Folk-Lore of West and Mid-WalesDavies, Jonathan Ceredig
History
Folk-Lore of West and Mid-Wales
Davies, Jonathan Ceredig
Folklore -- Wales; Wales -- Social life and customs
are often alleviated by time, which reason cannot mitigate, and length
of time alone blunts the edge of our afflictions, and puts an end
to many evils, the youth having been brought back by his friends and
mother, and restored to his right way of thinking, and to his learning,
in process of time attained the rank of priesthood. "Whenever David
II., bishop of St. David's, talked to him in his advanced state of
life concerning this event, he could never relate the particulars
without shedding tears. "He had made himself acquainted with the
language of that nation, the words of which, in his younger days he
used to recite, which, as the bishop often had informed me, were very
conformable to the Greek idiom. "When they asked for water, they said
'ydor ydorum,' which meant bring water, for 'ydor' in their language,
as well as in Greek, signifies water, from whence vessels for water
are caller 'udriai'; and 'Dur' (dwr) also, in the British language
(Welsh) signifies water.
"When they wanted salt they said, 'Halgein ydorum,' bring salt: salt
is called 'al' in Greek, and 'halen' in British, for that language,
from the length of time which the Britons (then called Trojans, and
afterwards Britons, from Brito, their leader), remained in Greece
after the destruction of Troy, became in many instances, similar
to the Greek.... "If a scrupulous inquirer asks my opinion of the
relation here inserted, I answer with Augustine, 'that the Divine
miracles are to be admired, not discussed.' "Nor do I, by denial,
place bounds to the Divine Power, nor, by assent, insolently extend
what cannot be extended. "But I always call to mind the saying
of St. Jerome: 'You will find,' says he, 'Many things incredible
and improbable, which nevertheless are true; for nature cannot in
any respect prevail against the Lord of nature.' "These things,
therefore, and similar contingencies, I should place, according to
the opinion of Augustine, among those particulars which are neither
to be affirmed, nor too positively denied." The above account is of
the greatest interest, as it was written 700 years ago, and it also
gives the opinion of one who lived in those days, of "these things,
and similar contingencies." It is possible that many of the Fairy
Tales throughout the Kingdom, if not throughout the whole of Europe,
have been founded on the story of Elidorus, the priest.
THE SHEPHERD BOY AND THE FAIRIES OF FRENIFAWR.
The following story appeared in the "Cambrian Superstitions," by
W. Howells, a little book published at Tipton in 1831:--
A stripling, of twelve or more years of age, was tending his father's
sheep on a small mountain called Frenifach, it was a fine morning
in June, and he had just driven the sheep to their pasture for the
day, when he looked at the top of Frenifawr to observe which way the
morning fog declined, that he might judge the weather.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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