Week 12 Reading Notes: Celtic Fairy Tales, Part B

 Celtic Fairy Tales Unit (Joseph Jacobs, Un-Textbook)

Image Source. The real life gravestone dedicated to Gellert

Beth Gellert: Prince Llewelyn blew his horn in front of the castle, and all of the dogs came ready to hunt except for Gellert, Llewelyn's favorite greyhound. The sport is scarce that day without his best hunter. Upon arriving back home, the prince sees Gellert with blood dripping from his fangs. He follows a trail of blood to the nursery, and when he cannot find his one year old son, he assumes the worst. Llewelyn calls Gellert a monster and stabs him with his sword, only to hear his child beneath the cradle after this. By the child lays a slain wolf - Llewelyn realizes Gellert stayed behind that day to protect his son, and he is overcome with grief. In his honor Gellert was buried outside the castle walls for every passerby to see.

The Tale of Ivan: With work becoming scarce in Llanlavan, Ivan left his wife at home to find work for a farmer out east. He worked for three years and at the end of each year agreed to take advice instead of wages. He was told never to leave the old road for a new one, never lodge where an old man is married to a young woman, and honesty is the best policy. Finally he is ready to return to his wife; the farmer's wife bakes a cake for him to take back home and break open with his wife at a joyous moment. He met three old merchant friends on the way home, and was weary to take a new path with them due to the old man's advice (they got robbed). He was also weary to lodge with them where an old man and young woman stayed (they were set up for murder). Finally, he returned a purse of gold to the king's servant. The servant kept it for himself, but the king found out and made Ivan his servant instead. Ivan and his wife cut the cake and find three years of Ivan's salary from the farmer!

Brewery of Eggshells: In Treveglwys, a man, his wife, and their twins lived in a shepherd's cot. One day while she was out helping a neighbor and the twins were home alone, she sees the "old elves of the blue petticoat" on her walk back home. She's concerned for her children, but they seem to be fine when she arrives home - until she notices after a while that they are not growing at all. After this, the cottage was called Twt y Crmrws (Place of Strife). She consults the Wise Man of Llanidloes, who gives her advice. Following his advice, the lady boils potage in an eggshell and leaves it at the door when the twins are inside. She then hears them saying some crazy cult sounding stuff, at which point she knows these are not her babies and to throw them into Lake Ebyr. The goblins in blue (from before) appear to save who is actually THEIR children, and the woman gets her children back.