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Welsh Folklore: Old Sian’s Tales of Llyn Du’r Arddu

Old Sian – AI image – zteve t evans

The Blackstone of Arddu

Near the summit of Yr Wyddfa, or Mount Snowdon lies the Clogwyn Du’r Arddu, or the Black Cliff of Arddu. At the base of this cliff lies a small lake called the Llyn Du’r Arddu, or the Black Lake of Arddu. Near the lake lies the stone of Maen Du’r Arddu, also known as the Black Stone of Arddu. The cliffs are popular with climbers, and the stone is said to help with speed and endurance for those who seek it out. The mysterious stone was said to have accidentally fell out of a heavy bag of rocks the devil was carrying while on his way to construct a bridge across the Menai Strait and became known as the Maen Du’r Arddu, or the Black Stone of Arddu. Another legend says that if two people sleep the night on top of the stone, their fates will be revealed in the morning. One will become an unparalleled bard with a wonderous talent for poetry, and the other will become utterly mad.

Tales of Old Siân Dafydd

John Rhys, author of the 1901 publication ‘Celtic Folklore Welsh and Manx’, writes of an elderly woman called Siân Dafydd who dwelt at Helfa Fawr vale called Cwm Brwynog, who was known to be eccentric and had an unusual interest in the various kinds of water in her locality. She always wore the traditional Welsh costume and was often seen strolling around the edge of a lake or pond, taking sips here and there to gauge its taste, sniffing the water’s odour, and checking its transparency, or sampling the water of local rivers, springs and wells in a similar way.

Old Sian was convinced each body of water had unique qualities, and she set out to discover all she could about identifying and classifying them. She spent hours studying the lakes, ponds, and springs in her local area, trying to identify the individual qualities each held trying to observe how it affected the creatures that swam or drank from each body of water and any vegetation that drew moisture from it. Her obsession was thought to have sprang from her desire to cure herself of cancerous warts, a condition referred to as Defaid Gwylltion in that part of the world at the time.

After extensive research, she had unequivocal faith that the only cure for her disease was the water from Tai Bach Spring, close to Llyn Ffynnon y Gwas, and each day, she sent a servant to that spring to bring back a pitcher full of water for her personal use. However, it so happened her servant believed that water from one source was the same as any other, so to save himself a tiresome journey, he would visit a nearby spring to fill the jug. Eventually, old Sian died, as we all must, but the cause of her death was put down to old age rather than malignant warts.

As well as her obsession with water, during her long life, she had acquired an extensive knowledge of the local folklore, which she had passed on traditionally by telling stories to her family and friends, which they remembered and handed on the same way. Three and a half decades after her passing, two brothers, aged between sixty and seventy, considered to be of trustworthy character and sound mind, recalled a story she told them in their youth.

The Fairy Bride from Llyn Du’r Arddu

This, they claimed, was about a farmer who once saw a maiden of the Tylwyth Teg dancing on the surface of Llyn Du’r Arddu. He was intrigued and greeted her in a friendly way, hoping not to frighten her. She responded favourably, and they began to chat and flirt, enjoying each other’s company, as young people often do. Before long their relationship had blossomed into something deeper and more meaningful and they began to meet regularly.

The maiden’s parents saw a change in their daughter’s habits and behaviour and noticed she often visited the surface of Llyn Du’r Arddu. Therefore, one warm evening, noticing she had gone missing again, they materialized on the lake’s surface to see what she was up to and were not overly surprised to find she was in the company of a young mortal man.

She presented them with her beloved, who they found to be a charming and attractive young man, who, with his lover’s agreement, asked them for their daughter’s hand in marriage. Like other parents, they asked about his prospects and how he made a living, and he told them he had inherited a small farm, which he was working hard to build into a profitable business.

They were convinced that he genuinely held deep feelings for her and she for him. However, like others of the Fair Folk, they did not really approve of the marriage of their kind with humans, even though it was known to happen in the past. Nevertheless, they knew their daughter well enough to understand once her mind was set, she would not be turned.

Therefore, they gave their approval but only on the condition he agreed to be bound by a marriage contract. The terms of the agreement were as follows: Their daughter would bring with her to earth cows, sheep, and other livestock from the Otherworld that had faerie blood. These animals were of more outstanding quality and more productive than earthly livestock. As well as this, she would bring the luck of the Fair Folk.

