~LLYS HELIG~

THIS IS ONE OF THE MORE WELL KNOWN LEGENDS ON HOW LLYS HELIG CAME TO END UP RECLAIMED BY THE SEA BUT THERE ARE MANY OTHERS THAT ARE VERY SIMILAR TO THIS ONE. I DECIDED TO USE THIS ONE INSTEAD OF THE OTHERS DUE TO IT BEING WELL KNOWN AND BRIEF BUT I DO HAVE A LIKING FOR ONE TOLD ME AS A BOY BY MY GRANDFATHER WHICH WILL APPEAR UNDER THE HEADING TALES OF LLYS HELIG.

SOMETIME DURING THE 6TH CENTURY THE PRETTY DAUGHTER OF HELLIG AP GLANNOG HAVING REACHED THE AGE OF CONSENT HAD FALLEN IN LOVE WITH A YOUNG MAN WHO WAS A COMMONER AND THEREFORE HE WAS NOT ELIGIBLE TO MARRY HER.

NOW HELIG AP GLANNOG KNOWING THAT HIS DAUGHTER WOULD ONLY EVER BE HAPPY IN LIFE IF SHE MARRIED THIS YOUNG MAN INSTEAD OF THE OTHER SUITORS SHE HAD CHASING AFTER HER HAND AND SO HE TOLD THE YOUNG MAN THAT IF HE WAS TO GO AWAY AND RETURN WEARING A GOLD TORQUE AROUND HIS NECK AS A NOBLEMAN WOULD WEAR THEN HE WOULD ALLOW SUCH A MARRIAGE TO TAKE PLACE.

SO THE YOUNG MAN LEFT THE PALACE AND WENT TO FIND HIS FORTUNE IN THE VAST KINGDOM OF HELIG AP GLANNOG BUT HE KNEW THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO BE QUICK OTHERWISE HELIG MAY CHANGE HIS MIND OVER THE DEAL THAT THEY HAD MADE.

NOW NOT LONG AFTERWARDS THE YOUNG MAN CAME ACROSS A NOBLEMAN AND ITS NOT CERTAIN IN THE LEGEND IF THIS NOBLEMAN WAS A SUITOR FOR THE PRINCESS OR JUST PASSING THROUGH THE COUNTRYSIDE BUT ANYWAY THEY BEGAN TO FIGHT AND SOON THE NOBLEMAN LAY DEAD AT THE YOUNG MANS FEET.

SOON AFTERWARD THE YOUNG MAN RETURNED TO THE PALACE WEARING THE DEAD NOBLEMAN'S GOLD TORQUE AROUND HIS NECK AND THE WEDDING DAY WAS SET JUST LIKE HELIG HAD PROMISED.

BUT AFTER CONFESSING TO THE PRINCESS ABOUT HOW HE CAME TO OWN THE GOLD TORQUE SHE TOLD HIM TO GO BACK AND BURY THE NOBLEMAN'S BODY SO THAT NO ONE WOULD FIND OUT ABOUT THIS TERRIBLE DEED AND SO HE WENT BACK BUT AS HE DUG THE GRAVE FOR THE NOBLEMAN HE HEARD A VOICE CALLING OUT "DIAL A DDAW, DIAL A DDAW!" WHICH MEANS REVENGE WILL COME, REVENGE WILL COME.

NOW THE YOUNG MAN SCARED BUT DETERMINED TO COMPLETE BURYING THE DEAD NOBLEMAN CONTINUED HIS TASK UNTIL AGAIN HE HEARD THE VOICE SAY "DIAL A DDAW, DIAL A DDAW!" "WHEN WILL IT COME?" REPLIED THE YOUNG MAN TO THE VOICE AND THE VOICE ANSWERED "IN THE TIME OF YOUR CHILDREN, GRANDCHILDREN AND GREAT GRANDCHILDREN".

ON RETURNING TO THE PRINCESS THE YOUNG MAN TOLD HER ABOUT THE VOICE AND WHAT IT HAD SAID AND PRINCESS REPLIED "OH, BY THEN WE SHALL BE DEAD ANYWAY" AND SO THE TWO OF THEM GOT MARRIED AND LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

WELL NEARLY HAPPILY EVER AFTER FOR MANY YEARS LATER WHEN A FEAST WAS BEING HELD AT LLYS HELIG PROBABLY TO CELEBRATE THE BIRTH OF THEIR GREAT GRANDCHILD THE SEA RUSHED IN OVER THE LOWER LANDS OF THE KINGDOM AND ONLY A FEW SURVIVORS MANAGED TO REACH THE HIGH GROUNDS AND SAFETY.

