67
Money 82-84
Riches and Gifts 72-81
Visits to human abodes 68-71
Families descended from 6 28
Fetch 294
Fire God 152
Fish, Satan in 153
Flying Serpent 349
Foxglove 111
Frog Divination 281
_Fuwch Frech_ 129-132
_Gyfeiliorn_ 129 134-137
_Ffynnon y Fuwch Frech_ 130
_Elian_ 216
_Oer_ 223

Gay, Nut divination 289
Giraldus Cambrensis 27 32 182
reference to Witches 233-236
Ghost, see Spirit
Ghost in Cerrigydrudion Church 132
Aberhafesp Church 169
Powis Castle 204
revealing Treasures 202
at Gloddaeth 193-4
Nannau Park 191
Tymawr 195
Frith Farm 196
Pontyglyn 197
Ystrad Fawr 197-8
Ty Felin 198
Llandegla 199
Llanidloes 199-200
Llawryglyn 348
Clwchdyrnog 202
Llanwddyn 212
David Salisbury's 201
Cynon's 212
Squire Griffiths' 200
Sir John Wynne's 211
Raising 215
Visiting the Earth 192
Glain Nadroedd 350
Goat-sucker 322
Goblins, different kinds of 5 97
Golden Chair 77
Goose flying over House 304
laying small egg 305
egg laying 312
Gossamer 112
_Gwiber_, Flying Serpent 349
_Gwion Bach_ 234
_Gwragedd Annwn_ 3
_Gwrach y Rhibyn_ 142
_Gwr Cyfarwydd_ 38 55 257 259
_Gwyddelod_ 80
_Gwyll_ 4
_Gwylliaid Cochion_ 4 5 6 25 26

Haddock, why so marked 345
Hag, Mist 142
Hare 227-230 236 343-345
crossing the road 230
Caesar's reference to 343
Giraldus Cambrensis on hags changing themselves to 233
hares
Man changed to a 236
Witch hunted in form of 230-233
Witch shot in the form of 228
S. Monacella, the patroness of hares 345
Harper and Fairies 91
Hedgehog sucking Cows 345
fee for destroying the 346
Hen Chrwchwd, a humpbacked fiend 142
Hen laying two eggs 305
March Chickens 322
Sitting 322
Hindu Fairy Tale 6-8
Heron, sign of weather changing 321 323
Fable of 323-4
Horse, Water, a mythic animal 138
White, lucky 346
Headless 155
Shoe Charm 246
Huw Llwyd, Cynfael, and Witches 224-227
Huw Llwyd and Magical Books 252
Hu Gadarn and the Avanc 133

Ignis Fatuus 112

Jackdaw considered sacred 324 _Jack Ffynnon Elian_ 216

Knockers, or Coblynau 4 97
in Mines 112-121

Ladybird, Weather Sign 347
Lady Jeffrey's Spirit 199
Lake Dwellers 27 28
Llanbrynmair Conjuror 258-9
Llangerniew Spirit 170
Llandegla Spirit 199
Llanddona Witches 222-3
Laying Spirits 209-215
Laws against Witches 218
_Llyn y Ddau Ychain Banawg_ 132
Legends--
_Careg Gwr Drwg_ 190
_Ceubren yr Ellyll_ 191
Fairy Changelings 51-63
_Dafydd Hiraddug_ 158-160
Devil's Bridge 190
Freckled Cow, or _Y Fuwch Frech_ 130
Fairy Marriages 5-24
Fairies inveigling Mortals 32-50
Fairies and Midwives 63-67
Flying Snake 349
Removal of Churches 174-181
Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr 10
Ghosts, see Ghost
Spirits, see Spirit
Satan or Devil, see Satan
_Lledrith_, or Spectre 303
_Llysiau Ifan_, St. John's Wort 280
_Llyn y Geulan Goch_ Spirit 162-166
_Llyn Llion_ 133

Magpie teaching Wood Pigeon to make Nest 335
Superstitions 324-327
Magician's Glass 255
Marriages, Fairy 44-48
Man dancing with Fairies 90 91
witnessing a Fairy dance 90 93
taken away by Fairies 32 36 37 101-102
turned into a Hare 236
turned into a Horse 236
May-day Revels 95
Evil Spirits abroad 168
Mermaids 142
Monacella, S. 345
Moles, Weather Sign 318
Moll White, a Witch 229 232
_Meddygon Myddvai_, Physicians 6 23 24
Mythic Beings--
_Avanc_ 133
_Ceffyl y Dwfr_, Water Horse 138
_Cwn Annwn_, Dogs of the Abyss 125
_Cwn Bendith y Mamau_, Fairy Dogs 125
_Cwn Wybir_, Sky Dogs 125 127
Dragon, or Flying Serpent 349-50
Fairies, see Fairy
_Fuwch Frech_, Fairy Cow 129-134
_Fuwch Gyfeiliorn_ 134-137
_Gwrach y Rhibyn_, Mist Hag 142
Knockers, see above
Mermaids and Mermen 142
Torrent Spectre 141
_Ychain Banawg_ 130-133
_Y Brenhin Llwyd_, the Grey King 142
Mysterious removal of Churches--
Llanllechid 174
Corwen 174
Capel Garmon 175
Llanfair D. C. 175
Llanfihangel Geneu'r Glyn 176
Wrexham 177
Llangar 179
Denbigh 180