In return, he must never strike her with an iron object, or she would immediately be returned to her own world, taking all the livestock and luck she had brought with her. Furthermore, they would be forever separated, and all the good fortune he had gained from the marriage would dissolve.

The young man readily accepted. He had never been violent or quarrelsome, and he could not imagine anything that would induce him to strike his wife, whom he adored, with iron. For her part, she could not ever imagine him doing so, being utterly convinced of his love for her and the gentleness of his character. Therefore, with the Marriage Contract agreed, the wedding took place, and she brought a valuable dowry of faerie livestock to the earthly realm. They lived happily together, and with her faerie livestock, the farm prospered; luck always was with them, and they became very wealthy.

They were the kind of couple who thrived in each other’s company and did everything together. One day, they were trying to catch a frisky pony but were not having much success, and their attempts made the animal even friskier. The pony was dancing, leaping, tossing, and treating it as a game and playfully dodged their attempts to catch it. For their part, the husband and his wife were also having fun trying to catch. He told his wife that while he distracted it, she should try to sneak up from behind, slip the bridle over its head, and threw it gently through the air for her to catch. She easily caught it, but the iron bit lightly struck her shoulder. It did not hurt her, but both stood looking at each other, aghast at the accident, knowing its awful consequence.

The world stood still as, through sorrowful eyes, they gazed deep into each other’s souls for one last fleeting moment, and then she turned and ran into the lake with all the livestock she had brought to the farm following her. The last he saw of her was the water covering her shoulders and head as she ran unflinchingly into the lake, never to be seen on the earth again. Without the livestock she had brought, the once prosperous farm declined quickly. All the luck that had brought prosperity, success and happiness to the young man faded away, and he fell into bankruptcy and died a poor and lonely man yearning for his lost love.

Now, one of the elder brothers admitted his memory might be faulty, and mixed up this lake with one of the numerous other remote pools found in the area that old Sian told her tales about. Nevertheless, he asserts it is always dangerous for mortals to have dealings with the Fair Folk, for once you have known the joys of the Otherworld, no other pleasure can ever compare. The younger brother added,

“Ah, indeed, if you never knew such delights, you would never miss them!”

Hmm, or would you miss them? What do you think?

© 25/05/2025 zteve t evans

References, Attributions and Further Reading

Copyright zteve t evans May 25th, 2025, All rights Reserved.

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Azorean Folktales: Why the Owl Flies at Night

Image by Nick Edel – File:Edel02.jpg from Wikimedia Commons

Presented here is a retelling of a folktale called, Why the Owl Flies at Night,  from, The Islands of Magic,  Legends, Folk and Fairy Tales from the Azores – by Elsie Spicer Eells and illustrated by E. L. Brock.

Why the Owl Flies at Night

In days gone by, on the steep slopes of the volcanic hill of Monte Brasil that overlook the Bay of Angra, stood a little chapel dedicated to St. Anthony.  It was built to hold an image of that same saint that had been carried from some unknown place by the strong currents and rough waves of the sea to rest upon the shores of the bay below the hill.

Pedro

In that time there was a young boy named Pedro who after his mother had died lived with his father nearby.  His father had married again but his new wife treated young Pedro cruelly. She made him wear old, worn ragged clothes and all the children in the parish would mock and point at him because of the state of his clothing.

Pedro would often go to the little chapel and pray to St. Anthony for strength and comfort.  One day as he was getting up off his knees after a prayer to the saint he noticed a very strange thing had happened.  To his surprise he found his old, worn ragged clothes had suddenly become new and unblemished and he was now immaculately dressed in very smart clothing as good – indeed better – than any other child in his village.

His Stepmother

When he got home his stepmother stares at him in disbelief, “Where did you get those clothes from?” she demanded,  “You must have stolen them!  Why, you are nothing but a little thief!”

Pedro truthfully told her what had happened but she refused to believe him.

“Your father can deal with it!” she cried, “In the meantime take the water jars to the spring and bring me back some water.  Do it now and understand that I don’t want to be kept waiting for water, now go!”

