Welsh Folk Lore

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_Ceridwen and Gwion_ (_Gwiawn_) _Bach's Transformation_.

But a striking instance of rapid transition from one form to another is
given in the _Mabinogion_. The fable of Ceridwen's cauldron is as
follows:--

"Ceridwen was the wife of Tegid Voel. They had a son named Morvran,
and a daughter named Creirwy, and she was the most beautiful girl in
the world, and they had another son named Avagddu, the ugliest man in
the world. Ceridwen, seeing that he should not be received amongst
gentlemen because of his ugliness, unless he should be possessed of
some excellent knowledge or strength . . . . ordered a cauldron to
be boiled of knowledge and inspiration for her son. The cauldron was
to be boiled unceasingly for one year and a day until there should be
in it three blessed drops of the spirit's grace.

"These three drops fell on the finger of Gwion Bach of Llanfair
Caereinion in Powis, whom she ordered to attend to the cauldron. The
drops were so hot that Gwion Bach put his finger to his mouth; no
sooner done, than he came to know all things. Now he _transformed
himself into a hare_, and ran away from the wrath of Ceridwen. She
also _transformed herself into a greyhound_, and went after him to
the side of a river. Gwion on this jumped into the river and
transformed himself into a fish. She also transformed herself into
an otter-bitch, and chased him under the water until he was fain to
turn himself into a bird of the air; she, as a hawk, followed him,
and gave him no rest in the sky. And just as she was about to swoop
upon him, and he was in fear of death, he espied a heap of winnowed
wheat on the floor of a barn, and he dropped among the wheat and
buried himself into one of the grains. Then she transformed herself
into a high-crested black hen, and went to the wheat and scratched it
with her feet, and found him and swallowed him."

The tale of Ceridwen, whose fame was such that she can without
exaggeration be styled the goddess of witches, resembles in part the
chase of the witch-hare by the black dog, and probably her story gave
rise to many tales of transformations.

I now come to another kind of transformation. It was believed by the
aged in Wales that witches could not only turn themselves into hares, but
that by incantation they could change other people into animals. My
friend, the Rev. T. Lloyd Williams, Wrexham, lodged whilst he was at
Ystrad Meurig School with a Mrs. Jones, Dolfawr, who was a firm believer
in "Rhibo" or Rheibo, or witching, and this lady told my friend the
following tales of _Betty'r Bont_, a celebrated witch in those parts.

_A Man turned into a Hare_.

One of the servant men at Dolfawr, some years before Mr. Williams lodged
there, laughed at Betty'r Bont's supposed power. However, he lived to
repent his folly. One night after he had gone to bed he found that he
had been changed into a hare, and to his dismay and horror he saw a
couple of greyhounds slipped upon him. He ran for bare life, and managed
to elude his pursuers, and in a terrible plight and fright he ran to
Dolfawr, and to his bed. This kind of transformation he ever afterwards
was subjected to, until by spells he was released from the witch's power
over him.

_A Man changed into a Horse_.

Mr. Williams writes of the same servant man who figures in the preceding
tale:--"However, after that, she (Betty'r Bont) turned him into a grey
mare, saddled him, and actually rode him herself; and when he woke in the
morning, he was in a bath of perspiration, and positively declared that
he had been galloping all night."

Singularly enough _Giraldus Cambrensis_ mentions the same kind of
transformation. His words are:--

"I myself, at the time I was in Italy, heard it said of some
districts in those parts, that there the stable-women, who had learnt
magical arts, were wont to give something to travellers in their
cheese, which transformed them into beasts of burden, so that they
carried all sorts of burdens, and after they had performed their
tasks, resumed their own forms."--Bohn's Edition, p. 83.

From Brand's _Popular Antiquities_, p. 225, I find that a common name for
_nightmare_ was _witch-riding_, and the night-mare, he tells us, was "a
spectre of the night, which seized men in their sleep and suddenly
deprived them of speech and motion," and he quotes from Ray's Collection
of Proverbs:--

"Go in God's name, so _ride_ no witches."

I will now leave this subject with the remark that people separated by
distance are often brought together by their superstitions, and probably,
these beliefs imply a common origin of the people amongst whom these
myths prevail.

The following tales show how baneful the belief in witchcraft was; but,
nevertheless, there was some good even in such superstitions, for people
were induced, through fear of being witched, to be charitable.