Names given to the Devil 191-2 Nightmare 237 North door of Churches opened at Baptisms 171 North door of Churches opened for Satan to go out 170 North side of Churchyard unoccupied 171 _Nos Glan Gaua_ 95 138-9 168-170 280 281 286 288-89

_Ogof Cythreuliaid_ Devils' Cave 191 Ogwen Lake, Tale of Wraith 292 Old Humpbacked, Mythic Being 142 Omen, see Divination 279-290 Owl 304 327

Pan, prototype of Celtic Satan 146 Passing Bell 171-2 Peacock, Weather Sign 327 Pedwe Ffoulk, a Witch 242 Pellings, Fairy Origin 6 13 Pentrevoelas Legend 8 Physicians of Myddfai 6 23 24 Pig Superstitions 154 348 Pigeon Superstitions 327 Pins stuck in "Witch's Butter" 249 Places associated with Satan 190-1 _Plant Annwn_ 3 4 Poocah, Pwka, Pwca 121-124 138-40

Raven 304 328 Rhamanta, see Divination, 279-290 on Hallow Eve 281 _Rhaffau'r Tylwyth Teg_, Gossamer 112 _Rhys Gryg_ 24 Robin Redbreast 329 332-3 Rook, see Crow Rooks deserting Rookery 316 building new Rookery 316

Sabbath-breaking punished 152-157
Satan, see Apparitions and Devil
afraid of Bell-sounds 171
appearing to Man carrying Bibles 183
appearing to a Minister 184
appearing to a Man 185
appearing to a Sunday-breaker 152-3
appearing to a Sunday traveller 153
appearing as a lovely Maid 186
appearing to a young Man 188
appearing to a Collier 189
appearing to a Tippler 156-7
carrying a Man away 187
in form of a Pig 166
in form of a Fish 153
disappearing as a ball or wheel of fire 148 150
and Churches 160-170
outwitted 157-160
playing Cards 147 148 149
snatching a Man up into the air 150
Sawyer Bird, Tit-Major 331
Seagull, a Weather Sign 329-30
Seventh Daughter 250
Son 266
Shakespeare's Witches 219 220 221
Sheep, Black 351
Satan cannot enter 351
Sir John Wynne 211
Slowworm 352
Snakes 348
Flying 349
Snake Rings 350
Spells, how to break 244-251
Spectral Funeral 301-2
Spirit, see Ghost
Spirit laying 209-211
Spirits laid for a time 164 199 200 210 212
allowed to visit the earth 168
sent to the Red Sea 193 209 210 214
sent to Egypt 211
riding Horses 202
Spirit ejected from Cerrig-y-drudion Church 132
Llanfor Church 152-166
Llandysilio Church 166-7
Spirit in Llangerniew Church 170
Aberhafesp Church 169
Llandegla 199
Lady Jeffrey's 199-200
calling Doctor 294
St. John's Eve 52 95 168 280
St. David 299 307
Spiritualism 290-297
Spirit leaving body 291-293
Spider 351
Squirrel hunting 351-2
Swallow forsaking its nest 330
Breaking nest of 331
Swan, hatching eggs of 381
Swift, flying, Weather Sign 331
_Swyno'r 'Ryri_ 254 262 263-4

Taboo Stories 6 8-24 Tegid 306 Tit-Major, Weather Sign 331 _Tolaeth_ 303 Tobit, Spirit tale 182 210 Torrent Spectre 141 Transformation 227 234-237 Transmigration 276-279 _Tylwyth Teg_, see Fairies

Van Lake Fairy tale 16-24 Voice calling a Doctor 294

Water Horse 138-141
Water Worship 161
Welsh Airs 84 88
_Aden Ddu'r Fran_ 84
_Toriad y Dydd_ 88
Williams, Dr. Edward, and Fairies 97
Witches 216-251
Llanddona 222-3
transforming themselves into cats 224-226
transforming themselves into hares 227-235
hunted in form of hare 230-233
killed in form of hare 228
in churn in form of hare 229
cursing Horse 242
cursing Milk 238-9
cursing Pig 238
how tested 250-1
Spells, how broken 244-250
Punishment of 243
Laws against 218
Wife snatching 29
Woodpecker, Weather Sign 336
Woodpigeon 333-336
Wraith 292 294 308
Wren, unlucky to harm 331-2
Hunting the 332
Curse on breaker of nest 333
_Wyn Melangell_ 345

_Ystrad Legend_ 12 Yarn Sickness 275-6 Test 283-4 _Yspryd Cynon_ 212 _Ystrad Fawr_ 197-8

THE FAIRIES.