The Spring

Picking up the heavy jars he made his way to the top of the hill where the little spring bubbled out.  The spring supplied Pedro and his family as well as the neighbors with water most of the year round, but at times it failed and this was one of those times.  His stepmother had been told this earlier by neighbors but still out of spite she sent the boy to the top of the hill carrying two heavy stone jars on a task she knew he could not fulfill.  On his way up, Pedro met an old man coming down. “There is no water in the spring,” the old man told him, “maybe tomorrow.”

He had almost reached the spring and the jars were making his arms ache. The other spring was much further away and he doubted if he got there he would have the strength to carry two full jars of water all the way home.  He decided he would continue on and see for himself.

When he arrived at the spring he was surprised and very pleased to see that there was plenty of good clean water bubbling up, indeed, bubbling up much faster that he could remember.  As he stared with amazement he thought about how somehow he had been furnished with the brand new suit of clothes that he was wearing and he began to wonder.

“This  must be my lucky day,” he cried happily filling both jars with water,  “St. Anthony is smiling upon me.  He must have heard my prayers and given me my new clothes and made the waters of the spring run,”   and he offered up a  silent prayer of thanks to the saint.

With  his jars full of water Pedro took them home.  His mother was gobsmacked when he came through the door with two jars full of water.  “What! Where did you get that water from?” she demanded.  Pedro truthfully told her it had come from the spring on the hill.

“You lie! That spring is dry today.  Wait until I tell your father, he will give you a sound beating!” she cried.  As well as being frightened by the threatened beating Pedro was puzzled why his stepmother had sent him up the hill to the spring when she believed it was dry.  

Fire Wood

The next thing he knew was she had dumped a large basket in his hands saying, “Go into the garden and pick up all of the wood for the fire.  Now hurry I don’t want to be kept waiting. Go!”

Pedro thought this a very strange request as all of the wood in the garden had been used up long ago.  The evening was falling and he went into the garden in failing light but there was nothing there but red, white, yellow and pink roses.  The night fell quickly but stoically he went and looked anyway but there were no sticks of wood to be found just the roses. The only place he knew where he could get some wood was high on the steep slopes of Monte Brasil.  However, it was dark and it was a long hard path climbing the steep slopes of Monte Brasil and he was feeling very tired. As two great tears rolled down his face he felt a presence next to him and turning saw it was St Anthony who stood smiling down kindly upon him.

St. Anthony

“Why the tears, young man?” he asked kindly,  “I have been watching you for a long time and I know you do not cry easily, even when life is hard.  Boys with less courage than you would spend their time weeping.”

“I weep because I have to fill this basket with fire wood from the garden, but there is nothing in the garden but roses.  I am very tired and I have been threatened with a beating and it is becoming too dark, much too dark to go up to Monte Brasil and search for firewood.”

“Listen to me,” replied St Anthony, “and have faith in what I say.  Go into the garden and fill the basket with roses and  when it is full take it to your stepmother and give it to her.  You must have faith in what I say and remember I shall be with you.”

Pedro went into the dark  garden and filled it with all the different colored roses and then he took it into the house to his stepmother.  As he handed the basket to his stepmother he was surprised to see that instead of roses the basket contained firewood.

“What!” cried his stepmother in shock, “Where ever did you get this wood from?  There are only roses in the garden and you have not been gone long enough to go up to Monte Brasil in the dark.  Where did you get it from?”

Grabbing him roughly by the collar of his smart new shirt she shook him fiercely terrifying him.  He looked around hoping to escape but St Anthony was stood behind smiling kindly and then in a voice like thunder said,

St Anthony’s Punishment

“Woman, cease your violence!  This boy has done you no harm and obeyed your every request.  I have been watching the spiteful and malicious way you have been treating him and you will be punished.  As you have sent this young boy out into the dark night you too shall go into the dark.”

With these words spoken the stepmother changed from being a woman into an owl with great circles for eyes, for those eyes gazed upon the wrath of St Anthony.  From that moment on she lived in darkness.  That is why the owl is a creature of the night.

