tales-from-wales-blog

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Adam and the Adder

‘Surely, it could not be true,’ he may have told himself, but the Norman lord Adam de la Roche wasn’t going to take any chances.

He had been given a prophecy that he was to meet his death later that year, after being poisoned by an adder. And so Adam, who was desperate to ensure that this prophecy would not come to pass, decided to build a castle as a preventative measure.

Roche Castle, known in Welsh as ‘Castell y Garn’, was constructed high on a volcanic rock and is situated to the east of St David’s. There he would see out the rest of the year in the highest room, far enough from any dangerous snakes.

As the year drew to an end, supposedly on the very last day, Adam de la Roche sent his servant to collect logs for the fire. He received the new stock of firewood and reached into the basket to take a log, only to disturb an adder which had been sleeping among them.

His body was found the following morning in front of the fireplace.

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The Suspension Bridge

For the people of Anglesey, this was a moment to savour. It was early July 1825 and it had been six years since construction had begun on the bridge that was to link the island and the mainland. Until then, come rain or shine, they had crossed the straits on the ferry and never would they have imagined that they could one day cross to the mainland on foot. They gathered with eager anticipation on the shores of the Menai straits to witness the last of the its sixteen chains, each made of 935 iron bars and weighing 121 long tons, being put in place. The straits were peppered with boats filled with people, displaying colourful flags and firing guns to mark the occasion.

It took about an hour and a quarter to haul the last chain and, once in place, workmen placed planks between the chains and erected a stage in the centre of the bridge. The crowd looked on with wonder and anticipation as a band took its place on the stage and began playing ‘God save the King’ and other familiar tunes.

The St David Steam Packet from Chester, with Lieutenant Sarsfield of the Royal Navy and a party on board, had the honour of being the first vessel to pass through since the fixing of the chains, accompanied with great cheers from the crowd. The celebrations continued into the evening.

When it was opened officially on 30 January 1826, the new suspension bridge was the largest of its kind in the world, and its construction a fete that would not only immortalise its architect Thomas Telford but also change the history of Anglesey forever.

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Beuno and the Baby

Beuno was delighted. So delighted that would present the king with a golden sceptre worth sixty cows to show his gratitude.

Since being ordained at the monastery in Bangor, he had led a active mission with the support of his benefactor King Cadfan of Gwynedd. Now, Cadfan’s successor, Cadwallon, had given him land on which he could construct a church, and he couldn’t wait to begin.

It was not long before the digging of the foundations began, but the work was soon disrupted by the sound of a crying baby. Eager for the work to proceed, Beuno asked the mother to quieten the child.

The mother replied that the baby was crying because Beuno was taking away its rightful inheritance.

Beuno returned to Cadwallon and told him to give back the land to its owner and find other land for his church. If not, then he would demand that the golden sceptre be returned to him. Cadwallon refused, and Beuno placed a curse on him.

It was while Beuno sat on a stone, still filled with anger towards Cadwallon, that the King’s cousin approached him and offered some of his own land as a site of the church. That stone, known as Maen Beuno (Beuno’s Stone) can still be found at the Church at Clynnog Fawr. It bears a cross symbol which Beuno himself, it is said, created with two strokes of his thumb.

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The ‘Hallelujah’ Battle

You may have heard of the Hallelujah Chorus, but what about the Hallelujah Battle? The word ‘hallelujah’ was said or sung in both, but the context couldn’t be more different.

Also known as the Battle of Garmon’s Field (Brwydr Maes Garmon), the Hallelujah Battle (Brwydr yr Haleliwia) was fought between the Brythoniaid - the Celtic Britons - and the Anglo-Saxons in 430CE. The Brythoniaid were led into battle by Garmon and the Pelagians. Garmon, or Germanus, was the Bishop of Auxerre who had travelled to the British isles to meet and contest the beliefs of the Pelagians (a sect which had gained a foothold within the Christian church). However, they found themselves fighting shoulder to shoulder against the Anglo-Saxons.

This was not the first time that Garmon, or Germanus, had led them into battle; they had emerged victorious under his leadership in other battles against the Picts as well as the Saxons. Having forged his army, Garmon instructed them to cry ‘Hallelujah’ immediately upon entering battle to strike terror into their enemies, causing some of them to flee for their lives.

The tactic distinguished this particular battle, which is believed to have been fought on land now belonging to Rhual farm near Mold.

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‘Over my body’: Rhys ap Thomas and the Son of Prophecy

Rhys ap Thomas, Lord of Deheubarth, had made an oath to the King of England, Richard III. The oath was that only ‘over his body’ would an enemy of the Crown be allowed to enter his lands.

But there was a rumour that his fellow Welshman Harri Tudur (a.k.a. Henry Tudor), born and raised at Pembroke Castle, was prepared to launch a campaign to take the Crown from Richard. According to some, Harri was the descendent of none other than Cadwaladr ap Cadwallon, last king of the ancient Britons. Cadwaladr ap Cadwallon had renounced the throne in 688 to become a pilgrim after he had heard a prophecy that the sacrifice of power would bring victory against the Anglo-Saxons. It would appear that Harri Tudur was returning from exile so that it would be fulfilled. Rhys’s loyalty to his own land and people, would prove stronger than his loyalty to the reigning English monarch. After all, his wife Elizabeth was the daughter of Sir John Gruffydd of Abermarlais, who claimed to be a descendant of the Welsh Princes. Rhys ap Thomas would not stand in the way of the son of prophecy; indeed, he was to become known as the chief supporter of Harri Tudur.

Legend has it that Rhys, being a man of his word, crouched under Mullock Bridge near Dale so that Harri could step ‘over his body’, and later joined forces with Harri near Welshpool. Harri went on to defeat Richard at the Battle of Bosworth on 22 August 1485, taking the Crown and bringing an end to the Wars of the Roses. Seen as having made a key contribution to the victory, Rhys was knighted on the battlefield, and and was later appointed Governor of Wales.

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Llyn y Fan Fach

Near the village of Myddfai in Carmarthenshire, there is a lake called Llyn y Fan where a young man named Rhiwallon once beheld an incredible sight. On returning home from a day’s work, he noticed a herd of oxen emerging from the lake. The oxen were followed by a swan, which transformed into a beautiful young maiden before his very eyes.

Rhiwallon fell in love with the maiden, and without hesitation asked for her hand in marriage. She refused him twice, but agreed the third time on one condition: that he would not strike her three times.

The two were happily married for many years, and had children together. Rhiwallon did, eventually, break his vow, not once, twice, but three times. When he struck his wife the third time, he suddenly realised what he had done, and could only look on in horror as she bade farewell and vanished back into the lake.

Many years went by and Rhiwallon would go to the lakeside in the hope that he would see his wife again. And she did appear again, but this time only to their sons. She told them that they were to become physicians, and that she would teach them how to heal the sick and the suffering. These would become known as ‘Meddygon Myddfai’.