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
If the cat washed her face, strangers might be expected.
FLYING SERPENTS--GWIBEROD.
The Welsh name Gwiber means a flying snake, or a flying serpent,
an imaginary creature supposed to be a kind of dragon. There are
traditions of these dangerous creatures in several parts of Wales; and
it was formerly believed that a snake, by drinking the milk of a woman,
became transformed into a flying serpent. This superstition was very
common in the southern part of Cardiganshire until very recently. A few
years ago when staying for a short time at Talybont in the northern
part of the same county, a rocky spot was pointed out to me, about a
mile from the village, where, according to tradition, a Gwiber which
attacked people, had a lurking place in former times. There is also
a tradition in the parish of Trelech, Carmarthenshire, that a Gwiber
lurked in that neighbourhood once upon a time. At last the creature
was shot.
A FLYING SERPENT AT NEWCASTLE EMLYN.
The most remarkable story of this kind is the well-known tradition
of the appearance of a gwiber or Flying Serpent in the neighbourhood
of Newcastle Emlyn, in the Vale of Teivi. This interesting small
town boasts of a fine old castle, or at least the ruins of one,
and it was upon the top of this castle the flying serpent or dragon
alighted and rested. According to some, this took place as late as
the eighteenth century, on a fine summer day. The flying creature was
seen about mid-day, and as there was a fair at Newcastle Emlyn that
day the town was crowded with people. The appearance of the "Gwiber"
or dragon terrified the people, both old and young, and they feared
that their lives were in jeopardy. The strange creature's skin was
covered by a hard and stony substance or shell, except the navel. The
people were afraid of attempting to kill this flying monster, and
did not know what to do. Fortunately, a valiant soldier who had
been fighting for his country on land and sea, volunteered to put
an end to the life of this strange and terrific creature, or die
in the attempt. So taking off all his clothes, except his trousers,
he proceeded with his gun in hand and stood right in the river. He
then took a good aim at the creature's navel which was the only part
of its body not covered with shell. As soon as the soldier fired,
in order to escape an attack from the flying serpent, he left a red
flannel on the surface of the water, whilst he himself dived into
the river and, at last, by swimming against the current, succeeded
to land safely on the bank on the other side. The serpent fell or
rushed into the river and began to attack the red flannel, but it
was soon discovered that the creature had been mortally wounded,
for the water of the river was coloured with its blood.
A version of this story appeared in "Y Brython," fifty years ago,
and another version of it written by the Rev. W. Eilir Evans, appeared
in a Welsh book called "Hirnos Gauaf," published in 1899.
CATTLE.
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