_A Witch who turned a Blue Dye into a Red Dye_.

An old hag went to a small farmhouse in Clocaenog parish, and found the
farmer's wife occupied in dyeing wool blue. She begged for a little wool
and blue dye. She was informed by Mrs. --- that she was really very
sorry that she could not part with either, as she had only just barely
enough for her own use. The hag departed, and the woman went on with her
dyeing, but to her surprise, the wool came out of the pot dyed red
instead of blue. She thought that possibly it was the dye that was to
blame, and so she gave up for the night her employment, and the next day
she went to Ruthin for a fresh supply of blue to finish her work, but
again she failed to dye the wool blue, for red, and not blue, was the
result of her dyeing. She, in surprise, told a neighbour of her
unaccountable failure to dye her wool blue. This neighbour asked her if
she had been visited by anyone, and she in answer told her that old so
and so had been at her house begging. "Ah," was the response, "I see how
it is you can never dye that wool blue, you have been witched, send the
red wool and the part that you have not touched here to me, and I will
finish the work for you." This was done, and the same colour was used by
both women, but now it became blue, whilst with the other, it was red.

This tale was told me by a gentleman who does not wish his name to appear
in print, as it would lead to the identification of the parties
mentioned, and the descendants of the supposed witch, being respectable
farmers, would rather that the tale of their canny grandmother were
forgotten, but my informant vouches for the truth of the tale.

_A Pig Witched_.

A woman sold a pig at Beaumaris to a man called Dick y Green; she could
not that day sell any more, but the following market day she went again
to Beaumaris. Dick was there waiting her appearance, and he told her
that the pig he bought was bewitched and she must come with him to undo
the curse. Away the woman went with Dick, and when they came to the pig
she said, "What am I to do now, Dick?" "Draw thy hand seven times down
his back," said Dick, "and say every time, '_Rhad Duw arnat ti_,'" i.e.,
"The blessing of God be on thee." The woman did so, and then Dick went
for physic for the pig, which recovered.

_Milk that would not churn_, _and the steps taken to counteract the
malice of the Witch that had cursed the churn and its contents_.

Before beginning this tale, it should be said that some witches were able
to make void the curses of other witches. Bella of Denbigh, who lived in
the early part of the present century, was one of these, and her renown
extended over many counties.

I may further add that my informant is the Rev. R. Jones, whom I have
often mentioned, who is a native of Llanfrothen, the scene of the
occurrences I am about to relate, and that he was at one time curate of
Denbigh, so that he would be conversant with the story by hearsay, both
as to its evil effects and its remedy.

About the year 1815 an old woman, supposed to be a witch, lived at Ffridd
Ucha, Llanfrothen, and she got her living by begging. One day she called
at Ty mawr, in the same parish, requesting a charity of milk; but she was
refused. The next time they churned, the milk would not turn to butter,
they continued their labours for many hours, but at last they were
compelled to desist in consequence of the unpleasant odour which
proceeded from the churn. The milk was thrown away, and the farmer, John
Griffiths, divining that the milk had been witched by the woman who had
been begging at their house, went to consult a conjuror, who lived near
Pwllheli. This man told him that he was to put a red hot crowbar into
the milk the next time they churned. This was done, and the milk was
successfully churned. For several weeks the crowbar served as an
antidote, but at last it failed, and again the milk could not be churned,
and the unpleasant smell made it again impossible for anyone to stand
near the churn. Griffiths, as before, consulted the Pwllheli conjuror,
who gave him a charm to place underneath the churn, stating, when he did
so, that if it failed, he could render no further assistance. The charm
did not act, and a gentleman whom he next consulted advised him to go to
Bell, or Bella, the Denbigh witch. Griffiths did so, and to his great
surprise he found that Bell could describe the position of his house, and
she knew the names of his fields. Her instructions were--Gather all the
cattle to Gors Goch field, a meadow in front of the house, and then she
said that the farmer and a friend were to go to a certain holly tree, and
stand out of sight underneath this tree, which to this day stands in the
hedge that surrounds the meadow mentioned by Bell. This was to be done
by night, and the farmer was told that he should then see the person who
had injured him. The instructions were literally carried out. When the
cows came to the field they herded together in a frightened manner, and
commenced bellowing fearfully. In a very short time, who should enter
the field but the suspected woman in evident bodily pain, and Griffiths
and his friend heard her uttering some words unintelligible to them, and
having done so, she disappeared, and the cattle became quiet, and ever
after they had no difficulty in churning the milk of those cows.

