The Fairy Bride Legend in Wales Author(s): Juliette Wood Reviewed work(s): Source: Folklore, Vol. 103, No.

1 (1992), pp. 56-72 Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of Folklore Enterprises, Ltd. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1261034 . Accessed: 06/03/2012 13:06
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Folklore 103:i,1992 vol.

56

The Fairy Bride Legend in Wales

JULIETTE WOOD
Folklore Society Council Lecture, 1991

ON a recent visit to a Cardiffbookshop specialising in Welsh publications,the writer of the presentarticlecountedeleven differentpublishedversionsof the story of the fairy from Llyn Y Fan Fach. The tale,which first appeared print in the nineteenthcentury, in tells the storyof a fairywomanfrom the depths of Llyn y Fan Fach in Carmarthenshire who marrieda mortal.She returned her supernatural to realmwhen her husbandviolated conditionsshe herselfhadlaiddown,but her children becamethe famousdoctor-magicians, the Physiciansof Myddfai.'The publishedversions,both Welshand English, currently gracing the shelves of the bookshop at the time of this little ad hoc field exerciseall ' containedsuitablyromanticillustrations la ArthurRackham. The talehas becomefirmly fixed in the canon of 'Welsh folktales'. Somehow it seems so typically Welsh with its otherworldfairy bride, poignant sense of lost love, and its doctor-magician sons. Very few printedcollectionsof 'WelshFolktales'arewithout it, which presentsthe interesting to associated with Llyn Y Fan Fach, of a Welshtalehaving situation,in regards the variant to be translatedback into its original language.2 Print is of course the importantword. The Llyn y Fan Fach story appearedin 1861 in the introductionto The Physiciansof Myddfaiwhich containeda translationof the medical texts associated with this family and an introductioncontaininga long, printed English versionof the tale.3This is the first time this story of an otherworldbride was attached the quitegenuine,but presumably to traditions medieval and medical independent, texts associated with this familyof famousphysicians.4 The printedversion is long, and ratherover-written. The lake lady's hair 'flows gracefullyin ringlets over her shoulders ... whilst the glassy surfaceof her waterycouch served for the purpose of a mirror'. The sun 'gilds with its rays the peaks of the Fan' and the young man vainly 'strains his eyeballs'over the lake looking for the 'enchantingvision'.5Although the elements of the taleareprobablygenuine and werecollectedby the Welshpublisherand antiquary WilliamRees, native of Tonn, which is not far from Llyn Y Fan Fach, the version is given here in English. Once again the Celtic Twilight seems about to cast its roseate and distortingglow on the folkloreitself. FortunatelyLlyn y Fan Fach is not the only source for informationabout the Welsh Lake Lady. About three dozen variantsof the tale dating from the tenth to the twentieth century are known, and the very fact that the tale has attainedsuch a curious, almost icon-like status, tells us much about perceptionsof Welsh traditionin and outside Wales. The study of folkloreis not simply a matterof disentanglingthe purelyoralfrom the literary and fictitious.The strandsintertwine,and despitethe comparatively small numbers,the Welsh versions of the OtherworldBride allow us to chart the developmentof the tale in a changingculturalcontext.The tale is partof a widelydistributed supernatural legend traditionin which an otherworldwoman marriesa mortal,but eventuallyreturnsto her world leaving him and their children. The tale is widespread,particularlyin northern and westernEuropeancountrieswhere the woman is sometimesin animalform and the loss and recoveryof her animal skin motivateher marriageand return.Sometimesshe

THE FAIRY BRIDE LEGEND IN WALES

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is a mermaidand the possessionof some objectsuch as an item of clothing is the means by which she becomessubjectto her humanhusbandand eventuallyreturnsto her own world. In Walesshe appearsin human formand her returnis motivatedby the violation of some taboo.In Walestoo the numbersof survivingvariantsare lowerthan elsewhere, and mainly from printedsources.6 Relativelylate collectingand the relativelyearly shift to industrialization factorswhich do not fosterthe survivalof this kind of complex, are supernaturaltale. Nevertheless the geographicaldistributionof even such a restricted numberof variants indicates importance the tradition the of conclusions and,while absolute are not possible, a great deal more besides. Both the earliestvariantsoccur in WalterMap's De Nugis Curialium.7Map wrotethis fascinatingcompilationof tale, anecdote,local history and court gossip in the twelfth century,and he includes a numberof supernatural legends relatingto Wales,as well as traditionsabout historicalfigures such as William the Conquerorand William Rufus which were obviouslycurrentat the time.8The geographical milieu of the tales indicates the close relationshipbetween the Welsh and the Anglo-Normans,and the richness of culturewhich must have existed. One of the supernatural bride tales is locatedin Llyn Syfaddon(LlangorseLake) in South Walesand is attachedto the eponymous founder of the area,BrychanBrycheiniog,a Welshhero,while the other is set in LedburyNorth near Herefordand attachedto Wild Edric, an Anglo-Saxonheroic figure who opposed the Norman invaders. One of these medievalvariantsoccurs in a section with otherWelshtraditionsentitled 'IllusoryApparitions'. For three nights, BrychanBrycheiniog,called WastinWastiniac at this point, sees women dancing in his oat field. As they disappearinto the lake, he overhearsone revealhow they may be caught. On the third night he avails himself of this advice. The narrativeis synopsizedhere in such a way as to make it clear that the original had more informationthan Map is giving, and indeed comparisonwith other variantsindicatesthat the motifs of the overheard secret(N450) which allows the mortal to overpowerthe fairy (F302.4)'0are common. In this variant,the fairy says she will stay with Brychan(the name given in a corruptedform 'Wastin')until he rushes out and strikesher with his bridle. When this happens Brychanmanagesto catch only one of their sons, TriuneinVagelauc. The secondpartof this sectionconcernsthe adventures of this son. Triuneinseems to be Map's real concern, since the narrativehere is both more leisurelyand more expansive.The young man's name may indicate that he was the youngestof a largefamily,and lame, a hint perhapsas to why he was caught." The boy takesworkwith the King of Dehuebarth(South Wales),but makesan unwise boast as to the superiorityof King Brychanand as a result is requiredto lead an expedition back to Brycheiniog.InterestinglyBrychanis here Triunein'soverlordratherthan his father,the kind of boastful choleric king familiarin heroic Welsh tradition.Severalof the episodes in this section relateto Brychanas the king who kills the messenger,has a wild ride on a shackledhorseand is a fiercebattleleaderwho dismembershis enemies. Triunein, fighting on the side of the defeatedforces, disappears,but Map reportsthat some thought he did not die but returnedto the lake with his mother. of Clearlythis section is far more complexthan just an 'instance' the fairybride tale,12 and raises severalinterestingpossibilities. For example,did Map realize that Brychan and Wastinwere the same character? Map have accessto a somewhatgarbledheroic Did attachedto BrychanBrecheiniog? The differentspellingof Brychan's cycle name(Wastin Wastiniogwhen he wins his fairybrideand Brychanwhen he is the king) might indicate that Map heard the fairy tale orally (or that it has an ultimate oral source), while the