ORIGIN OF THE FAIRIES. (Y TYLWYTH TEG.)

The Fairy tales that abound in the Principality have much in common with like legends in other countries. This points to a common origin of all such tales. There is a real and unreal, a mythical and a material aspect to Fairy Folk-Lore. The prevalence, the obscurity, and the different versions of the same Fairy tale show that their origin dates from remote antiquity. The supernatural and the natural are strangely blended together in these legends, and this also points to their great age, and intimates that these wild and imaginative Fairy narratives had some historical foundation. If carefully sifted, these legends will yield a fruitful harvest of ancient thoughts and facts connected with the history of a people, which, as a race, is, perhaps, now extinct, but which has, to a certain extent, been merged into a stronger and more robust race, by whom they were conquered, and dispossessed of much of their land. The conquerors of the Fair Tribe have transmitted to us tales of their timid, unwarlike, but truthful predecessors of the soil, and these tales shew that for a time both races were co-inhabitants of the land, and to a certain extent, by stealth, intermarried.

Fairy tales, much alike in character, are to be heard in many countries, peopled by branches of the Aryan race, and consequently these stories in outline, were most probably in existence before the separation of the families belonging to that race. It is not improbable that the emigrants would carry with them, into all countries whithersoever they went, their ancestral legends, and they would find no difficulty in supplying these interesting stories with a home in their new country. If this supposition be correct, we must look for the origin of Fairy Mythology in the cradle of the Aryan people, and not in any part of the world inhabited by descendants of that great race.

But it is not improbable that incidents in the process of colonization would repeat themselves, or under special circumstances vary, and thus we should have similar and different versions of the same historical event in all countries once inhabited by a diminutive race, which was overcome by a more powerful people.

In Wales Fairy legends have such peculiarities that they seem to be historical fragments of by-gone days. And apparently they refer to a race which immediately preceded the Celt in the occupation of the country, and with which the Celt to a limited degree amalgamated.

NAMES GIVEN TO THE FAIRIES.

The Fairies have, in Wales, at least three common and distinctive names, as well as others that are not nowadays used.

The first and most general name given to the Fairies is "_Y Tylwyth Teg_," or, the Fair Tribe, an expressive and descriptive term. They are spoken of as a people, and not as myths or goblins, and they are said to be a fair or handsome race.

Another common name for the Fairies, is, "_Bendith y Mamau_," or, "The Mothers' Blessing." In Doctor Owen Pughe's Dictionary they are called "Bendith _eu_ Mamau," or, "_Their_ Mothers' Blessing." The first is the most common expression, at least in North Wales. It is a singularly strange expression, and difficult to explain. Perhaps it hints at a Fairy origin on the mother's side of certain fortunate people.

The third name given to Fairies is "_Ellyll_," an elf, a demon, a goblin. This name conveys these beings to the land of spirits, and makes them resemble the oriental Genii, and Shakespeare's sportive elves. It agrees, likewise, with the modern popular creed respecting goblins and their doings.

Davydd ab Gwilym, in a description of a mountain mist in which he was once enveloped, says:--

Yr ydoedd ym mhob gobant
_Ellyllon_ mingeimion gant.

There were in every hollow
A hundred wrymouthed elves.

_The Cambro-Briton_, v. I., p. 348.

In Pembrokeshire the Fairies are called _Dynon Buch Teg_, or the _Fair Small People_.

Another name applied to the Fairies is _Plant Annwfn_, or _Plant Annwn_. This, however, is not an appellation in common use. The term is applied to the Fairies in the third paragraph of a Welsh prose poem called _Bardd Cwsg_, thus:--

Y bwriodd y _Tylwyth Teg_ fi . . . oni bai fy nyfod i mewn
pryd i'th achub o gigweiniau _Plant Annwfn_.

Where the _Tylwyth Teg_ threw me . . . if I had not come
in time to rescue thee from the clutches of _Plant Annwfn_.

_Annwn_, or _Annwfn_ is defined in Canon Silvan Evans's Dictionary as an abyss, Hades, etc. _Plant Annwn_, therefore, means children of the lower regions. It is a name derived from the supposed place of abode--the bowels of the earth--of the Fairies. _Gwragedd Annwn_, dames of Elfin land, is a term applied to Fairy ladies.