The two following tales were told the writer by the Rev. T. Lloyd
Williams, Wrexham. The scene of the stories was Cardiganshire, and
Betty'r Bont was the witch.

_A Witch who was refused a Goose_, _and her revenge_.

A witch called at a farm when they were feathering geese for sale, and
she begged much for one. She was refused, but it would have been better,
according to the tale, had her request been granted, for they could not
afterwards rear geese on that farm.

Another version of the preceding tale is, that the same witch called at a
farm when the family was seated at dinner partaking of a goose; she
requested a taste, but was refused, when leaving the house door she was
heard to mutter, "Let there be no more geese at . . ." and her curse
became a fact.

_A Witch refused Butter_, _and the consequence_.

An old hag called at a farm and begged the wife to sell her a pound of
butter. This was refused, as they wanted to pot the butter. The witch
went away, therefore, empty handed. The next day when the maid went to
the fields for the cows she found them sitting like cats before a fire,
with their hind legs beneath them. I am indebted to my friend Mr. Lloyd
Williams for this tale. A friend told me the following tale.

_A Witch's Revenge_, _and her Discomfiture_.

An old beggar woman was refused her requests by a farmer's wife, and it
was noticed that she uttered words that might have been a threat, when
going away from the door, and it was also observed that she picked up a
few straws from the yard and carried them away with her. In the course
of a few days, a healthy calf died, and the death of several calves
followed in rapid succession. These misfortunes caused the wife to
remember the old woman whom she had sent away from her door, and the
farmer came to the conclusion that his cattle had been witched by this
old woman, so he went to a conjuror, who told him to cut out the heart of
the next calf that should die, and roast it before the fire, and then,
after it had been properly roasted, he was to prick it all over with a
fork, and if anyone should appear as a beggar, they were to give her what
she asked. The instructions were carried out literally, and just as the
heart was being pricked, the old woman whom the wife had driven away came
up to the house in a dreadful state, and rushing into the house,
said--"In the name of God, what are you doing here?" She was told that
they were doing nothing particular, and while the conversation was being
carried on, the pricking operation was discontinued and the old hag
became less excited, and then she asked the farmer kindly to give her a
few potatoes, which he gladly did, and the old woman departed; and no
more calves died after that.

Tales of the kind related above are extremely common, and might be
multiplied to almost any extent. It would seem that the evil influence
of witches was exerted not only at times when they were refused favours,
but that, at will, they could accomplish mischief. Thus I have heard it
said of an old woman, locally supposed to be a witch, that her very
presence was ominous of evil, and disaster followed wherever she went; if
she were inclined to work evil she was supposed to be able to do so, and
that without any provocation.

I will give one tale which I heard in Garthbeibio of this old hag's
doings.

_A Horse Witched_.

Pedws Ffoulk, a supposed witch, was going through a field where people
were employed at work, and just as she came opposite the horse it fell
down, as if it were dead. The workmen ran to the horse to ascertain what
was the matter with it, but Pedws went along, not heeding what had
occurred. This unfeeling conduct on her part roused the suspicion of the
men, and they came to the conclusion that the old woman had witched the
horse, and that she was the cause of its illness. They, therefore,
determined to run after the woman and bring her back to undo her own evil
work. Off they rushed after her, and forced her back to the field, where
the horse was still lying on the ground. They there compelled the old
creature to say, standing over the horse, these words--"_Duw arno fo_"
(God be with him). This she did, and then she was allowed to go on her
way. By and by the horse revived, and got upon his feet, and looked as
well as ever, but this, it was thought, would not have been the case had
not the witch undone her own curse.

In Anglesey, as I was informed by my brother, the late Rev. Elijah Owen,
Vicar of Llangoed, it was believed that witches made void their own
curses of animals by saying over them "_Rhad Duw ar y da_" (The Blessing
of God be on the cattle).

_Cows and Horses Witched_.

The writer was told the name of the farm where the following events were
said to have taken place, but he is not quite sure that his memory has
not deceived him, so he will only relate the facts without giving them a
locality.

