Pedro Henrique Silva Sanches

Gelert: The Sad Ending of a Hero

During the Middle Ages, a Welsh prince named Llewellyn lived in a rustic cottage in an immense valley surrounded by a dense forest. Llewellyn was a gorgeous man and his sympathy could attract a crowd of admirers, though he would prefer to stay with his family. As his wife had recently died, he just lived with his lovely newborn baby son and his friendly old golden retriever, called Gelert. On a sunny day, after looking at the shiny sky and seeing that it was an appropriate day for going hunting, the prince left the baby with the dog and got off on his way to the forest. After the princes leave, some ferocious wolves came out from the woods and ran towards the cottage. As the dog looked through the window, he saw the beasts coming in his direction thirst for blood. With an almost paternal spirit, the dog hid the baby and ran outside as if it were a little lamb running to fight against an army of lions. Gelert succeeded in killing the wolves but he was seriously wounded and tired after the war. The dog could not help standing awake with the weakness and lay down to sleep. The sun had already gone away when Llewellyn returned from the hunting. As he entered the cottage, he saw that the dog was covered in blood and that his sons cot was empty. In a moment of anger, thinking that the now evil dog had killed his son, he took his sword and killed his old friend with all his strength while it slept. Blood was still dripping from the sword when he heard the crying of his son. Knowing that the baby was still alive, he ran towards his wardrobe and opened it. The baby was untouched. Without knowing what was really happening, the man started to walk up and down with the baby on his hands. After looking through the window, he saw the two dead wolves and realized what a big mistake he had just made. With tears in the eyes, he carried the dog to the top of the hill and buried it. To honor the brave hero, the prince collected a pile of stones to mark the grave, which can be seen even nowadays.