Ellis Wynne, the author of _Bardd Cwsg_, was born in 1671, and the probability is that the words _Plant Annwfn_ formed in his days part of the vocabulary of the people. He was born in Merionethshire.

_Gwyll_, according to Richards, and Dr. Owen Pughe, is a Fairy, a goblin, etc. The plural of _Gwyll_ would be _Gwylliaid_, or _Gwyllion_, but this latter word Dr. Pughe defines as ghosts, hobgoblins, etc. Formerly, there was in Merionethshire a red haired family of robbers called _Y Gwylliaid Cochion_, or Red Fairies, of whom I shall speak hereafter.

_Coblynau_, or Knockers, have been described as a species of Fairies, whose abode was within the rocks, and whose province it was to indicate to the miners by the process of knocking, etc., the presence of rich lodes of lead or other metals in this or that direction of the mine.

That the words _Tylwyth Teg_ and _Ellyll_ are convertible terms appears from the following stanza, which is taken from the _Cambrian Magazine_, vol. ii, p. 58.

Pan dramwych ffridd yr Ywen,
Lle mae _Tylwyth Teg_ yn rhodien,
Dos ymlaen, a phaid a sefyll,
Gwilia'th droed--rhag dawnsva'r _Ellyll_.

When the forest of the Yew,
Where _Fairies_ haunt, thou passest through,
Tarry not, thy footsteps guard
From the _Goblins'_ dancing sward.

Although the poet mentions the _Tylwyth Teg_ and _Ellyll_ as identical, he might have done so for rhythmical reasons. Undoubtedly, in the first instance a distinction would be drawn between these two words, which originally were intended perhaps to describe two different kinds of beings, but in the course of time the words became interchangeable, and thus their distinctive character was lost. In English the words Fairies and elves are used without any distinction. It would appear from Brand's _Popular Antiquities_, vol. II., p. 478., that, according to Gervase of Tilbury, there were two kinds of Goblins in England, called _Portuni_ and _Grant_. This division suggests a difference between the _Tylwyth Teg_ and the _Ellyll_. The _Portuni_, we are told, were very small of stature and old in appearance, "_statura pusilli_, _dimidium pollicis non habentes_," but then they were "_senili vultu_, _facie corrugata_." The wrinkled face and aged countenance of the _Portuni_ remind us of nursery Fairy tales in which the wee ancient female Fairy figures. The pranks of the _Portuni_ were similar to those of Shakespeare's Puck. The species _Grant_ is not described, and consequently it cannot be ascertained how far they resembled any of the many kinds of Welsh Fairies. Gervase, speaking of one of these species, says:--"If anything should be to be carried on in the house, or any kind of laborious work to be done, they join themselves to the work, and expedite it with more than human facility."

In Scotland there were at least two species of elves, the _Brownies_ and the _Fairies_. The Brownies were so called from their tawny colour, and the Fairies from their fairness. The _Portuni_ of Gervase appear to have corresponded in character to the Brownies, who were said to have employed themselves in the night in the discharge of laborious undertakings acceptable to the family to whose service they had devoted themselves. The Fairies proper of Scotland strongly resembled the Fairies of Wales.

The term _Brownie_, or swarthy elve, suggests a connection between them and the _Gwylliaid Cochion_, or Red Fairies of Wales.

FAIRY LADIES MARRYING MORTALS.

In the mythology of the Greeks, and other nations, gods and goddesses are spoken of as falling in love with human beings, and many an ancient genealogy began with a celestial ancestor. Much the same thing is said of the Fairies. Tradition speaks of them as being enamoured of the inhabitants of this earth, and content, for awhile, to be wedded to mortals. And there are families in Wales who are said to have Fairy blood coursing through their veins, but they are, or were, not so highly esteemed as were the offspring of the gods among the Greeks. The famous physicians of Myddfai, who owed their talent and supposed supernatural knowledge to their Fairy origin, are, however, an exception; for their renown, notwithstanding their parentage, was always great, and increased in greatness, as the rolling years removed them from their traditionary parent, the Fairy lady of the Van Pool.

The _Pellings_ are said to have sprung from a Fairy Mother, and the author of _Observations on the Snowdon Mountains_ states that the best blood in his veins is fairy blood. There are in some parts of Wales reputed descendants on the female side of the _Gwylliaid Cochion_ race; and there are other families among us whom the aged of fifty years ago, with an ominous shake of the head, would say were of Fairy extraction. We are not, therefore, in Wales void of families of doubtful parentage or origin.

All the current tales of men marrying Fairy ladies belong to a class of stories called, technically, Taboo stories. In these tales the lady marries her lover conditionally, and when this condition is broken she deserts husband and children, and hies back to Fairy land.