© 12/06/2019 zteve t evans

References, Attribution and Further Reading

Copyright June 12th, 2019 zteve t evans

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Welsh Folktales: The Maiden of the Green Forest

In Wales there are many folktales and legends that tell how humans and people from the Otherworld sometimes fall in love and marry.  Very often it is a man who meets a woman from the other world and they fall in love. The woman or her father, often insists on a marriage contract being agreed by the bride’s groom that must be strictly followed. The groom agrees and the marriage takes place and they live for a time in happiness and then something happens that destroys or breaks the contract and destroys their happy life. There are many variations of this theme and presented here is a retelling  of a Welsh tale taken from Welsh Fairy Tales by William Elliot Griffis.

Prince Benlli

It is said that on the rare occasions when women of the Otherworld consent to marriage with a mortal they will only do so if the prospective husband makes a contract with them that must not be broken and must be strictly adhered to.  This story tells how a prince of Powys named Benlli found this out to his own cost. He had a fanciful notion in his head that to woo a woman all he had to do was say, “Come and be my bride,”  and they would instantly follow him saying “Thank you for asking, of course I will be your bride.” and the two would stroll off to church for the wedding.  At least this in his simplicity was what he thought,

The Maiden from the Green Forest

It so happened that sometime, somehow,  in the past he had been successful with this style of wooing.  He was married to a woman who had once been fair and beautiful but whose beauty and youth had quickly fled after marriage leaving her grey haired and wrinkled. It was probably the thought of a lifetime with her conceited husband that caused this, but Benlli now wanted a young pretty wife with rosy cheeks and long flowing golden hair and hoped to find one to satisfy his vanity.

One day he went hunting in the Green Forest and while his dogs were flushing out a wild boar he was surprised to see a beautiful woman with long golden flowing hair ride out of a cave on a milk-white horse,  She was the loveliest woman he had ever seen and he fell in love with her there and then, but she was gone before he could react. The next day he rode to the same cave in the forest and waited hoping to see her again.  Sure enough, the same beautiful woman came galloping out of the cave into the forest and in an instant had passed him by and was gone.

On the third day Prince Benlli again rode to the cave in the forest and once again the beautiful woman came galloping out on a milk-white steed.  This time he spurred his horse forwards forcing her to stop and as was his style simply told her her to follow him to his palace and be his wife.

The Marriage Contract

The beautiful woman looked at him and said,

“I will will be your wife if you promise to fulfill these three conditions.  First, your present wife must go. Second, you must agree that one night in every seven nights on Fridays I shall be free to leave you and you will not follow me.  Thirdly, you will not ask where I am going, or what I do and you will not spy on me. You must swear to me that you will uphold these conditions and if you keep them my beauty will remain unblemished.  If you break your word the waters shall rise and the pike and the perch shall play between the the bulrushes and the long waving, water reeds shall grow in your hall. Do you agree?”

Without further delay, Benlli, agreed to these conditions and a solemn contract was made between the two and the Maid of the Green Forest became his wife.

As mentioned earlier, Benlli was already married and yet he had just wed the Maid and promised her that his first wife would go so how was he going to manage this situation?  Curiously, when the two arrived at his palace she had gone and never once returned, so that saved him a task.

Marriage

In the days that followed Benlii was very happy with his new wife who, everyday grew prettier and prettier.  They would spend days together chatting in the palace, or they would go horse riding in the Green Forest, or sometimes hunted deer. Indeed, the more her loveliness grew the happier he became. For a wedding present he gave her a ring that was set with a big and beautiful diamond and alone was worth a king’s ransom.  He gave her lavish jewelry of gold and silver and and a diadem studded with rubies and sapphires and loved his beautiful wife so much he would have given her anything. In those early days never once did he ever think of breaking his marriage contract.

However, time flies and in time all things change.  Three times three equals nine and after nine years with his wife disappearing every Friday night he began to grow curious as to what she was up to and where she went.  So much did he begin to dwell on the matter that it began to depress and worry him and became irritable and miserable in the company of others.  All of his servants and friends noticed the change in him but none dared to ask what the problem was.

Wyland the Monk

Then one night he had invited a very learned monk named Wyland to dinner and he had ordered the banqueting hall to be brightly decorated and that the best food and drink should be served.  He hired the best minstrel to provide the best music and entertainment.