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would most certainlybe awareof the fact that Henry II's familyorigins were associated with the Melusine story.He includes an exampleof this story,and he may be making a gracefuland courtly referenceto this here. Moreover,Map highlights an important aspect: these stories often function as origin legends attachedto unusual families. The legend of the FairyBride at LedburyNorth is the most untypicalof the variants consideredin this paper. It sharescertainfeatureswith the Swan Maiden (AT400 and 465) in which the herostealsthe woman'sswan feathers,then loses her when he rebukes her with her origins,althoughhe subsequently his wife. regains supernatural This opening the which is locatedin the reignof William episodemost closelyresembles Map narrative the Conqueror who comes to admirethe woman.Map's tale, however,does not develop, and indeed simply may not have contained,the theme of the covetousking (H931.1). as with Speculation to the originof the talewouldbe inappropriate so little earlymaterial. The Welsh variantsform a unique sub-groupin that the woman is not in mermaidor animal shape and she sets the conditionsunder which she will remain(unlikethe sealwoman common in Scotlandand Scandinavia who is vulnerableby virtue of being out of her animal skin, or the Irish mermaidwho loses some object).'16 Other supernaturalbrides occur in the Welsh genealogical tracts, although it is impossible to tell what traditions if any were associated with them." It has been lies suggestedby SarahL. Keeferthat a marriagewith a seal creature behind an incident in the tale of Math from the Mabinogi.'8Aranrhod'stwo children betray her false virginity.One is the hero,Lleu. The other,Dylan Eil Ton, makesonly a briefappearance. Kafer'ssuggestionis that Aranrhod a child by a seal-manand that this child, Dylan, has could change into a seal. Keefer considers the otherworld-bride tales-which she calls the seal-brideeven though this is not the commonestformin either Irelandor Wales-in

rarely do we read . .. of heirs or offspring who ended their day prosperously .. ."' Map

incidentsrelatedto the King werecloserto writtensources.This would certainlyexplain why Brychanis the boy's fatherin the first section and his king/enemyin the rest. The importanceof the historicalkingdom of Brecon in the history of Walesis itself being reassessed'3 the view which concentrated the North and the traditions the Gwr and on of Y Gogledd as the main route of transmissionof early materialinto Walesis beginning to be refined.Anotherinterestingfactoris that the lake-fairy section functions as a kind of familyoriginlegend.These talesareoftenconcerned with the fateof the fairy'schildren, and the samelink betweenmotherand child appearsin the verydifferent variantattached to Edricthe Wild at LedburyNorth. It is not possibleto determineat this stagewhether Map is transmitting partof a moreextensivecycle attachedto BrychanBrycheiniog,but it seems clear that the sources for this relativelyshort section are more complex than has been supposed. Edric the Wild was an Anglo-Saxontheyn who initially resistedthe Anglo-Normans, but madepeacewith Williamabout 1072. Howeverhe seems to havetakenon an 'outlaw Here, there is no lake;the hero capturesthe bride and she tells persona'in tradition.'" him she will staywith him until he reproaches with her origins.This versiongrounds her the traditionalelements in a quasi-historical frame.The woman'sbeauty is considered proof enough of her supernatural origins, and William the Conqueroris said to have visitedEdricto admirethe wife. The taboois of courseviolated,and the herodies brokenheartedafterhis wife vanishes,leavingan heir, Alnoth, who is miraculously cured. The best style of this tale is quitedifferent,Walter Map at his narrative with classicalallusions to Dictymus, Dryadsand Lares.Map's concludingremarks worth noting. 'We have are heard of demons that are incubi and succubi and of the dangersof union with them;

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indeed commenting on it.27 The Sons of the Dead Woman,for example,reflectsthe belief that the premature dead were 'abducted'into fairy land. The fairy beliefs here may be seen as a strategyto deal with untimely and thereforestressfuldeath.28 The Welsh tale of the OtherworldBride

theDe Nugisis concerned with creating kindof mythichistoryforthe Plantaganets, a and the Welshfit into this schemeas a kind of romanticexotic.23 but in Map nevercompletedDe NugisCurialium, the linkingof material the text as it standsmayreveal of to The something his attitudes the tales.24 two FairyBride narratives followed a third are a of whichresembles by story, variant another popular legend it in someways,namelyThe Sonsof the DeadWoman. This taleconcerns human a dead abducted fairies, who is rescued herhusband. wife,supposedly but actually by by Herchildren called'thesonsof the deadwoman'. the levelof narrative, two are On the 'deadwoman' concern dangers contact all the of with the fairybridesandthe rescued otherworld. the because threeof the all Furthermore, asserts truthof thesestories Map havedescendents, descendents in the caseof the sons of the dead 'mothers' real and, Scholars oftenclassify thesefairylegends mother, Maphasmetthem.25 to according the This on of its typeof belief.26 concentrates the nature beliefin the otherworld, location andshape,andthe sources this belief,usuallyseenas an olderstrata. for Recentwork hastaken newapproach hasseenthe fictivecosmology justas an inheritance a and not of belief,but as an areain whichthe immediate socialcontext itselfcan be examined. of with a pastculture. Fairybeliefsbecomemorethanan element continuity They are alsoa mechanism distancing for oneselffromthe complexity the socialcontext of and

order to establishthat 'selchie legends' are found in many folktalesfrom Celtic coasts and islands." The Welsh examplesare in fact connected with inland lakes and rivers. She Eventuallyshe is forcedto admit that 'thereare no true seal-talesin Welsh.'20 then comparesthe Welshepisode with the mid-nineteenth centuryballad'The GreatSelchie of Skul Kerry' in which the seal father reclaimshis son and prophesiesthat he shall meet his deathby the hand of the wife's new husband.This ballad,Keeferasserts,with great authoritybut no substantiation,'is clearly of great antiquity' and representsthe closest extantanalogueto the tale-family which the Dylan fragmentbelongs.21 As so to often with these 'lost tale' arguments,no crediblecontext for such a tale is ever given. The author admits that no true seal-talesexist in Welsh, but declines to suggest when and wheresuch a tale might have existed.Presumably, the argumentdependsheavily as on Irish and Scottish analogues,some common Celtic tale is being reconstructed, but if so, then it hardlystrengthensthe position that the 'closestanalogue'is a Scots, not a Scots-Gaelicballad. The argument is a good example of what ProfessorAlmquist describes in his considerationof the mermaidbride tale in Ireland as 'Celtomania'.22 talesget lost duringthe processof transmission greatlight can be thrown and Undoubtedly on them by carefulstudy,but not as in this case by jugglingtogetheranaloguesregardless of regional or temporal differences and reconstructinga Celtic original. Although mothersare hinted at in the genealogies,the case for the appearance a of supernatural seal father in PedeirKeinc does not seem convincing. It is perhapsmore interestingand certainlymore useful to look not for lost origins, but how the tale may have functionedin a social context. Map's two medievalvariants are associatedwith heroic figures and set in a quasi-historical world soon after the of appearance the Anglo-Normansin Wales. This reflects the court situation as Map knewit: Williamthe Conqueror WilliamRufuswerethe ancestors, and quitenearancestors as it happens, of Henry II, the king whom WalterMap served for so long. Much of