This kind of tale is current among many people. Max Muller in _Chips from a German Workshop_, vol. ii, pp. 104-6, records one of these ancient stories, which is found in the Brahma_n_a of the Ya_g_ur-veda. Omitting a few particulars, the story is as follows:--

"Urvasi, a kind of Fairy, fell in love with Pururavas, the son of Ida, and when she met him she said, 'Embrace me three times a day, but never against my will, and let me never see you without your royal garments, for this is the manner of women.' In this manner she lived with him a long time, and she was with child. Then her former friends, the Gandharvas, said: 'This Urvasi has now dwelt a long time among mortals; let us see that she come back.' Now, there was a ewe, with two lambs, tied to the couch of Urvasi and Pururavas, and the Gandharvas stole one of them. Urvasi said: 'They take away my darling, as if I had lived in a land where there is no hero and no man.' They stole the second, and she upbraided her husband again. Then Pururavas looked and said: 'How can that be a land without heroes and men where I am?' And naked, he sprang up; he thought it too long to put on his dress. Then the Gandharvas sent a flash of lightning, and Urvasi saw her husband naked as by daylight. Then she vanished; 'I come back,' she said, and went.

Pururavas bewailed his love in bitter grief. But whilst walking along the border of a lake full of lotus flowers the Fairies were playing there in the water, in the shape of birds, and Urvasi discovered him and said:--

'That is the man with whom I dwelt so long.' Then her friends said: 'Let us appear to him.' She agreed, and they appeared before him. Then the king recognised her, and said:--

'Lo! my wife, stay, thou cruel in mind! Let us now exchange some words! Our secrets, if they are not told now, will not bring us back on any later day.'

She replied: 'What shall I do with thy speech? I am gone like the first of the dawns. Pururavas, go home again, I am hard to be caught, like the wind.'"

The Fairy wife by and by relents, and her mortal lover became, by a certain sacrifice, one of the Gandharvas.

This ancient Hindu Fairy tale resembles in many particulars similar tales found in Celtic Folk-Lore, and possibly, the original story, in its main features, existed before the Aryan family had separated. The very words, "I am hard to be caught," appear in one of the Welsh legends, which shall be hereafter given:--

Nid hawdd fy nala,
I am hard to be caught.

And the scene is similar; in both cases the Fairy ladies are discovered in a lake. The immortal weds the mortal, conditionally, and for awhile the union seems to be a happy one. But, unwittingly, when engaged in an undertaking suggested by, or in agreement with the wife's wishes, the prohibited thing is done, and the lady vanishes away.

Such are the chief features of these mythical marriages. I will now record like tales that have found a home in several parts of Wales.

WELSH LEGENDS OF FAIRY LADIES MARRYING MEN.

1. _The Pentrevoelas Legend_.

I am indebted to the Rev. Owen Jones, Vicar of Pentrevoelas, a mountain parish in West Denbighshire, for the following tale, which was written in Welsh by a native of those parts, and appeared in competition for a prize on the Folk-Lore of that parish.

The son of Hafodgarreg was shepherding his father's flock on the hills, and whilst thus engaged, he, one misty morning, came suddenly upon a lovely girl, seated on the sheltered side of a peat-stack. The maiden appeared to be in great distress, and she was crying bitterly. The young man went up to her, and spoke kindly to her, and his attention and sympathy were not without effect on the comely stranger. So beautiful was the young woman, that from expressions of sympathy the smitten youth proceeded to words of love, and his advances were not repelled. But whilst the lovers were holding sweet conversation, there appeared on the scene a venerable and aged man, who, addressing the female as her father, bade her follow him. She immediately obeyed, and both departed leaving the young man alone. He lingered about the place until the evening, wishing and hoping that she might return, but she came not. Early the next day, he was at the spot where he first felt what love was. All day long he loitered about the place, vainly hoping that the beautiful girl would pay another visit to the mountain, but he was doomed to disappointment, and night again drove him homewards. Thus daily went he to the place where he had met his beloved, but she was not there, and, love-sick and lonely, he returned to Hafodgarreg. Such devotion deserved its reward. It would seem that the young lady loved the young man quite as much as he loved her. And in the land of allurement and illusion (yn nhir hud a lledrith) she planned a visit to the earth, and met her lover, but she was soon missed by her father, and he, suspecting her love for this young man, again came upon them, and found them conversing lovingly together. Much talk took place between the sire and his daughter, and the shepherd, waxing bold, begged and begged her father to give him his daughter in marriage. The sire, perceiving that the man was in earnest, turned to his daughter, and asked her whether it were her wish to marry a man of the earth? She said it was. Then the father told the shepherd he should have his daughter to wife, and that she should stay with him, until he should strike her with _iron_, and that, as a marriage portion, he would give her a bag filled with bright money. The young couple were duly married, and the promised dowry was received. For many years they lived lovingly and happily together, and children were born to them. One day this man and his wife went together to the hill to catch a couple of ponies, to carry them to the Festival of the Saint of Capel Garmon. The ponies were very wild, and could not be caught. The man, irritated, pursued the nimble creatures. His wife was by his side, and now he thought he had them in his power, but just at the moment he was about to grasp their manes, off they wildly galloped, and the man, in anger, finding that they had again eluded him, threw the bridle after them, and, sad to say, the bit struck the wife, and as this was of _iron_ they both knew that their marriage contract was broken. Hardly had they had time to realise the dire accident, ere the aged father of the bride appeared, accompanied by a host of Fairies, and there and then departed with his daughter to the land whence she came, and that, too, without even allowing her to bid farewell to her children. The money, though, and the children were left behind, and these were the only memorials of the lovely wife and the kindest of mothers, that remained to remind the shepherd of the treasure he had lost in the person of his Fairy spouse.

