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
At last, the old woman who was thought to
have witched the young woman, died, and as the the mortal remains of
the witch were decaying in the grave, the girl began to get better,
and she soon fully recovered and became quite herself again after
fifteen years' illness. My informant added that after recovering,
the young woman got married and received £1,500 from her parents on
her wedding-day, and that she is still alive (or was very lately)
and a wife of a well-to-do farmer. My informant also said that she
was well acquainted with the family.
MEN WITCHED BY AN OLD LLEDROD HAG.
About sixty years ago Thomas Lewis, Garthfawr, between Llanilar and
Lledrod, was for some time suffering from almost unbearable bodily
pain, and did not know what to do. The general belief was that he had
been bewitched by an old woman who was a terror to the neighbourhood;
and at last a man went to Llangurig, in Montgomeryshire, to consult a
wise man about it. It was found out soon afterwards that as soon as the
conjurer was consulted, the sick man fully recovered from his illness,
got up from bed, dressed himself, and came down from his bedroom and
felt as well as ever, to the very great surprise and joy of all his
family and friends. My informant, Thomas Jones, of Pontrhydfendigaid,
who knew the man well, vouches for the truth of this story.
Mr. Jones also gave me an account of another man who was witched by
the same old hag. The wife of Rhys Rhys, Pwllclawdd and her sister were
churning all day, but the milk would not turn to butter. Rhys, at last,
went to the old witch and asked her to come and undo her mischief,
as she had witched the milk. She was very unwilling to come, but Rhys
compelled her. When Mrs. Rhys and her sister saw the old witch coming,
they ran to hide themselves in a bedroom. The hag took hold of the
churn's handle for a few seconds, and the milk turned to excellent
butter at once; but poor Rhys who had always been a strong man till
then, never enjoyed a day of good health after; for the old hag witched
the farmer himself in revenge for compelling her to unwitch the milk.
A HORSE WITCHED.
Thomas Jones, an old man who is 85 years of age and lives at
Pontrhydfendigaid, informed me that about sixty years ago, the old
witch was greatly feared by the people of the neighbourhood, as it
was generally believed that the hag cursed or witched those whom she
disliked. On one occasion, when her neighbour's horse broke through
the hedge into her field, she witched the animal for trespassing. The
horse was shivering all over and everything was done in vain to cure
the poor animal; but the very moment John Morgan, the Llangurig
conjurer was consulted, the horse fully recovered, and looked as
well as ever. My informant vouches for the truth of this, and says
he had seen the horse, and that the man who consulted the conjurer
was a friend of his, and, that he even knew the conjurer himself.
CATTLE WITCHED.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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