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deals with another stressful 'rite de passage' marriage.On the level of belief, the tale ideasconnectedwith lakesand clearingsas entrances the otherworld to expresses through which the fairy and cattle can pass; the extraordinary beauty of otherworldbeings; the extraordinary fecundityof otherworldcattle and the fear of offendingthese beings (see motif list p. 69). This fictive cosmology in which the lake/clearing a contact point is between worlds presentsthe young man with a conundrum.The bride brings with her the positive benefits of childrenand materialwealth, but carriesthe stress of the taboo itself (in Walesit is three blows, or strikingwith iron, and less commonly criticism of origins, strikingwith steel, and losing magic acorns)and the consequencesof complete or partialloss of the advantages which winning the bride has broughthim. On the level of human relationsthe young man's courtshipand the bride's conditionscan function as a dramatic of The followingscheme metaphorfor the requiredadjustments marriage. suggests some of the tensions and resolutionswhich underlie the text. Realistic mode: Man + marriage + woman ) children ) Independentlives, but affectedby (courtship) (conditions) parents Fabulous + supernatural mode: mortal man + Lake as bride ) supernatural cattle contact with return to (gains power) (taboo) otherworld violation ) otherworld ) Reducinga tale to this kind of scheme obscuresthe varietyinherentin these narratives and over-emphasizes didacticelements. Clearlythe main motivationfor telling these the tales is the joy of the tale itself. Most of the Welsh Fairy Bride stories were collected and analysedby John Rhys in his pioneeringworkon Welshfolklore.Rhys is underrated as a folklorist.He had an excellentear for languageregisterand often reproduces Welsh texts as they were given to him.29Rhys used sources, both written and oral, from all the old countiesof WalesexceptFlintshire Radnorshire, and which he lists at the beginning of volume one. There is enough variationamongthese textsto suggesta traditionwhich, if lacking the richness found elsewhere,was still viable when was collecting. The sub-set which comprisesthe Welsh Fairy Bride storieshas a number of unique Rh.s features.The most strikingis that the WelshFairyBridesarealwayshunran,in contrast to the seal found in Scotlandand Scandinavia the swan in some Germanicvariants. or In most Irishvariants,the girl is a mermaid.There maybe a few hints of possibleanimal form in just three Welsh variants. Wild Edric's bride 'vanishesinto the air'."30 tale A which Rhys collectednear Llyn Y Fan Fach says the boy first mistookthe fairywoman for a goose,and anotherof Rhys' variantssaysthe wife flew awayin the shapeof a waterThis is hardlycompelling evidence for a fairywoman in animal form in Welsh, fowl.31 but it is interestingthat what indicationthere is (evidence is too strong a word)points to a bird. Most Welsh tales associate the fairy with a lake, although in Carmarthenshire, Merionethshire Herefordshire, youngman maysee the fairydancing and the Denbighshire, or meet her near his home, presumablyon dry land. These are sufficientlydifferentto be classifiedas a separatesub-type in The Types Motifs of Welsh and Folklore,but it is well to rememberthat types and motifs are themselvesconstructsintendedto help the scholar, and one should not become too obsessed with them.32The woman's consent is gained by various means; capture,learningher name, offering her the right kind of

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wife imposesa condition.Its natureshowssome regional bread,but alwaysthe prospective variation.In North Wales,the tabooinvolvestouchingwith iron. In the south, it is when he gives her three blows. Alwayswealth and prosperityare dependenton the wife, and afterher departure cattle follow her back into the lake,and in one case, her children her as well. Often she returnsto visit the children and expressesher affectionfor them in is of rhyme.Sometimesthe fairyheritage beneficial.The physicians Myddfaigainedmagic medicalknowledgefroma book given to them by their mother;Alnoth was a holy man, and Triuneinwas supposedlyprotectedby his mother. However,the fairy ancestrycan carry a stigma and Rhys describesfights which follow this accusation. The proposed model also suggests that the legend expressesa number of cultural the of or relationships; uniqueness,eitherpositive(Physicians Myddfai) negative(Pellings) of particular of families;the apparentlyrandomnatureof prosperity(the disappearance cattle with the fairywife);a signifierfor heroiclife (BrychanBrycheniogwho must have been well-knownhistoricalfigure in twelfth century Wales),all expressedin terms of the potential rewards dangers and attendant contactwith the liminalworld.Occasionally on thereis an onomastic elementas well. Both Rees'versionof Llyn y FanFachand Glasynys' tale link it to some element of the landscape.These arehighly literary versionsit is true, but recentworkhas shownthe importance onomastictalesin Welshstories,particularly of to emphasizeand heighten importantevents,33 and there is no reason to assume that these elementsarenot genuine.The Llyn Y Fan Fach tale calls attentionto the furrows left by the ox as the cattle hurried after the departingfairy,while Glasynys seems to be adaptinga floating island mentioned by Giraldusas a means for the fairy and her husbandto continueto meet. Glasynys'conceitis particularly The appropriate. two meet in a placewhich is neitherthis worldnor the fairyworld,namelya floatingisland,which in effect resolvesthe differencesbetween her supernatural and his mortal nature. The effects of contact with the liminal world of fairy beings is an importantaspect of the legend.Liminality attended both benefitsand dangers. is The fairy, definition, by by neverbecomesfully integrated her husband's into world,but she bringswith her prosperity in the broadsense of children and, specifically,in the sense of cattle. The association of woman as symbol of fertility in marriageboth in her own person and in bringing a dowryis almostuniversal,but the animalsbroughtby the fairywife have supernatural associationsin their own right. The names of the cattle in the fairy'spoem, an unusual featurein Welsh tales, may actually recall the names of certain primitive cattle types.34Otherworldcattle, and indeed other stockbreedinganimals such as horses and pigs, are often envisaged as emergingfromlakesandothercontactpointsbetweenthe worlds.Mostlytheirappearance is beneficialif, like the fairywoman herself, they are treatedrespectfully.35 variant One locatedin Carmarthenshire gives the colour of the cattle as black. Another varianthas the little calf lag behind, and out of fear of the black water of the lake it turns black and is the origin of the famous Welsh black cattle, another instanceof origin legends as a final element.36The deep glacial lakes of Wales are the focus for a number of beliefs. Many of the traditionsare independentof fairywomen stories,but supernatural they all relateto contactwith the otherworldand morespecifically with the lakeas portal to that world. Stock-rearing a chancey business in which even good husbandrydoes is not always assuresuccess. Here, contact between the worlds involving a supernatural woman and a supernatural animalresultsin marriage prosperityfor a humanbeing, and and the loss of both supernatural womanandcattleresultsin the disruption the marriage of

