Title Page

p. 44
yn anffortunus ddigon aeth y ddau i'r ddol i ddal y ceffyl, a chan fod y ceffylyn braidd yn wyllt ac an-nof, yn rhedeg oddi arnynt, taflodd y
gwr y ffrwyn mewn gwylltineb yn ei erbyn, er ei atal, ac ar bwy y disgynnodd y ffrwyn, ond ar Penelope, y wraig! Diflannodd Penelope yn
y fan, ac ni welodd byth mo honi. Ond ryw noswaith, a'r gwynt yn chwythu yn oer o'r gogledd, daeth Penelope at ffenestr ei ystafell wely,
a dywedodd wrtho am gymmeryd gofal o'r plant yn y geiriau hyn:
Rhag bod anwyd ar fy mab,
Yn rhodd rhowch arno gôb ei dad;
Rhag bod anuyd ar liw'r can,
Rhoddwch arni bais ei mham.
Ac yna ciliodd, ac ni chlywyd na siw na miw byth yn et chylch.
For the sake of an occasional reader who does not know Welsh, I add a summary of it in English.
One fine evening in the month of June a brave, adventurous youth, the heir of Ystrad, went to the banks of the Gwyrfai, not far from
where it leaves Cwellyn Lake, and hid himself in the bushes near the spot where the folks of the Red Coats--the fairies--were wont to
dance. The moon shone forth brightly without a cloud to intercept her light; all was quiet save where the Gwyrfai gently murmured on her
bed, and it was not long before the young man had the satisfaction of seeing the fair family dancing in full swing. As he gazed on the
subtle course of the dance, his eyes rested on a damsel, the most shapely and beautiful he had seen from his boyhood. Her agile
movements and the charm of her looks inflamed him with love for her, to such a degree that he felt ready for any encounter in order to
secure her to be his own. From his hiding place he watched every move for his opportunity; at last, with feelings of anxiety and dread,
p. 45
he leaped suddenly into the middle of the circle of the fairies. There, while their enjoyment of the dance was at its height, he seized her in
his arms and carried her away to his home at Ystrad. But, as she screamed for help to free her from the grasp of him who had fallen in love
with her, the dancing party disappeared like one's breath in July. He treated her with the utmost kindness, and was ever anxious to keep her
within his sight and in his possession. By dint of tenderness he succeeded so far as to get her to consent to be his servant at Ystrad. And
such a servant she turned out to be! Why, she was wont to milk the cows thrice a day, and to have the usual quantity of milk each time, so
that the butter was so plentiful that nobody thought of weighing it. As to her name, in spite of all his endeavours to ascertain it, she would
never tell it him. Accidentally, however, one moonlight night, when driving two of his cows to the spot where they should graze, he came
to the place where the fairies were wont to enjoy their games in the light of the moon. This time also he hid himself in a thicket, when he
overheard one fairy saying to another, 'When we were last here our sister Penelope was stolen from us by a man.' As soon as he heard this
off he went home, full of joy because he had discovered the name of the maid that was so dear to him. She, on the other hand, was greatly
astonished to hear him call her by her own name. As she was so charmingly pretty, so industrious, so skilled in every work, and so
attended by luck in everything she put her hand to, he offered to make her his wife instead of being his servant. At first she would in no
wise consent, but she rather gave way to grief at his having found her name out. However, his importunity at length brought her to
consent, but on the condition that he should not
p. 46
strike her with iron; if that should happen, she would quit him never to return. The agreement was made on his side with the readiness of
love, and after this they lived in happiness and comfort together for many years, and there were born to them a son and a daughter, who
were the handsomest children in the whole country. Owing, also, to the skill and good qualities of the woman, as a shrewd and virtuous
wife, they became very rich--richer, indeed, than anybody else in the country around; for, besides the husband's own inheritance of Ystrad,
he held all the northern part of Nant y Bettws, and all from there to the top of Snowdon, together with Cwm Brwynog in the parish of
Llanberis. But one day, as bad luck would have it, they went out together to catch a horse in the field, and, as the animal was somewhat
wild and untamed, they had no easy work before them. In his rashness the man threw a bridle at him as he was rushing past him, but alas!
on whom should the bridle fall but on the wife! No sooner had this happened than she disappeared, and nothing more was ever seen of her.
But one cold night, when there was a chilling wind blowing from the north, she came near the window of his bedroom, and told him in
these words to take care of the children
Lest my son should find it cold,
Place on him his father's coat
Lest the fair one find it cold,
Place on her my petticoat.
Then she withdrew, and nothing more was heard of her.
In reply to some queries of mine, Mr. O. Davies tells me that Penelope was pronounced in three syllables, Pénelôp --so he heard it from
his grandfather: he goes on to say that the offspring of the Lake Lady is supposed to be represented by a family called Pellings,
p. 47
Title Page
file:///I|/mythology/celtic/26/26.html (34 of 237) [01/22/2004 12:42:26 PM]