Welsh Folk-Lore / a Collection of the Folk-Tales and Legends of North Wales

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

20096

Title

Welsh Folk-Lore / a Collection of the Folk-Tales and Legends of North Wales

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Rev. Elias Owen's prize-winning collection preserves the folk-tales, legends, and superstitions of North Wales. Drawing on decades of fieldwork with clergy and aged villagers, this volume offers a rich tapestry of local lore, from fairy marriages to animal omens, capturing the mystical spirit of a vanishing rural tradition.

Summary up to 500 words

Rev. Elias Owen's *Welsh Folk-Lore*, awarded first prize at the 1887 Welsh National Eisteddfod, serves as a vital historical record of North Wales' oral traditions and popular superstitions. Compiled over seventeen years of inspecting schools in the Diocese of St. Asaph, the work documents tales gathered from aged inhabitants during dark winter evenings, often with the aid of local clergy. Owen explicitly states his authority for every piece of lore, acting primarily as a translator for narratives spoken in Welsh. The text explores the origins of fairies, suggesting that ancient lake-dwellers amalgamated with later conquerors through marriage. This theory is evidenced by legends such as the 'Lady of the Van Lake,' who emerges from the water to marry a mortal man. Their union produces the celebrated Meddygon Myddvai (physicians), who descended from this fairy lineage and wrote medical treatises in the 13th century. Owen also details the history of the Gwylliaid Cochion Mawddwy, a bandit tribe of red-haired fairies active in the 12th century, whose depredations were eventually quelled by local barons. A significant portion of the book is dedicated to animal lore and specific beliefs. Owen explains superstitions surrounding black sheep, which farmers feared as vessels for the devil, and spiders, which children cruelly tormented. He also addresses the fear of slow worms (blindworms), innocent snakes often cut into pieces by captors who mistakenly believed them to be evil due to a supposed lack of eyes. The collection further covers divination practices, charms for ailments like whooping cough, and the behavior of spirits on All Hallows' Eve. While Owen omits weather signs and holy wells to focus strictly on popular superstitions, the resulting volume remains an authentic snapshot of North Welsh cultural heritage. It preserves a rich deposit of traditions rescued from oblivion before fading into history, offering readers insight into the intersection of pagan roots, Christian influence, and the folklore that defined daily life in Wales.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Local file path

data/epubs/pg20096.epub

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Categories

• Folklore
• Legends