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to be fairies.39

andthelossor partial of the prosperity. thiscontext, ebbandflowof narrative loss In the a situation whichaccurately reflects uncertainties actual the of cultural pattern produces experience. The narrative alsoreflect inherent the factthatmarriage, in problems involving may as it doesdifferent groups, kin creates uneasyalliance whichthe wife is caught an in in an 'in-between' state." Twoeuhemerized versions recorded Rhysexpress very this by tensionandin this sensedealwiththe realgiveandtakeof husband/wife relationships. In onevariant, girlis a gypsy, a fairy, in another the not and simplya girlfromanother farm.Bothof theseomitthe supernatural but the element, retain ideathatthe wifeis an outsider, liminal a with character all the attendant the perilsthatimplies.However, talestructure retained. is the not a Although girlis specifically supernatural, merely servantshe with threetimesandonly after farm, still quarrels her 'employer' girlfromanother the thirdquarrel doesshe return 'home'. The lakeandthe cattlealsoremain, she but is presumed havedrowned to whiletending cattle.Rhyscomments the how perceptively 'modern rationalism beenmodifying story. .. without has the rid whollygetting of the The is since two features'.38 variant allthe moreinteresting Rhyscollected others original fromthe sameplacewhichincluded supernatural the elements. The second'rational' variant makes wife a gypsy,an outsider definition aboutas liminalas it is the and by not with fairybridesbut possibleto get. HereRhys addsthe information, associated culledfrom samesource, Englishmen Scotswholivedin Wales the that and werethought

Little childrenwere frightenedby threatsthat the Pellings would get them, and fights werereported market on of with theirancestry. dayswhen members the familyweretaunted The earliestversionof the Pellingstale appearsin WilliamWilliamsof Llandegai's book Observations theSnowdon on Mountains. by contrast,is very proudof the connection He, and says they were

traditional to in familyof doctors, allegedly physicians RhysGrygof Llandovery the thirteenth is the of is problematic. century, somewhat However, existence the family not in doubt,and Rhyslists a number practising of and physicians several contemporary families who claimed descentfromthem.40 NorthWalesvariant A collected Rhys by linkedthe FairyBridewith a localfamilyknownas Pelling,saidto be a corruption of the fairy's name.41 the werebelieved be a choleric unsociable to and lot. Locally, family

of the physicians of Myddfai. The link between the Fairy Bride and this important

The narrative functions a family often as and tensions created origin legend, hereagain in the kin-group a resultof marriage as feature in the effects prominently, particularly of fairy-mortal on in marriage the offspring.Both variants Walter Map followthe adventures the fairy's of Welsh version linked the origin is to sons,andthe best-known

a raceof peopleinhabiting districts the aboutthe footof Snowdon formerly ... distinguished and knownby the nickname Pellingswhichis not yet extinct.Thereareseveral personsand evenfamilies arereputed be descended thesepeople... Thesechildren who to from [Penelope's] andtheirdescendents, say,werecalledPellings, word a from they corrupted theirmother's name, The lateThomasRowlands of Caerusin Anglesey, father the late Lady the of Penelope. Esq was of camefromher,and Bulkeley, a descendant this ladyif it be truethatthe namePellings therearestill livingseveral from opulentandrespectable peoplewhoareknownto havesprung the Pellings.The best bloodin my own veinsis this fairy's.42 Even without the context of a specific family, the fairy mother often returnsto see her children,sometimesbringingthem luck. Her outsiderstatusis stronglyemphasized

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in this context. She recitescomfortingrhymesthroughthe bedroomwindow,where she is clearly outside the house, or she meets the children at the edge of the lake. One of the most common folktaleswith a female protagonist concerns her marriage(as part of the tale, not as part of the happy ever after ending) and estrangementfrom her The estrangementis crucial to the developmentof the structureof these husband.43 with her husband;at other tales;sometimes,as in the Calumniated Wife, she is re-united times, as in the Fairy Bride legend, she is not. What is interestingis that the gender perspectiveis sympatheticto the woman. The wife's position is vulnerableand often but marginal, the taleclearlyshowsa degreeof sympathyforher plightandthe difficulties she encounters.Anothernotablequalityof the Fairy Bride is her assertiveness. sets She the conditions,unlike the bride in animalor mermaidform whose fate is linkedto the possessionof her animalskin or some object.The fairybridein Waleshas characteristics of both the active heroine and the outsider heroine. The conflicts inherentin this are never resolved,but as ProfessorBo Almqvist has suggested: folklegends reflect various attitudes thetraumatic to caused abandonment, problems by separation anddissolution marriages . . it has not been stressed of . enoughthatfolklegends frequently rather expressingsingleattitude a particular than a to due and problem, to the flexibility variation whichis theirveryessence, oftenserve vehicles discussion different as for of solutions questions to to of vital interest tellersand audience.44 One of the most strikingchangesin the modernretellingsof the Physiciansof Myddfai tale is the character the heroine.The Physicians'tale, as retoldby John Williams ab of Ithel in the introductionto the nineteenth-century edition of the Physiciansof Myddfai is a compositetale put togetherfrominformation in (1861), gathered,presumably Welsh, by Mr. Rees of Tonn from at least four informants.45 The descriptionof the woman recalls the rather blandly beautiful and conventional fairytaleheroine. The prose is overwritten the whole piece an antiquarian and effort,but not one thatshouldbe dismissed out of hand. In Rhys' opinion, the sourcesfor the compositetaleswere genuine enough. Indeed the choices offeredto the fairybride by the young man are paralleled another in Welshfolktale,in which Gwyndyddoffersher brotherMyrddinthreetypes of gift (wine, milk and water)to induce him to prophesy,and he accepts only afterthe third.46 The motif of appropriate plays a part in inducing the fairybride to enter into marriage. gift The partlybakedbreadis an apt symbol for the marriage betweentwo people, one from the human and one from the supernatural world. The tale also contains a rareWelsh exampleof the Three Laughs of the Fairy. However,Rhys visited the area some fifty years afterthe Physicians'tale was printedand found little evidence of it, althoughhe collectedother materialassociatedwith Llyn Y Fan Fach. One informanttold him that until recentlypeople used to visit the lake on the first of August to see the fairybride appear. Attempts to drain the allegedly bottomless lake resulted in failure and the of appearance a threatening In supernatural being.47 short, the lake itself had remained a focus for tradition. The questionis reallywhetherthe tale printedin this editionof Welshmedicaltreatises is an earlyone. MorfyddOwen in her extensivestudy of medievalWelshmedicaltreatises to says that althoughreferences the Physiciansare plentiful, the earliestin a fourteenthcentury Welsh poem, there is no mention of the lake legend prior to its appearance in Wirt Sykes, althoughan unreliablesource,cites both the Llyn Y Fan Fach tale print.48 and another not linked to the Physiciansbut located in the same area.49 More telling

