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
Then inquiries were made about him, and people went to try and find
him, but all in vain. Days past and even weeks without hearing anything
about him, till at last his relations began to suspect that his fellow
servant had murdered him during the night they were out looking for
the cattle. So the servant was summoned before a Court of Justice,
and accused of having murdered his fellow-servant on a certain night;
but the young man, pleaded not guilty in a most decided manner, and
as no witness could be found against him, the case was dismissed;
but many people were still very suspicious of him, and the loss of his
fellow servant continued to be a black spot on his character. However,
it was decided at last to go to the "dyn hysbys," (a wise man, or a
conjurer)--a man of great repute in former days,--to consult with him,
and to set the case before him exactly as it had happened. After going
and explaining everything to the conjurer concerning the lost servant,
he informed them that the young man was still alive.
He then told them to go to a certain place at the same time of night,
one year and a day from the time the man was lost, and that they
should then and there see him. One year and a day at last passed away,
and at that hour the family, and especially the servant, traced their
steps to the particular spot pointed out by the conjuror, and there,
to their great surprise, whom should they see within the Fairy Circle,
dancing as merrily as any, but the lost servant. And now, according to
the directions which had been given by the conjurer, the other servant
took hold of the collar of the coat of the one who was dancing, and
dragged him out of the circle, saying to him--"Where hast thou been
lad?" But the lad's first words were, "Did you find the cattle?" for
he thought that he had been with the Fairies only for a few minutes.
Then he explained how he entered the Fairy Circle, and how he was
seized by them, but found their company so delightful that he thought
he had been with them only for a few minutes.
THE SERVANT GIRL WHO WAS LOST IN THE FAIRY CIRCLE.
The following is another of the tales recorded in "Ystraeon y Gwyll,"
by the late D. Lledrod Davies:--
"There lived in an old farm house on the banks of the Teivy, a
respectable family, and in order to carry on the work of the farm
successfully, they kept men servants and maid servants.
One afternoon, a servant-man and a servant girl went out to look
for the cows, but as they were both crossing a marshy flat, the man
suddenly missed the girl, and after much shouting and searching,
no sound of her voice could be heard replying. He then took home
the cows, and informed the family of the mysterious disappearance of
the servant maid which took place so suddenly. As the Fairies were
suspected, it was resolved to go to the dyn hysbys (wise man).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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