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
A tradition is current in Mathavarn, in the parish of Llanwrin, and
the Cantref of Cyfeillioc, concerning a certain wood called Ffridd yr
Ywen, (the Forest of the Yew,) that it is so called on account of a
magical yew-tree which grows exactly in the middle of the forest.
Under that tree there is a fairy circle called The Dancing Place of
the Goblin. There are several fairy circles in the Forest of the Yew,
but the one under the yew-tree in the middle has this legend connected
with it: Many years ago, two farm-servants, whose names were Twm and
Iago, went out one day to work in the Forest of the Yew. Early in the
afternoon the country became covered with so dense a mist that the
youths thought the sun was setting, and they prepared to go home; but
when they came to the yew-tree in the middle of the forest, suddenly
they found all light around them. They now thought it too early to go
home, and concluded to lie down under the yew-tree and have a nap.
By-and-by Twm awoke, to find his companion gone. He was much surprised
at this, but concluded Iago had gone to the village on an errand of
which they had been speaking before they fell asleep. So Twm went
home, and to all inquiries concerning Iago, he answered, 'Gone to the
cobbler's in the village.' But Iago was still absent next morning, and
now Twm was cross-questioned severely as to what had become of his
fellow-servant. Then he confessed that they had fallen asleep under
the yew where the fairy circle was, and from that moment he had seen
nothing more of Iago. They searched the whole forest over, and the
whole country round, for many days, and finally Twm went to a gwr
cyfarwydd (or conjuror), a common trade in those days, says the
legend. The conjuror gave him this advice: 'Go to the same place where
you and the lad slept. Go there exactly a year after the boy was lost.
Let it be on the same day of the year and at the same time of the day;
but take care that you do not step inside the fairy ring. Stand on the
border of the green circle you saw there, and the boy will come out
with many of the goblins to dance. When you see him so near to you
that you may take hold of him, snatch him out of the ring as quickly
as you can.' These instructions were obeyed. Iago appeared, dancing in
the ring with the Tylwyth Teg, and was promptly plucked forth. 'Duw!
Duw!' cried Tom, 'how wan and pale you look! And don't you feel hungry
too?' 'No,' said the boy, 'and if I did, have I not here in my wallet
the remains of my dinner that I had before I fell asleep?' But when he
looked in his wallet, the food was not there. 'Well, it must be time
to go home,' he said, with a sigh; for he did not know that a year had
passed by. His look was like a skeleton, and as soon as he had tasted
food, he mouldered away.
VII.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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