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
"The son of Llech y Derwydd was the only child of his parents, and
also the heir to the farm. He was, therefore, very dear to his father
and mother, yea, he was as the very light of their eyes. The son and
the head servant man were more than bosom friends, they were like two
brothers, or rather twins. As the son and the servant were such close
friends, the farmer's wife was in the habit of clothing them exactly
alike. The two friends fell in love with two young handsome women who
were highly respected in the neighbourhood. This event gave the old
people great satisfaction, and ere long the two couples were joined
in holy wedlock, and great was the merry-making on the occasion. The
servant man obtained a convenient place to live in on the grounds of
Llech y Derwydd.
"About six months after the marriage of the son, he and the servant
man went out to hunt. The servant penetrated to a ravine filled with
brushwood to look for game, and presently returned to his friend, but
by the time he came back the son was nowhere to be seen. He continued
awhile looking about for his absent friend, shouting and whistling
to attract his attention, but there was no answer to his calls. By
and by he went home to Llech y Derwydd, expecting to find him there,
but no one knew anything about him. Great was the grief of the family
throughout the night, but it was even greater next day. They went to
inspect the place where the son had last been seen. His mother and his
wife wept bitterly, but the father had greater control over himself,
still he appeared as half mad. They inspected the place where the
servant man had last seen his friend, and, to their great surprise
and sorrow, observed a Fairy ring close by the spot, and the servant
recollected that he had heard seductive music somewhere about the
time that he parted with his friend.
"They came to the conclusion at once that the man had been so
unfortunate as to enter the Fairy ring, and they conjectured that he
had been transported no one knew where. Weary weeks and months passed
away, and a son was born to the absent man.
"The little one grew up the very image of his father, and very
precious was he to his grandfather and grandmother. In fact, he was
everything to them. He grew up to man's estate and married a pretty
girl in the neighbourhood, but her people had not the reputation of
being kind-hearted. The old folks died, and also their daughter-in-law.
"One windy afternoon in the month of October, the family of Llech y
Derwydd saw a tall thin old man with beard and hair as white as snow,
who they thought was a Jew approaching slowly, very slowly, towards
the house. The servant girls stared mockingly through the window
at him, and their mistress laughed unfeelingly at the 'old Jew,'
and lifted the children up, one after the other, to get a sight of
him as he neared the house.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account