Now, Wyland as well as being a monk, was also a man of magic and he knew and saw things that others could not see.  That night at dinner, despite all the finery, glamour and happy entertainment he could see Benlli was deeply unhappy and thoroughly miserable. He did not say anything to begin with but after the banquet was over he went home and decided he would call again in a few days time to see Prince Benlli and find out what was troubling him.  The next time he met Benlli, Wyland sat him down and said, “Tell me my friend, why are you so unhappy and miserable with life?”

Then Benlli related all to Wyland of how he had met and married the Maid of the Green Forest and of the three conditions of their wedding contract and said,

“Every Friday night, there am I with the owls hooting and the nightingales singing and my wife is absent from my bed until the sun rises.  I lay alone there wondering where she can be and what she is doing. Eventually, I fall asleep to wake in the morning finding her by my side.  I am overcome with curiosity and jealousy worrying about who she may be seeing and this is weighing down my soul. Even with all of my wealth, my luxurious palace and all its finery I am unhappier than any beggar in Wales or on the island of Britain!”

As Wyland listened to Benlli’s woes his quick mind realized there was a way he could make money from the prince’s woes and benefit his monastery at the same time.  All he had to do was to cure the troubles of Benlli’s soul and so he said,

“My friend, I have an idea that may help to ease your soul.  If you are but prepared to give the monks of White Minster one tenth of the flocks of sheep in your domain, one tenth of all the riches that flow into your treasury from the rents of the lands, and give the Maiden of the Green Forest to me, I can guarantee your soul will be free of all your troubles and at peace.  What do you say?

Benlli readily agreed and shook hands on the deal.

A Battle of Spells

On the next Friday night Wyland the Monk took his book of spells and went to the cave in the forest which he knew as being an entrance to the Otherworld.  There, he waited under the silvery moonlight. He had not been waiting too long when out of the cave on horseback there galloped a lady dressed in the finest clothes wearing a glittering crown upon her head.  He knew it was Benlli’s wife, the Maiden of the Green Forest and he stepped in front of her holding his book before him calling upon her to stop.  There then followed a battle of spells that saw lightning and fire light up the night as the two hurled spells and counter spells at each other.  Finally, summoning up the spirits of the air Weland told them of his plan to enrich the monastery and called upon them to assist and bind the Maiden of the Green Forest to his will saying,

“Spirits of the air, I call upon you to bind this maiden to me that she will always be at my side.  Bring her to me at the dawn of day to the crossroads before the town of Whiteminster and there I will marry her and she will be my own for all time!”

Waving his hands in the air and uttering special words he cast a spell that would prevent anyone from interfering with this and could not be broken.  Then he made his way to the crossroads to await the arrival of his bride-to-be at dawn. Arriving at the crossroads as the sun rose, to his disgust the first thing he saw was a hideous old hag who cackled and hissed and raised her hand pointing her bony finger at him. Set upon it was the big, beautiful diamond ring that Benlli had given to the lovely Maiden of the Forest when she had become his wife.

The Hag of the Green Forest

“Ha, ha, haaaa!  I hear my love approaching,  Come sweet lover and clasp me to thine bosom!” she shrieked through a mouthful of rotting teeth,

“Look at me, Wyland my love, look deep into my red and burning eyes and know that I am your betrothed.  This foul hag that stands before you was once the beautiful bride of Prince Benlli. When my beauty left me his love left with it but on the seventh night my magic brings back my beauty.  He has broken our wedding contract and I warned him, I said, ‘If you break your word the waters shall rise and the pike and the perch shall play between the the bulrushes and the long, waving, water reeds that shall grow in your hall.’   This promise is now fulfilled and both your spell and mine are complete. From you he has received the freeing of his soul and eternal peace, for he is dead. My promise caused the a rivers and springs to gush and rise into his halls which is now covered in water and perch and pike play among the bulrushes and reeds.   The clashing of our spells means they cannot be undone and no charm or counter spell will avail. Therefore, Wyland my love, come to me and claim me as your reward for we have both kept our promises. Come take me, I am yours!”

