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
they darkened the whitened ceiling, and insinuated themselves into the
hoary locks of the Puritanic divine so that he yelled hoarsely. It
was utter confusion, and all were rushing wildly here and there for
refuge or escape, when the conjuror reappeared with a merry laugh,
and a loud "Ho! is conjuring possible now, gentlemen?" The Cloth was
soon pacified, the hornets dismissed to their sylvan home, and the
reputation of the Aby Biddle established as a mighty magician in the
minds of some noted parsons of Pembrokeshire.
SIR DAFYDD LLWYD, YSPYTTY YSTWYTH.
About two hundred years ago there lived in the neighbourhood of Ysbytty
Ystwyth, in Cardiganshire, a wizard and a medical man, known as Sir
Dafydd Llwyd, who had been a clergyman before he was turned out by
the Bishop for dealing in the Black Art. According to "A Relation
of Apparitions," by the Rev. Edmund Jones, it was thought that he
had learnt the magic art privately at Oxford in the profane time
of Charles II. Like other wizards Sir Dafydd also had a Magic Book,
for the Rev. Edmund Jones tells us that on one occasion when he had
"gone on a visit towards the Town of Rhaiadr Gwy, in Radnorshire,
and being gone from one house to another, but having forgotten his
Magic Book in the first house, sent his boy to fetch it, charging
him not to open the book on the way; but the boy being very curious
opened the book, and the evil Spirit immediately called for work; the
boy, though surprised and in some perplexity, said, "Tafl gerrig o'r
afon,--(throw stones out of the river) he did so; and after a while
having thrown up many stones out of the river Wye, which ran that way,
he again after the manner of confined Spirits, asking for something
to do; the boy had his senses about him to bid it to throw the stones
back into the river, and he did so. Sir David seeing the boy long in
coming, doubted how it was; came back and chided him for opening the
book, and commanded the familiar Spirit back into the book."
SIR DAFYDD DEFEATING A RIVAL WIZARD.
According to the stories still extant in North Cardiganshire, this
Sir Dafydd Llwyd had a most wonderful control over the demons.
The following tale was told me by Mr. D. Jones, Bryntirion, Llanilar:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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