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Llyn Corwrion

Llyn Peris Llyn Cwellyn Llyn y Gadair CAERNARVONSHIRE Llyn Du Arddu' DENBIGHSHIRE
40

? MERIONETHSHIRE

SHROPSHIRE

Llyn y Dywarchan

Bala Lake
o Ledbury North

CARDIGANSHIRE

HEREFORDSHIRE

CARMARTHENSHIRE BRECONSHIRE

GLAMORGAN

Llyn y Fan Fach Llangorse

Llyn Nelferch

DISTRIBUTION OF FAIRY BRIDE VARIANTS IN WALES (map not to scale)

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is the fact that Rhys failed to find any evidence for the tale only fifty years after it was printed.It seems unlikelythat such a traditioncould survive from the fourteenthto the nineteenth centuries and then disappearso shortly after its appearancein print."s Traditionsassociatinga medical family with the area are very strong. The earliest referenceoccurs in a fourteenth-century Welsh poem,5" although the supposed patron of the family, Rhys Grug, lived earlier. A number of Welsh antiquariesrefer to the physicians and their medical writings. Families alleged to possess medical skills are associatedwith severalfarms in the area close to Myddfai. Parish recordsand a local recallthe deathof the 'last'hereditary gravestone physician;however,allegeddescendants of the family were still practisingas late as 1971.52 The physiciansare associatedwith Rhys Grug and with his fatherthe Lord Rhys, one of the most powerfuland important of the native Welsh princes, noted for his patronageof both native and Latin learning. Afterthe death of the Lord Rhys, the areaof Carmarthenshire which includesMyddfai would have come under the control of Rhys Grug and he could very well have settled courtofficialsthere,and a physicianmight havebeen amongthem. A degreeof continuity could haveextendedeven to the Normanperiod,as the tenantsof the Maenorof Myddfai had to supply the Lord of Llanymyddfriwith a doctor.53 What is known of doctors, their duties and methods from early Welsh law tracts is broadlyconsistentwith certaintopics coveredin the medical tractsassociatedwith the this Physicians of Myddfai. Parallelsfrom other Celtic countries further corroborate of interpretation the Myddfai traditionswhere certain professionalclasses bound by a strong hereditary principle with a well-definedlegal statusemergedat a relativelyearly period. Of particularinterestis the history of a Scottish physicianfamily,the Beatons, whose story resemblesthat of the Physiciansof Myddfai.They practisedmedicine and owned land in territoriesheld by the Lord of the Isles in Gaelic Scotland until the seventeenthcentury.Their knowledgeseems to have been of the esotericsort culled from manuscripts held in the family.54 They too were the focus of numerous traditions associatingthem with supernatural powersgained fromcontactwith otherworldbeings. Beaton allegedlygained his power as a child when he ate magic food and escaped the machinationsof an evil magician, much in the manner of the Welsh poet Taliesin." to to of Indeed,parallel whatDr. Owen refers as the 'tenacity customwhich is characteristic of society' is probablyan assumptionthat a certainuncannypower is associatedwith 56 words, and the tale associatedwith the physiciansemphasisesthe liminal source, a gift from a supernatural mother,of the doctors'knowledge.The first published account of the Myddfaitale accompaniedthe first edition and translationof the Myddfaimedical manuscripts.The first manuscriptappearsto be a copy of a genuine medievaltext, the second is probablya forgeryby the indefatigableIolo Morganwg.j'Iolo's interest lay, as did that of so many early Celtic enthusiasts,in the antiquityof tradition,and where he could find no medieval records,he very happily createdthem. It may be that this kind of thinkingwas the inspiration linkingthe fairybride,evidentlya frequentfamily for origin tale, with a locally famous medical family by means of a story which combined motifs common in analogoustales, importantthemes involvingthe ambiguousposition of purveyorsof such knowledgeas is requiredto performmedical cures. The variantsof the Fairy Bride in Wales are not a rich harvest, but they represent an interestingand ratherunique sub-typein a widely dispersedlegend complex. When Rhys collected this materialin the 1880s, the legend was alreadyno doubt beginning to lose ground.PerhapsRhgs' interest its prolonged survivalsomewhat,and the Physicians versionof the tale has certainlyensuredits place in the canonof Welshfolklore.However,

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if one looksat the distribution the remaining of variants map 1), it seemslikely (see thatthislegendwasoncewidelyknown Wales. folktale neverbeen The has throughout set collected,and this map reflectsto a largeextenta fortuitous of systematically circumstances. himselfnotedthatmorerecords folklore of in existed the counties Rhys in whichthe Welsh was but that language still strong, suggested this mightbe due to the enthusiasm the collectors thoseareas of in rather thanto an actual lackof material Indeed the work of Rhidian Gwyn on the folkloreof Penllyn in elsewhere.58 and of Merionethshire, thatof RobinGwyndaf the WelshFolkMuseum" have,even at a latedate,produced someinteresting data. Twoaspects the WelshFairyBriderequire of closeconsideration folklorists. The by firstis theoft-retold Y FanFachversion itselfandthesecond origin function the and Llyn of thevariants whichhave beenidentified classified theforthcoming and in Welsh Folktale Index.In manywaysthe popularity the LlynY FanFachversion obscured of has the of in as of the medical complexity the tradition Wales, it hasthe historical significance writings."o Dr. Recently Bromwich drawn has attention the relative of references to lack to Welsh evenamong Welsh to She tales, prose poets,prior thenineteenth century. rightly focuseson the romantic revival attendant the writings Matthew on of Arnoldandthe of as to in interest native Welsh publication Ossian an impetus renewed proseliterature. scholars of Guestin 1849cannot priorto the publication the Mabinogion Charlotte by havebeensaidto haveignored native the tales,butit is interesting as withOssian, that, an Englishtranslation in this case a forgery) the (not provided stimulusfor study."6 of with Something thesamethingmayhavehappened LlynY FanFach,whichis most of tales onto authors a medieval of medical likelya hybrid current grafted the traditional treatise. as version dubious, importance theemerging is its in Whileitsauthenticity anearly tradition indisputable. is pictureof Welshfolknarrative The Welshvariants the FairyBrideareundoubtedly of related the taleaboutan to otherworld woman who marries haschildren a mortal, talereferred as The and a to by SealWoman, commonest in Scotland Scandinavia,62 Mermaid the form and who or The Marries Mortal, formas it is commonly a the foundin Ireland.63 Professor As Almqvist the and He suggests, wholecycleneedscareful in-depth to analysis.64 inclines the idea, of supported Dr. Bruford the Schoolof ScottishStudies,thatthe talemighthave by in The originated Scotlandand spreadto Scandinavia.65 relativepaucityof Welsh and natureof collecting makesit difficultto examples the unavoidably serendipitous on Thereis a strong for speculate origins. tendency thetalesto cluster, particularly along riversandaround the of lakes,andthis mayreflect localspread the tale.[Map2] The feature whichdifferentiates Welshvariants the moststrongly fromScottish, Irishand Scandinavian is the character the supernatural ones of womanwho setsthe conditions under whichsheremains the of with among world menandbrings hermaterial prosperity. Moreworkneedsto be doneon this fascinating clear cycle,but it seemsabundantly that manystreams tradition of havecontributed it. to
University of Wales, College of Cardiff LIST OF WELSH VARIANTS BY OLD COUNTIES

