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    Legends and Myths from North Wales
    Legends and Myths from North Wales
    Legends and Myths from North Wales
    Ebook87 pages1 hour

    Legends and Myths from North Wales

    By Graham Watkins

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Wales is a land filled with mythology. Every breathtaking valley, towering mountain, shimmering lake and magical castle has a mythical tale to entertain and enchant you. The Welsh, like other Celtic races, love to tell stories. From before the time of the Mabinogion and the Black Book of Carmarthen they have passed dark winter nights telling Welsh fables, fairy tales and legends. Discover....

    *The sad story of Prince Llewelyn's faithful hound Gelert and why a town is named after the dutiful dog.
    *Why Dwynwen, the patron saint of lovers, lived on a beautiful island off the coast of Anglesey.
    *A yellow eyed devil who kills with his stare. Look away I tell you.
    *Discover the sad fate of the young bridegroom who searched for thirty years for his vanished bride.

    These are just some of the Welsh Legends and Myths you will find in these pages but there's more....

    *Learn the legend of Owain and the Gwiber, an evil giant snake like best with wings, its body covered in putrid slime.
    *Why the Men of Harlech are immortalised in song.
    *How the Welshman Prince Madoc and his followers discovered America.
    *The reason there is a Red Hand of Chirk.
    *Why no bird ever flies over Llyn Idwal.
    *Where King Arthur was cruelly murdered and the true fate of his sword Excalibur.
    *And why St. Seiriol the Fair had a chalk white face.

    The folklore of Wales and its history are interwoven with myths and legends that cross the centuries. Some are based on factual events. Some have mythical roots, but all are entertaining.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGraham Watkins
    Release dateAug 2, 2012
    ISBN9781476090023
    Legends and Myths from North Wales
    Author

    Graham Watkins

    Hi. I’m Graham Watkins and I have several years researching Welsh legends and myths. It has been a wonderful project and great fun as I explored rugged mountains, mysterious castles, enchanting waterfalls and golden beaches to discover the tales that have been handed down from generation to generation. Wales is a land of mystery and being a Celtic race the Welsh are fantastic story tellers.That’s how I started writing. Today, I am a novelist, hobby farmer and explorer. It’s all been great fun and the story isn’t over yet. Checkout my website, www.grahamwatkins.info, for the latest news and details of free books which I love to give away. Right now I'm giving away 'The Iron Masters - Volume 1 For the Love of Eira' and 'Legends and Myth from North Wales' containing a collection of sixteen legends and myths from Wales. I know you'll enjoy them and come back for more.

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    • 5/5
      A delightful, refreshing telling of ancient legends. One can just imagine the rolling green hills and rocky formations. This book makes me want to visit Wales, as two of my genealogy lines come from there.

    Book preview

    Legends and Myths from North Wales - Graham Watkins

    Legends and Myths

    From

    Wales

    By

    Graham Watkins

    Volume Two

    Stories from North Wales

    Copyright 2012 Graham Watkins

    Smashwords Edition

    Cover image Summit of Mount Snowdon from the Fingerstone

    Introduction

    Wales is a land filled with legends. Every breathtaking valley, towering mountain and shimmering lake has its own tale to tell. This book will help you discover secluded rivers, castles and golden beaches all with stories to entertain and enchant. The culture of Wales and its history are interwoven with legends that cross the centuries. The very land itself adds to the mysticism, with its variety and beauty.

    Here, for your enjoyment, are sixteen Welsh legends that have been retold and linked to the land where the stories took place. This book, volume two in the series of five, deals with popular legends from North Wales.

    Discover Mount Snowdon and look down on the Pass of Arrows where King Arthur fell, mortally wounded, in his last battle. Learn about the magical island of Llanddwyn where Princess Dwynwen, the patron saint of lovers, made her home. Read about Gelert’s grave and learn how the faithful hound died at his master’s hand. Hear how a Welshman discovered America and left an indelible mark in that great land. These are just some examples of the stories you will find in these pages.