So it was that Prince Benlli broke his marriage contract and paid the price as the waters of the land rose drowning him in in own halls. As for  Wyland the Monk – man of God and magic – he reaped what he had sown for himself in the tender loving arms of the Maiden of the Green Forest.

© 04/07/2018 zteve t evans

Reference, Attributions and Further Reading

Copyright July 4th, 2018 zteve t evans

 

 

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Welsh Folklore: The Legend of the Lady of Llyn y Fan Fach

(1) Nelferch Combing Her Hair – AI
This post was first published on #FolkloreThursday.com August 17th, 2017 as Folklore of the Welsh Lakes: The Legend and Legacy of the Lady of Llyn y Fan Fach by zteve t evans and edited and revised by zteve t evans on 24 August 2024 and published in full here using different images.

 The Lady of the Lake

In Wales, tales of encounters with the Otherworld are never far away, and one such story is associated with Llyn y Fan Fach, a lake on the Black Mountain’s northern side in Carmarthenshire. This legend is also known as The Lady of the Lake, though unrelated to the Arthurian character of the Lady of the Lake. In this legend, the Lady is found living in the lake by a farmer, who falls in love with and marries her. They live in happiness for a time until she is forced to return to her world of origin, taking all, she brought with her and leaving behind a remarkable legacy to benefit humankind.

Gwyn the Farmer

The story begins with Gwyn, a bachelor living with his mother on a nearby farm. One of his tasks was leading the cattle to pasture, and one of his favourite places was Llyn y Fan Fach. His mother would pack him a basket of barley bread and cheese, which he gratefully ate while gazing dreamily at the reflections in the lake as he sat on its shore.

One day, as he arrived with his cattle, he was surprised to see the figure of a fair lady sitting on a rock on the opposite shore. She appeared to be brushing her long hair with a golden comb, using the calm, unruffled surface of the lake as a mirror. He had never seen such a beautiful woman before, and he found he was unconsciously holding out the barley bread and cheese his mother had packed for his lunch to her. Seeing Gwyn, the Lady stopped combing her hair. She moved gracefully over the water towards him to see what he was offering. Seeing the barley bread and cheese, she laughed, shook her head and said:

“O thou of the crimped bread, it is not easy to catch me!”

Then she dived under the water and was gone. Gwyn went home but could not get the lovely Lady out of his mind. He told his mother what he had seen and of the strange thing she had said before she dived below the water. As the Lady had shown no interest in the hard-baked barley bread, his mother suggested he take an unbaked loaf to tempt her.Before sunrise the following day, Gwyn set out for the lake with an unbaked loaf of barley bread and some cheese. Finding a comfortable spot by the water’s edge, he settled to watch the lake, hoping to see the mysterious Lady of the Lake again. As the sun rose and the mists evaporated, he eagerly scanned the water, but by midday, he had seen no sign of her. By late afternoon, he had still not seen her and began to despair. As he turned for home, sunlight rippling on a part of the lake caught his attention, and the Lady appeared in all her loveliness.

Speechless with wonder, he offered her the unbaked bread he held in his trembling hand. She looked at the offering and laughed, her eyes sparkling, and said:

“O thou of the moist bread, I will not have thee!”

(2) Nelferch Emerging From Lake – AI

Their eyes locked momentarily, and she gave him a kind smile and swiftly dived underwater. He walked home, his head in a whirl, her smiling face and sparkling eyes filling his heart and mind. When he arrived home, his mother was eager to hear the news. She was disappointed hearing of her rejection of her son and suggested that the next time, he should make her an offering of part-baked barley bread.

The Lady Accepts

That night, Gwyn was so excited he could not sleep. Before sunrise, he walked to the lake and stared into the cold, dark, mysterious water. A freezing rain that soaked him to the skin came with the rising sun. Cold, wet, and shivering, he sat and stared at the lake all morning, but she did not come. When noon came, he watched the lake all afternoon and evening, but she still had not come. As dusk began to fall, he turned to go home, but from the corner of his eye, he noticed some of his cows standing on the lake’s surface like solid land.