Walter pp.77-8(quoted Rhys, in LlynSyfaddon, Celtic Llangorse: Map Folklore, pp. 771-2). WFMT 2993. Cardiganshire:Newquay: Communication the author. to Aberystwyth:

Brecon:

I
Llandegai

1 Ll

Be

Corwrio .Lyn

17 " 10S O S-1 5 Blaeu 0 Pennono/ 1 Ystrad*

Llanberis

-11 Llyn Du

--

Llyn Gwellyn

lyn y D ----Llyn y Gadair

6 Braich y Dinas

S Dolbenmaen
"stom

cegid-ganol Ystu
cegid

Isar

CAERNARVONSHIRE VARIANTS (map not to scale)

68
Carmarthen:

JULIETTEWOOD

(Rees)1861(quoted (1) of Llyn Y Fan Fach, Llandeusant: ThePhysicians Myddvai in J. Rhys, CelticFolklore, 2-12);WFM Tape 1530;WFM Tape 1531;WFM pp. vol. FolkTape 1535. (2) Cambro-Briton ii, 1821,pp. 313-315;Elias Owen, Welsh Lore, pp. 22-24. (3) Wirt Sykes, British Goblins,p. 40. Caernarvon: Afon Fach Blaen y Cae, Dolbenmaen: J. Rhys, CelticFolklore,p. 108. Blaen Pennant, Dolbenmaen:J. Rhys, CelticFolklore,p. 108. Braichy Dinas: Y Dolbenmaen Genhinen vol. xiii, pp. 290-1 (quoted in J. Rhys, CelticFolklore, pp. 94-97). Bron y Fedw, Betws Farmon:J. Rhys, Celtic Folklore,pp. 33-35. Llanberis:J. Rhys, Celtic Folklore,pp. 26-30. Llyn Corwrion, Llandegai:(1) Hugh Derfel Hughes, HynafiaethauLlandegai & Llanlechid,1866 (quoted in J. Rhys, CelticFolklore,pp. 51-55)(2) J. Rhys, Celtic Folklore, p. 61. (3) Hugh Derfel Hughes, HynaflaethauLlandegai & Llanlechid,1866 (quoted in J. Rhys, Celtic Folklore,p. 55). Llyn Du'r Arddu, Llanberis:J. Rhys, Celtic Folklore,pp. 31-2. Llyn y Dywarchen,Betws Garmon:(1) BrythonIV, 70 (quotedin Rhys, Celtic Folklore, pp. 86-89); (2) J. Rhys, Celtic Folklore,pp. 89-90; (3) Cymru Fu (Glasynys' version), pp. 474-7 (quoted in Rhys, CelticFolklore,pp. 91-3). Pennant, Dolenmaen: J. Rhys, Celtic Folklore,p. 108. Pen-y-groes:WFM T 3553. Rhoshirwaun:WFM T 1986. Ystum Cegid, Dolbenmaen: J. Rhys, CelticFolklore,p. 220. on Ystrad,Bettws Garmon:(1) Williams, Observations theSnowdon Mountains, 1802 (quotedin Rhys, CelticFolklore, 42-6). (2) Y Brython,1863, 193 (quoted pp. in Rhys, Celtic Folklore,pp. 40-1). (3) J. Rhys, CelticFolklore,p. 39. Denbigh: Hafodgarreg,Pentrefoelas:Elias Owen, WelshFolklore,pp. 8-10. Hafod y Dre, Pentrefoelas:ELias Owen, Welsh Folklore,pp. 10-11. WFM T 2758. Rhosllannerchrugog: Llansannan:WFM T 3894. Glamorgan: Llyn Nelferch, Rhondda: (1) J. Rhys, CelticFolklore,pp. 27-29. (2) J. RhYs, Celtic Folklore,pp. 23-24. (3) J. Rhys, CelticFolklore,p. 25. Hereford: Ledbury North: WalterMap (ed. Mynor and James), p. 82. Merionethshire: Llanfrothen:Elias Owen, WelshFolklore,p. 15. Penllyn: Rh. Gwyn, 'Penllyn' 129, 130 (3 examples). Llanfachreth:(1) Rh. Gwyn, 'Penllyn' 131; (2) Cymru& (1895), 178. NOTES ON NAMES: In many of the variantslocal names have been used by informantsfor farms, rivers and lakes. For purposes of clarity it has not always been possible to indicate this on the map.Romannumbersin brackets havebeen used whereseveralversionshavebeen collected from the same location. KEY TO SOURCES: The following lists the details of all oral material, journals and books containing original materialrelating to the Welsh Fairy Bride tale. WFM T = WelshFolk Museum Tape,for all materialin the archivesof the WelshFolk Museum, St. Fagans. Y Brython:cylchgrawn llenyddolCymru 1 (1858)-5 (1986/3). Cymru 1 (1891)-72 (1927). Y Geninen1 (1883)-46 (1928). Glasynys (Owen Wynne Jones), CymruFu (Wrexham:Hughes and Son, 1862). Gwyn, Rhidian, 'Chwedlau Ileol Penllyn a phlwf LlanfachrethMerionethshire'unpublished University of Wales M.A. thesis, 1983. Hughes, Hugh Derfel, HyniaethauLlandegai(Llandegai, 1872), quoted in Rhys. Owen, Elias, WelshFolk-Lore (Oswestry and Wrecsam 1887). Rh5s, John, Celtic FolkloreWelshand Manx (1901, rpr. Wildwood House, 1980), 2 vols. Sykes, Wirt, British Goblins(London, 1880).

