British Goblins: Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and TraditionsSikes, Wirt
History
British Goblins: Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions
Sikes, Wirt
Folklore -- Wales; Goblins -- Wales; Mythology, Celtic -- Wales; Mythology, Welsh; Wales -- Social life and customs
In the parish of Ystradgynlais, in Breconshire, Thomas Llewellyn, an
innkeeper's son, was often troubled by the spirit of a well-dressed
woman, who used to stand before him in narrow lanes, as if to bar his
passage, but he always got by her, though in great alarm. One night he
mustered up courage to speak to her, and ask her what she wanted with
him. To which she replied, 'Be not afraid; I will not hurt thee.' Then
she told him he must go to 'Philadelphia in Pennsylvania,' and take a
box from a house there, (which she described,) in which there was a
sum of 200_l._ But as he did not know how to go to that far-off place,
he said as much. 'Meet me here next Friday night,' said the phantom;
'meet me, I charge thee.' She then vanished. The young man went home
and told this story to his neighbours and friends. They held a
consultation with the curate of the parish, who promptly appointed a
prayer-meeting for that Friday night, to which the young man was
bidden, and by which it was hoped the purpose of the ghost to spirit
him off to Philadelphia might be circumvented. The meeting continued
until midnight, and when it broke up the young man's friends stayed
with him; but they had no sooner got beyond the parson's stables than
he was taken from among them. His subsequent adventures are thus
related by himself: 'The apparition carried me away to a river, and
threw me into it, chiding me for telling the people of our appointed
meeting and for not coming to meet her as she had charged me; but bade
me be not afraid, that she would not hurt me, because she had not
charged me to be silent on the subject; nevertheless I had done wrong
to go to the parson's house. Now, said she, we begin the journey. I
was then lifted up and carried away I know not how. When I came to the
place,' (in Philadelphia,) 'I was taken into a house, and conducted to
a fine room. The spirit then bade me lift up a board, which I did. I
then saw the box, and took it. Then the spirit said I must go three
miles and cast it into the black sea. We went, as I thought, to a lake
of clear water, where I was commanded to throw the box into it; which
when I did there was such a noise as if all about was going to pieces.
From thence I was taken up and carried to the place where I was first
taken up. I then asked her, Am I free now? She said I was; and then
she told me a secret, which she strictly charged me to tell no
person.' Extensive and ingenious guessing was indulged in by all
Ystradgynlais, as to what this secret might be; and one woman made
herself popular by remembering that there was a certain Elizabeth
Gething in other days who had gone from this neighbourhood to
Pennsylvania, and the conclusion was eagerly arrived at, that this was
the woman whose phantom the young man saw, and that the secret she
told him was her name when alive. They questioned him as to her
appearance, and he said she was largely made, very pale, her looks
severe, and her voice hollow, different from a human voice.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account