Such is the Pentrevoelas Legend. The writer had evidently not seen the version of this story in the _Cambro-Briton_, nor had he read Williams's tale of a like occurrence, recorded in _Observations on the Snowdon Mountains_. The account, therefore, is all the more valuable, as being an independent production.

A fragmentary variant of the preceding legend was given me by Mr. Lloyd, late schoolmaster of Llanfihangel-Glyn-Myfyr, a native of South Wales, who heard the tale in the parish of Llanfihangel. Although but a fragment, it may not be altogether useless, and I will give it as I received it:--

Shon Rolant, Hafod y Dre, Pentrevoelas, when going home from Llanrwst market, fortunately caught a Fairy-maid, whom he took home with him. She was a most handsome woman, but rather short and slight in person. She was admired by everybody on account of her great beauty. Shon Rolant fell desperately in love with her, and would have married her, but this she would not allow. He, however, continued pressing her to become his wife, and, by and by, she consented to do so, provided he could find out her name. As Shon was again going home from the market about a month later, he heard some one saying, near the place where he had seized the Fairy-maid, "Where is little Penloi gone? Where is little Penloi gone?" Shon at once thought that some one was searching for the Fairy he had captured, and when he reached home, he addressed the Fairy by the name he had heard, and Penloi consented to become his wife. She, however, expressed displeasure at marrying a dead man, as the Fairies call us. She informed her lover that she was not to be touched with _iron_, or she would disappear at once. Shon took great care not to touch her with _iron_. However, one day, when he was on horseback talking to his beloved Penloi, who stood at the horse's head, the horse suddenly threw up its head, and the curb, which was of _iron_, came in contact with Penloi, who immediately vanished out of sight.

The next legend is taken from Williams's _Observations on the Snowdon Mountains_. His work was published in 1802. He, himself, was born in Anglesey, in 1738, and migrated to Carnarvonshire about the year 1760. It was in this latter county that he became a learned antiquary, and a careful recorder of events that came under his notice. His "Observations" throw considerable light upon the life, the customs, and the traditions of the inhabitants of the hill parts and secluded glens of Carnarvonshire. I have thought fit to make these few remarks about the author I quote from, so as to enable the reader to give to him that credence which he is entitled to. Williams entitles the following story, "A Fairy Tale," but I will for the sake of reference call it "The Ystrad Legend."

2. _The Ystrad Legend_.

"In a meadow belonging to Ystrad, bounded by the river which falls from Cwellyn Lake, they say the Fairies used to assemble, and dance on fair moon-light-nights. One evening a young man, who was the heir and occupier of this farm, hid himself in a thicket close to the spot where they used to gambol; presently they appeared, and when in their merry mood, out he bounced from his covert and seized one of their females; the rest of the company dispersed themselves, and disappeared in an instant. Disregarding her struggles and screams, he hauled her to his home, where he treated her so very kindly that she became content to live with him as his maid servant; but he could not prevail upon her to tell him her name. Some time after, happening again to see the Fairies upon the same spot, he heard one of them saying, 'The last time we met here, our sister _Penelope_ was snatched away from us by one of the mortals!' Rejoiced at knowing the name of his _Incognita_, he returned home; and as she was very beautiful, and extremely active, he proposed to marry her, which she would not for a long time consent to; at last, however, she complied, but on this condition, 'That if ever he should strike her with iron, she would leave him, and never return to him again.' They lived happily for many years together, and he had by her a son, and a daughter; and by her industry and prudent management as a house-wife he became one of the richest men in the country. He farmed, besides his own freehold, all the lands on the north side of Nant-y-Bettws to the top of Snowdon, and all Cwmbrwynog in Llanberis; an extent of about five thousand acres or upwards.