THE FAIRY BRIDE LEGEND IN WALES

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WalterMap, De Nugis Curialium(1983 ed., see n. 7 below). on Mountainswith someAccount the Customs and Williams, William, Observations theSnowdon of Mannersof the Inhabitants(London, 1802), quoted in Rhys. The following is a composite summary of events and motifs in the Welsh versions of this tale. No attempt has been made to indicate which variants contain which motifs. I. A young man sees a company of fairiesdancing by moonlight, on or near a lake, or meets a fairy(rarely, gypsy) girl, in hills or field near home. He offers her bread(sometimesthree kinds of bread, or asks for one of the apples she is eating). F217 Congregating placesof fairies.F214 Fairieslive in hills. F261 Fairiesdance.F212 Fairyland under water.F261.3.1.2 Fairies dance under oak tree. F92.1 Visit to lower world through hole made by lifting clump of grass. P715.2* Nations, gypsies. II. He gains consent to marriage(occasionallyby capture).Sometimesshe becomes his servant until he discoversher name. Usually she agreesto marryhim on the condition that he not give her threeblows (quarrels) without cause(nevertouch her with iron, steel or clay).In some versions he must find out her name or identify her from among her identical sisters. H323 Suitor test learning girl's name. N475 Secret name overheardby eavesdropper. F302.4 Man obtains power over fairy mistress. F302.2 Man marries fairy and takes her home. F300 wife. H161.0.1 Recognition of Marriageor liaison with fairy.C31.8 Tabu:striking supernatural personamongidenticalcompanions,prearranged signal. H324 Suitortest:choosingprincessfrom amongidenticallyclad sisters.H335.0.1 Bridehelps suitorperformtasks.T110 Unusual marriage. F300 Marriageor liaison with fairy.P715.2.1* Marriagewith gypsy girl. C531 Tabu:touching with iron. C31.11 Tabu:reproachingsupernaturalwife about her sisters. C32 Tabu:offending supernaturalwife. C517.1* Tabu:losing acorns. D985.4 Magic acorns. C211.3.2 Tabu: fairies eating mortal food. F243.1 Fairies' bread. III. They prosper,often because of cattle/money(rarelygiven by fatherof girl) which the wife brings as dowry, and they have children. One day while trying to catch an animal, the wife is accidentallyhit by an iron bridle, bit, clump of earth, etc., or the husband accidentallybreaks the tabuby touching her with his gloves when she laughs at an inappropriate moment. She then disappearsinto the lake followed by her cattle. F342 Fairy gives mortal money. F343.9 Fairy gives man horses, cattle, etc. F305 Offspring of fairy and mortal. P715.2.3* Gypsy children. C31 Tabu:offending supernaturalwife. C31.8 Tabu:striking supernaturalwife. C435.1.1 Tabu:uttering name of supernatural wife. C31.8.1* Tabu:three quarrelswithout cause. C531.2* Tabu:touching with steel. C531.3* Tabu:touching with clay. P617 People laugh at funeraland weep when child is born. C932 Loss of supernatural wife forbreakingtabu. C952: Immediatereturnto Otherworld afterbreaking tabu. F241.2.3 Fairy cattleunderlake.F241.2 Fairies'cows. F241.2.1* Fairieshaveblackcows. A951.4 Contourcaused by ploughing of beasts. F989.13 Animal dives into lakeand disappears.F989.13.1* Supernatural being disappearsinto lake. IV. Sometimes she returnsto visit her children, comfortsthem with a rhyme, gives them a gift such as knowledgeof medicine, or their descendantscarrya stigma, because of their supposed fairy origins. F305.2* Fairy mother returnsto visit children. F305.1.1 Fairy mother bestows magic power son. F343.7* Fairygives book. F305.1.2* Fairymotherreturnsto visit children. upon half-mortal E425.1.1 Revenant as lady in white. NOTES 1. This article was given as the Folklore Society Council Lecture in 1991. I would like to expressmy gratitudeto the Society for their invitation,to Mr. Robin Gwyndaf of the WelshFolk Museum and to Dr. Alan Brufordof the School of Scottish Studies for their helpful discussions on the subject of Welsh and Scottish fairy brides, and particularlyto Dr. Brufordfor allowing me accessto the Archivesof the School which contain so many Scottish variants.Finally, I wish to thank Guto Davis for help in the preparationof the maps.

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2. D. Parry-Jones, Welsh and (Batsford,1953),pp. 75-85;W.JenkynThomas, Legends Fairy-lore The Welsh Fairy Book (University of Wales Press, 1907), pp. 1-11.Gwyn Jones, Welsh Legends and Folk-Tales (Oxford, 1955);Joseph Jacobs, CelticFairy Tales(New York, 1882); Hugh Evans, Y TylwuthTeg(Gwasg Y Brython, 1935); Aneirin TalfanDavies, Crwydro Gar (Llandybid, Sir 1970); F. G. Payne, YrAradr Gymreig(University of Wales Press, 1901); FrederikHelmann, Mdrchen Wales Aus und Herausgegeben Ubersetzt (Verlag,1982),pp. 156-162,268. Furthercomments see W. J. Gruffydd,Folkloreand Myth in theMabinogion (Cardiff, 1950), p. 10ff; K. H. Jackson, The InternationalPopular Taleand Early WelshTradition (Cardiff, 1961), pp. 48-9; Alwyn and Brinley Rees, Celtic Heritage(Cardiff, 1961), pp. 266, 344. 3. John Williams (Ab Ithol), editor, The Physiciansof Myddfai:Meddygon Myddfai.English translationby John Pughe (Llandovery 1861). 4. Morfydd Owen, 'Meddygon Myddfai:A PreliminarySurvey of some Medieval Medical Writing in Welsh', Studia Celtica X/IX (1975-76), pp. 210-233; 'Llawsysgrif Ffeddygol a Bulletin of the Board of CelticStudies XXVI (1956), 48-9; P. Diverres, Le plus Anwybyddwyd', ancien textedes Meddygon Myddveu(Paris, Maurice Le Dault, 1913). 5. John Rhys, CelticFolklore:Welsh Manx (1901), 2 vols. (Wildwood House rpr. 1980), and pp. 1-12from Williams and Pughe, Physiciansof Myddfai,op. cit., xxi; also published by Rhys in Y Cymmroder (1881), 155ff. IV 6. No comprehensivestudy of this legend exists, and one is certainly needed. For examples of texts and comments on the legend in Scandinavia, Ireland and Scotland see Reidar Th. A List of Types with a SystematicCatalogue the Christiansen, TheMigratory Legends: Proposed of FF. NorwegianVariants, CommunicationsNo. 175 (Helsinki, 1958);Bo Almqvist, 'Of Mermaids and Marriages: SeamusHeaney's"Maighdean Mara"and Nuala ni Dhomhnaill's"AnMhaighdean Mhara"in the Light of Folk Tradition', Bealoideas58 (1990), 1-74;0. Andersson 'Seal-Folkin East and West: Some Comments on a Fascinating Group of Folk Tales',FolkloreInternational Debs Hand (Hatboro, 1967), pp. 1-6; Bo Almqvist, 'Scandinavian Essays in Honor of Wayland and Celtic Folklore Contacts in the Earldom of Orkney',Saga-Bookof the VikingSociety XX ... 1-2 (1978-79), 103; Linda-May Ballard, 'Seal Stories and Belief on Raithlin Island', Ulster Folklife(1988), 33-42. 7. WalterMap, De Nugis Curialium:Courtier's Trifles,edited and translated M. R. James, by revisedby C. N. L. Brooksand R. A. B. Mynors (ClarendonPress, 1983). All referencesto the text follow this edition unless otherwise stated;WalterMap's De Nugis Curialium,trans. M. R. Record James,notesby J. E. Lloyd,editedby SidneyHartland,Cymmrodorion Series ix (London, No. 1923). 8. JulietteWood,'Walter Transactions Map:The Contentsand Contextof De Nugis Curialium" of the Honourable Societyof Cymmrodorion 1985, pp. 91-103. 9. Map, De Nugis Curialium,Dist II, cap. 11. 10. In, for example, Owen WelshFolk-Lore(Oswestry and Wrecsam, 1887), p. 22 from and Rhys, Celtic Folklore,p. 62. Carmarthenshire, 11. Map, De Nugis Curialium, p. 150 n.1. Nagelauc-lame or with a crutch. 12. T. Gwynn Jones, Welsh Folk-Lore Folk Custom,1930 (rpr.D. S. Brewer,1979), p. 62. and 13. EwanCampbelland Alan Lane, TheLlangorse in Crannog Investigations 1987-88,an interim report pamphlet. 14. Charles Kightly, Folk Heroesof Britain (Thames & Hudson, 1982), pp. 111-118.Map, De Nugis Curialium,p. 159. 15. Kightly, p. 117. 16. Bo Almqvist,'Of Mermaidsand Baloideas 58 (1990)8, n.16. Professor Almqvist Marriages', and suggestthatthe taleis unknownin Brittany Wales,but surelythe Welshtaleof the supernatural wife whose sojourn with a mortal husband is dependent on such conditions must be related. 17. P. C. Bartrum,'FairyMothers' Bulletinof theBoardof CelticStudiesXIX (1962), pp. 6-8. 18. SarahLaratt Keefer, 'The Lost Tales of Dylan in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi', Studia Celticaxxiv/xxv (1989/90), pp. 26-37. 19. Ibid., pp. 36, 30. 20. Ibid., p. 30. 21. Ibid., p. 33.

