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
One day some moist bread from the lake came floating ashore. The
farmer seized it, and devoured it with avidity. The following day, to
his great delight, he was successful in his chase, and caught the
nymphs on the shore. After talking a long time with them, he mustered
up the courage to propose marriage to one of them. She consented to
accept him on condition that he would distinguish her from her sisters
the next day. This was a new and great difficulty to the young farmer,
for the damsels were so similar in form and features, that he could
scarcely see any difference between them. He noted, however, a
trifling singularity in the strapping of the chosen one's sandal, by
which he recognized her on the following day. As good as her word, the
gwraig immediately left the lake and went with him to his farm. Before
she quitted the lake she summoned therefrom to attend her, seven cows,
two oxen, and one bull. She stipulated that she should remain with the
farmer only until such time as he should strike her thrice without
cause. For some years they dwelt peaceably together, and she bore him
three sons, who were the celebrated Meddygon Myddfai. One day, when
preparing for a fair in the neighbourhood, the farmer desired her to
go to the field for his horse. She said she would, but being rather
dilatory, he said to her humorously 'Dôs, dôs, dôs,' i.e., 'Go, go,
go,' and at the same time slightly tapped her arm three times with his
glove.... The blows were slight--but they were blows. The terms of the
marriage contract were broken, and the dame departed, summoning with
her her seven cows, her two oxen, and the bull. The oxen were at that
moment ploughing in the field, but they immediately obeyed her call
and dragged the plough after them to the lake. The furrow, from the
field in which they were ploughing to the margin of the lake, is still
to be seen--in several parts of that country--at the present day.
After her departure, the gwraig annwn once met her three sons in the
valley now called Cwm Meddygon, and gave them a magic box containing
remedies of wonderful power, through whose use they became celebrated.
Their names were Cadogan, Gruffydd and Einion, and the farmer's name
was Rhiwallon. Rhiwallon and his sons, named as above, were physicians
to Rhys Gryg, Lord of Dynevor, and son of the last native prince of
Wales. They lived about 1230, and dying, left behind them a compendium
of their medical practice. 'A copy of their works is in the Welsh
School Library in Gray's Inn Lane.'[26]
FOOTNOTE:
[26] 'Cambro-Briton,' ii., 315.
V.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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