Intrigued, he stared at them and then, to his delight, he saw her emerging from the water. She looked radiant, and he cried out in joy. Upon seeing him, she began walking towards him through the water, and as he splashed towards her, he held out the part-baked barley bread to her. She smiled at the offering, allowing him to take her by the hand and lead her to the shore. Gwyn was spellbound, and once upon the shore, he gazed at her in love and awe. Strangely, he noted that the sandal on her right foot was tied up in a particular way. He tried to speak, but all he could manage to stutter was: “Fair Lady of the Lake, I have no silver, no gold, no riches, just love. Please marry me and be my wife!”

At first, although she was deeply flattered and pleased, she refused. But Gwyn pleaded his case with such passion and honesty that, at last, she was moved to say: “Silver and gold cannot buy me. Your love is beyond price so I will marry you and live upon Earth with you until you give to me three causeless blows. The striking of the third blow will be the breaking of our marriage contract. I will leave Earth and we shall be parted for ever. Do you accept?”

He began passionately explaining that he would rather cut off his own hands than harm her, but she turned suddenly, dived below the water and was gone. Gwyn was upset and disappointed at her disappearance, and decided that rather than live without her, he would drown himself in the lake. Climbing to the top of a nearby cliff near the water’s edge, he prepared to throw himself off. As he was about to jump, a mighty voice boomed from the lake: “Do not jump! Come down and hear what I will tell you!”

Looking over to the far shore, he saw an elderly man of wild appearance, though bearing a powerful presence. He was accompanied by two maidens, both of whom looked identical. Gwyn climbed down the cliff and went over to the elder, who began talking calmly and reassuringly to him: “Mortal man, I know you desire greatly to wed one of my daughters. If by your love you can tell me the one you have given your heart, I will give my consent to the wedding. Will you choose?”

Gwyn looked at the elder’s daughters. They seemed identical. They had the same colour eyes, the same colour hair, and they were the same height. In all honesty, Gwyn could not tell who he had fallen in love with. He began to worry that he would choose wrongly. Then, he noticed that one of the girls had slightly changed her stance to reveal the sandal on her right foot and how it was done up. Boldly, he took her by the hand, saying, “This is my true love!”

Their father smiled and said, “You have rightly chosen Nelferch, and now you must be a kind and loving husband to her. For a wedding dowry, I will give as many sheep, goats, cattle, pigs, horses, chickens and ducks that she can count without taking a breath. Remember, that if you ever strike her three causeless blows the marriage contract will be broken. She will return to me with all she takes with her and you will be parted forever.”

Gwyn was delighted, insisting he would never strike the woman he loved. The elder smiled, looked at him knowingly, and told Nelferch to count out the desired number of sheep she would like for her dowry. Using fives, Nelferch quickly counted—one, two, three, four, five—as many times as her breath held out. As she counted, sheep trotted out of the lake to the number she had last spoken of. In the same way, Nelferch counted the number of cattle, pigs, horses, goats, and geese. When all was finally done, they had a handsome and valuable stock of farm animals.

The couple married, and with their dowry of farm stock from the Otherworld, they prospered greatly and built a successful farming business. They were deeply in love with each other, and their happiness seemed complete when the last of three sons was born.

The First Causeless Blow

One day, the couple had been invited to their neighbour’s wedding at the nearby church in Myddfai. On the wedding day, they set off for the church on foot, walking through one of their fields, where they kept some of their horses. Nelferch suddenly stopped, saying she could go no further. Surprised, her husband said, “We do not want to offend our neighbours. While I go back to the farm for a saddle and bridle, you catch one of the horses and you can ride to the wedding.” Nelferch agreed and asked, “Would you also bring my gloves back with you? I left them on the table.”

Gwyn returned home to fetch the saddle and bridle and picked up the gloves. When he returned, he was perplexed to find she had not moved from where he had left her. “I thought you were going to catch a horse,” he said, smiling, and playfully flicked her on her shoulder with her gloves. Nelferch turned to him slowly and said, “Alas, my beloved, this is the first causeless blow!” In shock, he remembered his marriage contract and vowed never to be so thoughtless again.