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22. Almqvist, Bealoideas8, 22. 23. Wood,op.cit., 'Walter Societyof Cymmrodorion (1985), Map' Transactions theHonourable of pp. 91-103. PMLA (1918), p. 132; Map (edited 24. James Hinton, 'WalterMap, Its Plan and Structure', Brooke and Mynors), pp. xxiv, xxxii. 25. Map, p. 161. 6 26. Stith Thompson, Motif Indexof Folk Literature, vols. (BloomingtonIndianaUniversity op. Press, 1955-58);ReidarTh. Christiansen, TheMigratory Legends, cit.; KatharineM. Briggs, TheAnatomyof Puck (London, 1959), Pale Hecate's Team(London, 1962). 27. See Motif List at end of article. 28. GearoidO Crualaoich,'Contestin the Cosmologyand the Ritual of the IrishMerryWake', in 'Contests' edited by Andrew Duff-Cooper, Cosmos(Yearbookof the TraditionalCosmology Society) 6 (1990), pp. 145-160. Folklore 29. J. Thomas, 'The Development of FolkloreStudies in Wales 1700-1900' Keystone Quarterly20 (1975), pp. 33-42. 30. Map, p. 158; 'et cetera lurgia facit in aerem'. 31. Rhys, op. cit., p. 55; 'iar-coed'-wood hen. and FolkNarrative(FFC, forthcoming). 32. 5090/5092 (W),J. Wood, The Types Motifsof Welsh Prose Tale,M. Phil 1989 Lore in the Native Middle-Welsh 33. T. Gerald Hunter, Onomastic University College of Wales, Aberystwyth. 34. FfransisPayne, YrAradr Gymreig (Cardiff, 1950) 162ff. The difficulty in accepting that the name of the cattle may reflect ancient Welsh breeds is that there is nothing in the language or verse of the cattle-calling poems to suggest antiquity. 35. Jennifer Albion: GuidetoLegendary A Britain(London, 1985, 1987),pp. 314-316. Westwood, 36. Personal communication to the author on a recent visit to Aberystwyth. 37. Rhys, op. cit., p. 25. 39. Ibid., p. 106. 40. Ibid., pp. 13-15. 41. Ibid., pp. 46-48. 42. Ibid., quoted by Rhys, p. 48. 43. Heda Jason, 'A MultidimensionalApproachto Oral Literature'Current Anthopology10 (1969), pp. 413-426; 'The Fairy Tale of the Active Heroine: An Outline for Discussion' in G. and Le Comment? Folktale V. Calame-Griaule, G6r6g-Karady M. Chiche (editors) Conte: Pourquoi? ... Whyand How?(CentreNationale de la RechercheScientifique,Paris, 1984),pp. 79-97; Linda Degh, 'How StorytellersInterpretthe Snake Prince Tale' in The Tellingof Stories:Approaches to a Traditional Craft:A Symposium(Odense University Press, 1990). 44. Bo Almqvist, op. cit., Bealoideas,p. 39. 45. Rhys, op. cit., p. 2. 46. Thomas Jones, 'GwraigMaelgwyn Gwynedd a'r Foddrwy',Bulletinof theBoardof Celtic Studies 18 (1958/60), pp. 55-58. 47. Rhys, op. cit., pp. 15-16. 48. Morfydd Owen, op. cit., Studia CelticaX/XI (1975-76), pp. 210-233. 49. Wirt Sykes, British Goblins(London, 1880), p. 40ff. 50. Morfydd Owen, Studia Celtica, p. 213 n. 2. 51. Ibid., p. 213 n. 7; Rhys, Celtic Folklore,p. 3. 52. Morfydd Owen, Studia Celtica, pp. 215-219. 53. Ibid., pp. 220-221. 54. J. Wood, 'A Celtic Sorcerer'sApprentice:The Magician Figure in Scottish Tradition', on of Proceedings the ThirdInternationalConference ScottishLanguageand Literature,ed. R. J. Lyall and Felicity Riddy (Glasgow, 1983), pp. 127-142. 55. Ibid., pp. 136-138; 56. Morfydd Owen, Studia Celtica, p. 221. 57. G. Williams, 'Meddygon Myddfai' Lljn-Cymru 1 (1950-51), pp. 169-73. 58. Rhys, op. cit. Preface to volume one.

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59. RhidianGwyn. 'Chwedlau IleolPenllyna phlwfLlanfachreth Merionethshire', unpublished Universityof WalesM.A. thesis, 1983. This is an extremelythoroughcollection of folk narrative in a particulararea. Robin Gwyndaf, who has been collecting Welsh folk narrativesfor many years, also collected interesting materialin the area in May 1967 (WFM T 1528-1536). 60. Morfydd Owen, Studia Celtica, p. 210. 61. Rachel Bromwich, 'The Mabinogion and Lady Charlotte Guest', Transactions the of HonorableSociety of Cymmrodorion (1986), 127-141. 62. Bo Almqvist, 'Scandinavianand Celtic Folklore Contacts in the Earldom of Orkney' Saga-Book of the VikingSociety XX . . . 1-2 (1978-79), p. 103. 63. PatriciaLysaght, The Banshee: TheIrish Supernatural (Dublin, 1986). Death-Messenger Of particularinterest is the map showing the distribution of these tales, p. 161. 64. Bo Almqvist, Bdaloideas,64. 65. Alan Bruford 'A note on the Folktale Evidence' in R. J. Berry and H. N. Firth (eds.), The Peopleof Orkney(Kirkwall, 1986), pp. 171-4.