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
On one occasion a man who was often losing potatoes from the field went
to Harries, Cwrtycadno, who was a terror to thieves. The conjurer
showed him the thief in a magic glass, which enabled the man to
discover who the culprit was. In another potato tale, the wise man,
by means of his magic art forced the thief to appear at his house
and confess his guilt.
THE WIZARD OF LLANPUMPSAINT AND THE DUCKS OF ALLTYFERIN.
Mr. Griffiths, of 'Rhenallt, an old farmer near Carmarthen, informed me
about six years ago that long ago when he was a young man, he was once
a servant at Alltyferin. Ducks were continually lost at the farm, and
his master who suspected a neighbour as the thief, sent Griffiths with
a letter to a conjurer who lived at Fosybroga. The wise man sent a note
in reply giving a full description of the thief, and he was caught.
A woman in Pembrokeshire, who had lost a most valuable picture,
consulted a well-known wizard, who showed her a picture of the thief
in a magic glass. She recognised the culprit at once as one of her
intimate friends. The wizard then wrote the name of the thief on a
piece of paper, and pierced it with a needle, and informed his client
that if the picture was not restored to her within half an hour the
thief would be eaten up of a strange disease.
WIZARD MARKING THE CULPRITS.
It was believed in Cardiganshire and Carmarthenshire, that Harries,
Cwrtycadno, could mark out thieves, and also persons who had an
"Evil Eye," by causing a horn to grow out of their foreheads. A man in
Tregaron had witched a woman, but the conjurer marked the mischievous
person by putting a horn on his head.
A farmer from the parish of Llangwyryfon, in Cardiganshire, whose
cattle had been witched by a neighbour who had an evil eye, went to
Llangurig in Montgomeryshire, to consult, a well-known conjurer who
only died a few years ago. The Wizard for the payment of 10s. showed
a picture of the offender in a magic mirror, and offered to cause
him to die of a strange disease. The farmer begged the conjurer not
to do that; that he did not desire to kill his enemy, only to punish
him, and he was punished. My informant was a farmer who lives near
Talybont, Cardiganshire.
This Llangurig wizard was continually consulted by clients from
Montgomeryshire, Cardiganshire, Radnorshire, and other counties. Not
long ago, there was also a conjurer at Llanidloes, in the same county
(Montgomeryshire), who was consulted on all cases of cursed fields,
bewitched cattle, horses, pigs, churns, backward lovers, bewitched
women, etc.
A WIZARD AND THE YOUNG MAN WHO HAD BEEN CURSED.
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