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
This form of the Tolaeth should not be confused with the Teulu, or
Goblin Funeral proper, which is a death-warning occupying its own
place.
II.
John Clode, an honest labouring man living on the coast of
Glamorganshire, near the Sker Rocks, had just gone to bed one night,
when he and his wife heard the door open, the tread of shuffling feet,
the moving about of chairs, and the grunting of men as if setting
down a load. This was all in the room where they lay, it being the
only room their cottage afforded, except the one upstairs. 'John,
John!' cried his wife in alarm, 'what is this?' In vain John rubbed
his eyes and stared into the darkness. Nothing could he see. Two days
afterward their only son was brought home drowned; and his corpse
being borne into the house upon a ladder, there were the same noises
of opening the door, the shuffling of feet, the moving of chairs, the
setting down of the burden, that the Tolaeth had touched their ears
with. 'John, John!' murmured poor Mrs. Clode; 'this is exactly what I
heard in the night.' 'Yes, wife,' quoth John, 'it was the Tolaeth
before Death.'
Before Ewythr Jenkin of Nash died, his daughter Gwenllian heard the
Tolaeth. She had taken her old father's breeches from under his pillow
to mend them (for he was very careful always to fold and put his
breeches under his pillow, especially if there was a sixpence in the
pocket), and just as she was about sitting down at the table on which
she had thrown them, there came a loud rap on the table, which
startled her very much. 'Oh, Jenny, what was that?' she asked of the
servant girl; but Jenny could only stare at her mistress, more
frightened than herself. Again did Gwenllian essay to sit and take the
breeches in hand, when there came upon the table a double rap, much
louder than the first, a rap, in fact, that made all the chairs and
kettles ring. So then Gwenllian fainted away.
At a place called by its owner Llynwent, in Radnorshire, at a certain
time the man of the house and his wife were gone from home. The rest
of the family were sitting at supper, when three of the servants heard
the sound of horses coming toward the house, and cried out, 'There,
they are coming!' thinking it was their master and mistress returning
home. But on going out to meet them, there was nobody near. They
re-entered the house, somewhat uneasy in their minds at this strange
thing, and clustered about the fire, with many expressions of
wonderment. While they were so seated, 'Hark!' said one, and all
listening intently, heard footsteps passing by them and going up
stairs, and voices of people talking among themselves. Not long
afterward three of the family fell sick and died.
III.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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