The Second Causeless Blow

Life went on, and the couple were as happy as ever; their three healthy sons giving them great joy and fulfilment as they grew. Time passed, and they were invited to the christening of their neighbour’s baby at the church in Myddfai. It was a delightful occasion, and the guests were filled with joy and happiness for the infant. To the guests and her husband’s astonishment, Nelferch burst into tears, sobbing sorrowfully. Perplexed at his wife’s behaviour, Gwyn impatiently but gently tapped her shoulder, asking why she was weeping. She told him, “Although I have lived among humans on the Earth, I am still from the Otherworld and retain the seeing eyes of the Otherworld.  I weep because I see nothing but pain and suffering and a short life for this infant. Beloved, you have struck me a second causeless blow!” Gwyn loved his wife with all his soul and being. He could not bear the thought of another foolish mistake that would break the marriage contract and resolved to be forever on his guard.

The Third Causeless Blow

Shortly after the christening, the prophecy of Nelferch came true. After much suffering, the baby died, and Gwyn and Nelferch attended the funeral service at the church in Myddfai. Naturally, it was a solemn and sorrowful occasion, and all mourned the loss of the baby. In the middle of the ceremony, while everyone hung their heads in grief, to the astonishment of all, Nelferch suddenly threw back her head and laughed joyfully out aloud. The other mourners turned and looked at her in shock and disbelief.

“What is the matter with you?” her astonished, embarrassed husband asked, lightly tapping her shoulder. She replied, “I laugh and am joyful because I see the infant at last healthy, happy, and free of pain.  Oh, my love, you have struck the third causeless blow. Now I must return to my own world.  Farewell, my beloved, farewell, for we can never meet again!”

Departure

(3) The Departure of Nelferch – AI

She turned and left the church and walked back to the farm, with Gwyn stumbling behind her. No matter how he begged and pleaded, she kept her eyes forward and continued walking. As hard as he tried, he could not keep up with her. As she entered the bounds of their farm, she called out the individual names of the cattle, horses, pigs, goats, and all the animals her father had given them.Immediately, they followed behind as she strode resolutely towards Llyn y Fan Fach. Arriving at the lake, she stepped into the cold water without hesitating, with all the farm animals following behind. Gwyn had desperately tried to keep up with her, begging and pleading, and he watched in horror as she disappeared into the lake. Driven mad by grief, he walked slowly into the icy depths of Llyn y Fan Fach, hoping to find her in death. With all the farm stock returned to the Otherworld and her husband dead, it seemed nothing remained of the time that the Lady of the Lake from the Otherworld had spent on Earth.

The Sons of Nelferch

Nevertheless, with their father dead and their mother returned to whence she came, her sons remained as a testament to her time on Earth. They spent all their hours at the lakeside, mourning the loss of their parents. At the height of their despair, their mother suddenly came to them, walking calmly and purposefully out of the lake to stand beside them. Embracing each one, she told them that they had a special mission on Earth: to help relieve the suffering and pain of humanity.

Leading them to an ancient place called Pant y Meddygon, or the Physician’s Dingle, she taught them about the healing properties of Earth’s plants and how to prepare potions and balms to relieve pain and suffering. When she had taught them all the healing arts of the Otherworld, she embraced each one and returned to the lake, never to be seen again in the world of mortals.

The Physicians of Myddfai

The sons of Nelferch are among the few humans who can trace their lineage back to the Otherworld. They diligently applied the arts their mother taught them to heal pain and suffering wherever they found it. Their fame and reputation as great healers spread far and wide. Lord Rhys, one of the great men of Wales, gave them land in Myddfai and sponsored the monasteries of Strata, Florida and Taw Valley, which became renowned healing centres. Nelferch’s three sons became known as the “Physicians of Myddfai” and greatly relieved the suffering of many with their healing skills. In turn, they married and had families, passing on their healing knowledge and skills to their children, who taught theirs. In this way, the healing arts of the Otherworld was passed down through the generations of mortals to the present day.  

A Final Thought

Spare a final thought for Nelferch, who loved her husband and sons beyond measure. Coming from the Otherworld, she loved as they love in the Otherworld and grieved as they grieve in the Otherworld in ways that humans can never know. As an immortal, her love and grief will not diminish or fade but remain with her through eternity’s long, bittersweet ages. Her legacy on Earth lives on with the healers she bore into the world of mortals and the healing herbal arts she taught them.

© zteve t evans

References, Attributions and Further Reading

Copyright zteve t evans