    Many pieces of Welsh folklore are repeated and there are variations of the same story relating to different places. At the same time, some places are associated with several legends. To avoid confusion and repetition, where legends are similar, I have used the story I liked best and omitted the rest. No offence is intended to partisan interests. One advantage I found of rewriting the more ancient legends is the licence to embroider. That is what storytellers have done for centuries. Nothing changes and I admit that I had a lot of fun adding my own interpretation to some of the tales.

    The legends I have included are a diverse mixture. There are love stories, tales of heroic deeds, foolishness, greed, fables and humour. The cast includes fair maidens, wicked tyrants, explorers, kings and ordinary folk quietly going about their business.

    If you want to learn more about Welsh legends and myths there are four other volumes in the series to read or listen to which I am sure you will equally entertaining.

    Graham Watkins

    Garnlwyd

    2012

    Table of Contents

    Introduction

    Chapter 1…Myfanwy the Beautiful

    Chapter 2…The Men of Harlech

    Chapter 3…The Red Hand of Chirk

    Chapter 4…Dwynwen The Blessed

    Chapter 5…The Gwiber of Penmachno

    Chapter 6…The Demon of Cerrigydrudion

    Chapter 7…The Death of Arthur

    Chapter 8…Prince Idwal

    Chapter 9…Prince Madoc Sails to America

    Chapter 10…Maelgwn Gwynedd and the Yellow Eye

    Chapter 11…The Legend of Gelert

    Chapter 12…Llyn Tegid and the Harp

    Chapter 13…The Curse of Nant Gwrtheyrn

    Chapter 14…St. Eilian and the Leaping Deer.

    Chapter 15…Seiriol The Fair

    Chapter 16…St. Patrick’s Shipwreck

    Free Book Offer

    Chapter 1…Myfanwy the Beautiful

    High above the little town of Llangollen, on the top of a great mountain, sits Castell Dinas Bran or Crow City Castle, named after the crows and ravens that lurk amid its towering battlements. In the 13th Century an Earl and his family lived at Castell Dinas Bran. The Earl was a wealthy man and owned much of Powys. He had a daughter named Myfanwy, which means beloved in English and he loved her very much. Myfanwy was spoiled as a child. Her father showered her with gifts of every kind. He surprised her with fine dresses of silk and damask. He had succulent foods bought to the castle for her and gave her servants orders to carry out her every wish.

    Myfanwy quickly learned how to get her own way. A sly tear, a scowl or a scream would strike fear into the hearts of her servants; they knew the power of her wrath and the strength of her sulks. The years passed and Myfanwy grew into womanhood. As she grew she changed from a pretty girl into a woman of beauty. Her long black hair and dark piercing eyes enchanted all who saw her.

    News of her great beauty spread and suitors travelled from across the land to woo her, eager to win her hand and, some said, to inherit her father's wealth. A brave knight climbed the mountain to the castle and sang in praise of her loveliness but she sneered at his songs and chatted loudly while he sang. Crushed by her rudeness, the knight retreated down the mountain.

    A famous scholar journeyed to Castell Dinas Bran and recited a fine poem flattering her beauty. Myfanwy scoffed at his sonnet and left the castle hall while the bard was still speaking. The frustrated poet left the castle and returned to the town below. Others tried to win Myfanwy but all were treated with the same contempt. No flattery of song or verse could satisfy Myfanwy. She vainly knew she was more beautiful than any man could describe in tune or rhyme.

    Disappointed suitors filled the alehouses of Llangollen exchanging tales of woe and drowning their sorrows. They sang to each other mournfully of Myfanwy's beauty and her conceited vanity.

    Hywell ap Einion was a dreamer of a man. Night after night he listened to the songs and the poems. He had never seen Myfanwy but the descriptions of her beauty thrilled him. He fell in love with her long black hair, her dark piercing eyes and her soft white cheeks. His romantic mind searched for a way to win her for himself, but how, for Hywell was a penniless youth. Would the beautiful daughter of an Earl ever look on him as an equal, worthy of marriage?

    The years passed and Hywell grew tall and strong. His upright frame and easy smile made him popular with the girls but there

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