A farmer had a good mare that went mad, she foamed at the mouth, rushed
about the stall, and died in great agony. But this was not all, his cows
kept back their milk, and what they could extract from them stank, nor
could they churn the milk, for it turned into froth.

A conjuror was consulted, and the farmer was told that all this evil had
been brought about by a witch who had been refused milk at his door, and
her mischief was counteracted by the conjuror thus consulted.

Occasionally we hear of injured persons retaliating upon the witches who
had brought about their losses. This, however, was not often attempted,
for people feared the consequences of a failure, but it was,
nevertheless, supposed to be attainable.

I will relate a few instances of this punishment of witches for their
evil doings.

_Witches Punished_.

A neighbour, who does not wish to have his name recorded, states that he
can vouch for the incidents in the following tale. A farmer who lost
much stock by death, and suspected it was the work of an old hag who
lived in his neighbourhood, consulted a conjuror about the matter, and he
was told that his suspicions were correct, that his losses were brought
about by this old woman, and, added the conjuror, if you wish it, I can
wreak vengeance on the wretch for what she has done to your cattle. The
injured farmer was not averse to punishing the woman, but he did not wish
her punishment to be over severe, and this he told the conjuror, but said
he, "I should like her to be deprived of the power to injure anyone in
future." This was accomplished, my informant told me, for the
witch-woman took to her bed, and became unable to move about from that
very day to the end of her life. My informant stated that he had himself
visited this old woman on her sick bed, and that she did not look ill,
but was disinclined to get up, and the cause of it all was a matter of
general gossip in the neighbourhood, that she had been cursed for her
evil doings.

Another tale I have heard is that a conjuror obliged a witch to jump from
a certain rock into the river that ran at its foot, and thus put an end
to her life.

Rough punishment was often inflicted upon these simple old women by silly
people.

The tales already given are sufficiently typical of the faith of the
credulous regarding witches, and their ability to work out their evil
desires on their victims. I will now proceed briefly to relate other
matters connected with witchcraft as believed in, in all parts of Wales.

_How to break_, _or protect people from_, _a Witch's Spell_.

There were various ways of counteracting the evils brought upon people by
witches.

1. The intervention of a priest or minister of religion made curses of
none effect.

The following tale was told me by my friend the Rector of Rhydycroesau.
When Mr. Jones was curate of Llanyblodwel a parishioner sent to ask the
"parson" to come to see her. He went, but he could not make out what he
had been sent for, as the woman was, to all appearance, in her usual
health. Perceiving a strong-looking woman before him he said, "I presume
I have missed the house, a sick person wished to see me." The answer
was, "You are quite right, Sir, I sent for you, I am not well; I am
troubled." In the course of conversation Mr. Jones ascertained that the
woman had sent for him to counteract the evil machinations of her enemy.
"I am witched," she said, "and a parson can break the spell." The
clergyman argued with her, but all to no purpose. She affirmed that she
was witched, and that a clergyman could withdraw the curse. Finding that
the woman was obdurate he read a chapter and offered up a prayer, and
wishing the woman good day with a hearty "God bless you," he departed.
Upon a subsequent visit he found the woman quite well, and he was
informed by her, to his astonishment, that he had broken the spell.

2. Forcing the supposed witch to say over the cursed animals, "_Rhad Duw
ar y da_" ("God's blessing be on the cattle"), or some such expressions,
freed them from spells.

An instance of this kind is related on page 242, under the heading, "A
Horse Witched."

3. Reading the Bible over, or to, the bewitched freed them from evil.

This was an antidote that could be exercised by anyone who could procure
a Bible. In an essay written in Welsh, relating to the parishes of
Garthbeibio, Llangadfan, and Llanerfyl, in 1863, I find the following:--

"Gwr arall, ffarmwr mawr, a chanddo fuwch yn sal ar y Sabbath, ar ol
rhoddi _physic_ iddi, tybiwyd ei bod yn marw, rhedodd yntau i'r ty i nol
y Bibl, _a darllenodd bennod iddi_;" which rendered into English, is:--

Another man, a large farmer, having a cow sick on the Sabbath day, after
giving her physic, supposing she was dying, ran into the house to fetch
the Bible, and _read a chapter to her_.