Unfortunately, one day Penelope followed her husband into the field to catch a horse; and he, being in a rage at the animal as he ran away from him, threw at him the bridle that was in his hand, which unluckily fell on poor Penelope. She disappeared in an instant, and he never saw her afterwards, but heard her voice in the window of his room one night after, requesting him to take care of the children, in these words:--

Rhag bod anwyd ar fy mab,
Yn rhodd rhowch arno gob ei dad,
Rhag bod anwyd ar liw'r cann,
Rhoddwch arni bais ei mam.

That is--

Oh! lest my son should suffer cold,
Him in his father's coat infold,
Lest cold should seize my darling fair,
For her, her mother's robe prepare.

These children and their descendants, they say, were called _Pellings_; a word corrupted from their mother's name, Penelope."

Williams proceeds thus with reference to the descendants of this union:--

"The late Thomas Rowlands, Esq., of Caerau, in Anglesey, the father of the late Lady Bulkeley, was a descendant of this lady, if it be true that the name _Pellings_ came from her; and there are still living several opulent and respectable people who are known to have sprung from the _Pellings_. The best blood in my own veins is this Fairy's."

This tale was chronicled in the last century, but it is not known whether every particular incident connected therewith was recorded by Williams. _Glasynys_, the Rev. Owen Wynne Jones, a clergyman, relates a tale in the _Brython_, which he regards as the same tale as that given by Williams, and he says that he heard it scores of times when he was a lad. _Glasynys_ was born in the parish of Rhostryfan, Carnarvonshire, in 1827, and as his birth place is not far distant from the scene of this legend, he might have heard a different version of Williams's tale, and that too of equal value with Williams's. Possibly, there were not more than from forty to fifty years between the time when the older writer heard the tale and the time when it was heard by the younger man. An octogenarian, or even a younger person, could have conversed with both Williams and _Glasynys_. _Glasynys's_ tale appears in Professor Rhys's _Welsh Fairy Tales_, _Cymmrodor_, vol. iv., p. 188. It originally appeared in the _Brython_ for 1863, p. 193. It is as follows:--

"One fine sunny morning, as the young heir of Ystrad was busied with his sheep on the side of Moel Eilio, he met a very pretty girl, and when he got home he told the folks there of it. A few days afterwards he met her again, and this happened several times, when he mentioned it to his father, who advised him to seize her when he next met her. The next time he met her he proceeded to do so, but before he could take her away, a little fat old man came to them and begged him to give her back to him, to which the youth would not listen. The little man uttered terrible threats, but he would not yield, so an agreement was made between them that he was to have her to wife until he touched her skin with iron, and great was the joy both of the son and his parents in consequence. They lived together for many years, but once on a time, on the evening of Bettws Fair, the wife's horse got restive, and somehow, as the husband was attending to the horse, the stirrups touched the skin of her bare leg, and that very night she was taken away from him. She had three or four children, and more than one of their descendants, as _Glasynys_ maintains, were known to him at the time he wrote in 1863."

3. _The Llanfrothen Legend_.

I am indebted to the Rev. R. Jones, Rector of Llanycil, Bala, for the following legend. I may state that Mr. Jones is a native of Llanfrothen, Merionethshire, a parish in close proximity to the scene of the story. Mr. Jones's informant was his mother, a lady whose mind was well stored with tales of by-gone times, and my friend and informant inherits his mother's retentive memory, as well as her love of ancient lore.

A certain man fell in love with a beautiful Fairy lady, and he wished to marry her. She consented to do so, but warned him that if he ever touched her with iron she would leave him immediately. This stipulation weighed but lightly on the lover. They were married, and for many years they lived most happily together, and several children were born to them. A sad mishap, however, one day overtook them. They were together, crossing Traethmawr, Penrhyndeudraeth, on horseback, when the man's horse became restive, and jerked his head towards the woman, and the bit of the bridle touched the left arm of the Fairy wife. She at once told her husband that they must part for ever. He was greatly distressed, and implored her not to leave him. She said she could not stay. Then the man, appealing to a mother's love for her children, begged that she would for the sake of their offspring continue to dwell with him and them, and, said he, what will become of our children without their mother? Her answer was:--

Gadewch iddynt fod yn bennau cochion a thrwynau hirion.

Let them be redheaded and longnosed.

Having uttered these words, she disappeared and was never seen afterwards.

