The bardic arts of song, poetry and storytelling are a strong allocation of Welsh culture and tradition. And all year in Wales, these arts are celebrated on a grand scale at the National Eisteddfod, a big week-long festival where musicians, dancers, artists, poets and singers compete through the medium of the Welsh language to win prestigious prizes. In this article we look at the Welsh storytelling tradition, and allocation some of our favourite Snowdonia myths and legends.
In simpler times, natural phenomena were explained away by the superstitious as illusion or miracles, warring dragons or battling giants, or the fake of the 'Tylwyth Teg', or 'Fair Folk'. We may giggle today, but centuries ago it was considered perfectly plausible that a pile of rocks could appear on a mountainside because a giantess had taken panic and dropped the contents of her apron!
In the real tradition of the ancient bards and storytellers, many obsolescent tales survive to this day, having been passed by the side of orally from one generation to the neighboring throughout history. Myth, legend, superstition or fairy fable - whatever you choose to call the folklore of Snowdonia, there are large quantity of permanent tales to pick from, each one as colourful as the next. Here are a few of our favourites.
St Twrog's Stone
In the village of Maentwrog, just uncovered Blaenau Ffestiniog, an unusual boulder stands adjacent to the porch in the churchyard. Legend has it that a local giant, Twrog, disgusted by the pagan rituals innate carried out in the village, threw a large stone alongside from a within reach hill which destroyed the unholy altar. His partners higher erected the church where the boulder had landed.
The Mermaid's Curse
Many hundreds of years ago a help of fishermen caught a mermaid in their nets even if fishing in the Conwy estuary. Ignoring her pleas for freedom, they paraded her through the town until, considering a fish, the mermaid started to suffocate on air. As she died, the mermaid cursed the men of Conwy, their wives, their children, and forward-looking generations. She cursed the buildings, vanguard buildings, and vowed that Conwy would be anxious many drownings, wars, diseases and disasters until the stop of time.
In 1966 Conwy Town Hall, which stood on the spot where the mermaid was said to have died, burned down. Several locals said they heard the mermaid's ghostly laughter as the building burned. The house on which it had stood was difficult developed as a library, but within two months of feat it had burned the length of once more - and following again, the mermaid's laughter was heard through the flames.
The Sunken Town
In the basin of the valley where Lake Bala (Llyn Tegid in Welsh) lies, there was subsequently a town. This town was inhabited by unethical and selfish people, and ruled by a categorically cruel and wicked man, who one night held a big party in his palace to celebrate the birth of his first child.
A local harpist was ordered to find the money for entertainment at the party. Despite hating the ruler, who ruled the town harshly, the harpist knew it would be extremely risky to refuse, hence reluctantly attended and played for the guests.
As the party progressed the harpist heard a odd whispering at the rear him. He turned and maxim a tiny bluebird which kept repeating the thesame word more than and higher than again: "Vengeance! Vengeance!" - at the similar get older beckoning the harpist to follow it.
The harpist left the palace and followed the bird going on a hillside, where he slept every night. like he awoke the neighboring morning, he looked alongside at the town and axiom that it had disappeared, and in its area was an big lake. And there, free upon the surface of the lake, was the teenage man's harp.
King Arthur in Snowdonia
There are many folk tales placing Arthur, legendary King of the Britons, in Snowdonia. Perhaps the most dramatic of these claims that Arthur fought his last battle in the region, at a pass near Cwm Dyli. bearing in mind Arthur was mortally wronged by a commend of enemy arrows, his men raised a cairn higher than his body, which yet stands today and is called Carnedd Arthur - Arthur's Cairn - even though the mountain pass where the ambush happened is called Bwlch Y Saethau, or Pass of the Arrows.
After Arthur died, his unshakable knights entered a cave below the summit of Lliwedd and the open was hermetically sealed at the rear them. This cave is known as Ogof Llanciau Eryri, or Cave of the young person Men of Snowdonia. It is said that the knights slumber there still, sufficiently armoured and armed, waiting for their king to awaken and fulfil the ancient prophesy that Arthur merely sleeps until Wales is in mortal danger, whereupon he will arise and save his country.
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