4. A Bible kept in a house was a protection from all evil.

This was a talisman, formerly only within the reach of the opulent.
Quoting again from the essay above referred to, I find these words:--

"Byddai ambell Bibl mewn _ty mawr_ yn cael ei gadw mewn cist neu goffr a
chlo arno, tuag at gadw y ty rhag niwaid." That is:--

A Bible was occasionally kept in the bettermost farms in a chest which
was locked, to protect the house from harm.

5. A ring made of the mountain ash acted as a talisman.

Rings made of this wood were generally placed under the doorposts to
frustrate the evil designs of witches, and the inmates dwelt securely
when thus protected. This tree was supposed to be a famous charm against
witchcraft.

Mrs. Susan Williams, Garth, a farm on the confines of Efenechtyd parish,
Denbighshire, told the writer that E. Edwards, Llwynybrain, Gwyddelwern,
was famous for breaking spells, and consequently his aid was often
required. Susan stated that they could not churn at Foel Fawn, Derwen.
They sent for Edwards, who came, and offered up a kind of prayer, and
then placed a ring made of the bark or of the wood of the mountain ash
(she could not recollect which) underneath the churn, or the lid of the
churn, and thus the spell was broken.

6. A horse-shoe found on a road or field, and nailed either on or above
the door of a house or stable, was considered a protection from spells.

I have seen horse-shoes hanging by a string above a door, and likewise
nailed with the open part upwards, on the door lintel, but quite as often
I have observed that the open part is downwards; but however hung, on
enquiry, the object is the same, viz., to secure luck and prevent evil.

7. Drawing blood from a witch or conjuror by anyone incapacitated these
evil doers from working out their designs upon the person who spilt their
blood.

I was told of a tailor's apprentice, who on the termination of his time,
having heard, and believing, that his master was a conjuror, when saying
good-bye doubled up his fingers and struck the old man on the nose,
making his blood spurt in all directions. "There, master," said he,
"there is no ill will between us, but you can now do me no harm, for I
have drawn your blood, and you cannot witch me."

8. Drawing blood from a bewitched animal breaks the spell.

In the days of my youth, at Llanidloes, a couple of valuable horses were
said to be bewitched, and they were bled to break the spell. If blood
could not be got from horses and cattle, it was considered to be a
positive proof that they were bewitched, and unless the spell could be
broken, nothing, it was said, could save them from death.

9. It was generally thought that if a witch said the word "God" to a
child or person, whom she had bewitched, it would "undo her work."

My friend Mr. Edward Hamer, in his "Parochial Account of Llanidloes,"
published in _The Montgomeryshire Collections_, vol. x., p. 242, records
an instance of this belief. His words are:--

"About fifty years ago the narrator was walking up Long Bridge
Street, when he saw a large crowd in one of the yards leading from
the street to a factory. Upon making his way to the centre of this
crowd, he saw an old woman in a 'fit,' real or feigned, he could not
say, but he believed the latter, and over her stood an angry,
middle-aged man, gesticulating violently, and threatening the old
dame, that he would hang her from an adjacent beam if she would not
pronounce the word 'God' to a child which was held in its mother's
arms before her. It was in vain that the old woman protested her
innocence; in vain that she said that by complying with his request
she would stand before them a confessed witch; in vain that she fell
into one fit after another, and prayed to be allowed to depart; not a
sympathising face could she for some time see in the crowd, until the
wife of a manufacturer, who lived close by, appeared on the scene,
who also pleaded in vain on her behalf. Terrified beyond all
measure, and scarcely knowing what she did, the old woman mumbled
something to the child. It smiled. The angry parents were satisfied
the spell was broken, the crowd dispersed, and the old woman was
allowed to depart quietly."

10. The earth from a churchyard sprinkled over any place preserved it
from spells.

Mr. Roberts, Plas Einion, Llanfair D. Clwyd, a very aged farmer, told me
that when a certain main or cock fighting had been arranged, his father's
servant man, suspecting unfair play, and believing that his master's
birds had been bewitched, went to the churchyard and carried therefrom a
quantity of consecrated earth, with which he slyly sprinkled the cock
pit, and thus he averted the evil, and broke the spell, and all the birds
fought, and won, according to their deserts.

11. Anything taken into a church belonging to a farm supposed to be
cursed broke the spell or curse laid upon the place from which that thing
was taken.

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