No Welsh Taboo story can be complete without the pretty tale of the Van Lake Legend, or, as it is called, "The Myddfai Legend." Because of its intrinsic beauty and worth, and for the sake of comparison with the preceding stories, I will relate this legend. There are several versions extant. Mr. Wirt Sikes, in his _British Goblins_, has one, the _Cambro-Briton_ has one, but the best is that recorded by Professor Rhys, in the _Cymmrodor_, vol. iv., p. 163, in his _Welsh Fairy Tales_. There are other readings of the legend to be met with. I will first of all give an epitome of the Professor's version.

4. _The Myddvai Legend_.

A widow, who had an only son, was obliged, in consequence of the large flocks she possessed, to send, under the care of her son, a portion of her cattle to graze on the Black Mountain near a small lake called Llyn-y-Van-Bach.

One day the son perceived, to his great astonishment, a most beautiful creature with flowing hair sitting on the unruffled surface of the lake combing her tresses, the water serving as a mirror. Suddenly she beheld the young man standing on the brink of the lake with his eyes rivetted on her, and unconsciously offering to herself the provision of barley bread and cheese with which he had been provided when he left his home.

Bewildered by a feeling of love and admiration for the object before him, he continued to hold out his hand towards the lady, who imperceptibly glided near to him, but gently refused the offer of his provisions. He attempted to touch her, but she eluded his grasp, saying

Cras dy fara;
Nid hawdd fy nala.

Hard baked is thy bread;
It is not easy to catch me.

She immediately dived under the water and disappeared, leaving the love-stricken youth to return home a prey to disappointment and regret that he had been unable to make further acquaintance with the lovely maiden with whom he had desperately fallen in love.

On his return home he communicated to his mother the extraordinary vision. She advised him to take some unbaked dough the next time in his pocket, as there must have been some spell connected with the hard baked bread, or "Bara Cras," which prevented his catching the lady.

Next morning, before the sun was up, the young man was at the lake, not for the purpose of looking after the cattle, but that he might again witness the enchanting vision of the previous day. In vain did he glance over the surface of the lake; nothing met his view, save the ripples occasioned by a stiff breeze, and a dark cloud hung heavily on the summit of the Van.

Hours passed on, the wind was hushed, the overhanging clouds had vanished, when the youth was startled by seeing some of his mother's cattle on the precipitous side of the acclivity, nearly on the opposite side of the lake. As he was hastening away to rescue them from their perilous position, the object of his search again appeared to him, and seemed much more beautiful than when he first beheld her. His hand was again held out to her, full of unbaked bread, which he offered to her with an urgent proffer of his heart also, and vows of eternal attachment, all of which were refused by her, saying

Llaith dy fara!
Ti ni fynna.

Unbaked is thy bread!
I will not have thee.

But the smiles that played upon her features as the lady vanished beneath the waters forbade him to despair, and cheered him on his way home. His aged parent was acquainted with his ill success, and she suggested that his bread should the next time be but slightly baked, as most likely to please the mysterious being.

Impelled by love, the youth left his mother's home early next morning. He was soon near the margin of the lake impatiently awaiting the reappearance of the lady. The sheep and goats browsed on the precipitous sides of the Van, the cattle strayed amongst the rocks, rain and sunshine came and passed away, unheeded by the youth who was wrapped up in looking for the appearance of her who had stolen his heart. The sun was verging towards the west, and the young man casting a sad look over the waters ere departing homewards was astonished to see several cows walking along its surface, and, what was more pleasing to his sight, the maiden reappeared, even lovelier than ever. She approached the land and he rushed to meet her in the water. A smile encouraged him to seize her hand, and she accepted the moderately baked bread he offered her, and after some persuasion she consented to become his wife, on condition that they should live together until she received from him three blows without a cause,

Tri ergyd diachos,

Three causeless blows,

when, should he ever happen to strike her three such blows, she would leave him for ever. These conditions were readily and joyfully accepted.

Thus the Lady of the Lake became engaged to the young man, and having loosed her hand for a moment she darted away and dived into the lake. The grief of the lover at this disappearance of his affianced was such that he determined to cast himself headlong into its unfathomed depths, and thus end his life. As he was on the point of committing this rash act, there emerged out of the lake two most beautiful ladies, accompanied by a hoary-headed man of noble mien and extraordinary stature, but having otherwise all the force and strength of youth. This man addressed the youth, saying that, as he proposed to marry one of his daughters, he consented to the union, provided the young man could distinguish which of the two ladies before him was the object of his affections. This was no easy task, as the maidens were perfect counterparts of each other.

Whilst the young man narrowly scanned the two ladies and failed to perceive the least difference betwixt the two, one of them thrust her foot a slight degree forward. The motion, simple as it was, did not escape the observation of the youth, and he discovered a trifling variation in the mode in which their sandals were tied. This at once put an end to the dilemma, for he had on previous occasions noticed the peculiarity of her shoe-tie, and he boldly took hold of her hand.