SOME SAY THAT THE ONLY SURVIVORS WERE A MAID WHO HAD RAISED THE ALARM AND HER LOVER THE COURT JESTER WHILE OTHERS SAY THAT A FEW MORE MAIDS HAD MANAGED TO FIND SAFETY.
senoj o g thgirypoc

EXPEDITIONS

CAMBRIA DEPICTA 1812 by PUGH
PUGH REPORTED SEEING THE CAUSEWAY THAT LED FROM PENMAENMAWR TO PUFFIN ISLAND AND WENT ON TO DESCRIBE IT AS BEING 9 ft WIDE AND WELL BUILT.
HE ALSO TALKS ABOUT THE LEGEND OF HELIG AP GLANNOG AND INCLUDES THE FACT THAT THE TRADITION REPORTS THAT HELIG HAD MANY POSSESSIONS AND THAT SIGHTINGS OF RUINED HOUSES COULD STILL BE SEEN AT LOW EBBS.

BANER AC AMSERAU CYMRU 1864 REVEREND RICHARD PARRY
and CHARLTON HALLS PAPER TO THE LIVERPOOL GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY 1864
THIS EXPEDITION CONSISTED OF TWO REVERENDS, A LOCAL GEOLOGIST AND TWO BOATMEN ONE OF WHICH HAD VISITED THE SITE 20 YEARS EARLIER. ARMED WITH THE SITES LOCATION DUE TO HAVING READ A REPRINTED VERSION OF AN ANCIENT SURVEY OF PEN MAEN MAWR THEY WASTED MOST OF THE DAY LOOKING IN THE WRONG LOCATION BUT UPON REALIZING THIS THEY DID MANAGE TO USE THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY AT THE CORRECT POSITION.
THEY WENT ON TO REPORT THAT ALTHOUGH THE SITE WAS SWAMPED WITH SEA WEED IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT BENEATH THE SEA WEED WAS THE REMAINS OF WALLS THE RAN IN STRAIGHT REGULAR LINES.
THEY DID ROUGH MEASUREMENTS OF THESE WALLS AND CAME UP WITH A DRAWN UP PLAN WHICH SHOWED A BUILDING WITH WALLS AT LEAST 100 YARDS LONG AND CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THIS WAS INDEED THE SITE OF HELIGS PALACE.
MORE EXPEDITIONS TO FOLLOW LATER ON.

TALES FROM LLYS HELIG

SOON TO APPEAR HERE

THE 6th CENTURY

A VERY BRIEF LOOK AT THE PERIOD
1
THE WELSH PRINCE MYRDDIN AB MORFRYN LIVED IN THIS PERIOD OF TIME AND WAS PORTRAYED AS THE HERO IN THE BOOK VITA MERLINI by GEOFFREY OF MONMOUTH IN THE 12th CENTURY.
2
TALIESSIN THE FAMOUS WELSH 6th CENTURY BARD WAS AS ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS DECLARE THE REBORN GWION WHO HAVING BEEN CHASED BY A WOMAN CALLED CERRIDWEN.
AFTER A TRANSFORMATION COMBAT ENDING IN HIM TURNING HIMSELF INTO A GRAIN OF WHEAT AND SHE TURNING HERSELF INTO A BLACK HEN AND DEVOURING HIM ONLY TO GIVE BIRTH TO HIM 9 MONTHS LATER.
THEN SO TAKEN BACK BY HIS EXTREME BEAUTY SHE COULD NOT FIND IT IN HERSELF TO KILL HIM AND SO SHE EXPOSED HIM TO THE SEA INSTEAD ONLY FOR HIM TO BE RESCUED AND LIVE HIS NEW LIFE AS TALIESSIN.
3
KING ARTHUR'S STONE "MAEN CETI ARTHUR" SITUATED NEAR REYNOLDSTON IS REPORTED TO BE THE "PEBBLE" THAT KING ARTHUR REMOVED FROM HIS BOOT AND THREW OVER HIS SHOULDER ONLY FOR IT TO LAND 7 MILES AWAY.
AT THE TIME KING ARTHUR WAS ON HIS WAS TO THE BATTLE OF CAMLANN 539 AD. YOUNG GIRLS UNTIL THE END OF THE 19th CENTURY PERFORMED CEREMONY'S AROUND THE STONE TO TEST THE TRUENESS OF THEIR LOVERS.
4
THE SAXONS INVADED ENGLAND AFTER THE ROMAN DEPARTURE AND WALES BECAME THE CELTIC STRONGHOLD.
5
JUSTINIAN BECOMES EMPEROR IN CONSTANTINOPLE AND FROM HIS CODIFICATION OF ROMAN LAW COMES THE BASIS OF WESTERN LAW.
6
GREGORY THE GREAT BECOMES POPE DECLARING ROME AS SUPREME CENTRE OF THE CHURCH.
7
ST AUGUSTINE LANDS IN ENGLAND AND BAPTIZES ETHELBERT, KING OF KENT THUS ENGLAND BECOMES CONVERTED TO CHRISTIANITY AND THEN ST AUGUSTINE WENT ON TO BECOME THE FIRST ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY.
8
THE PATRON SAINT OF WALES LIVED IN THIS PERIOD TOO. ST DAVID THE SON OF NON AND SANT WHO WAS THE SON OF KING CEREDIG FOUNDED MANY MONASTERIES AND WAS CREDITED WITH HAVING PERFORMED MANY MIRACLES.
ON MARCH THE 1ST 589 AD SAINT DAVID DIED AND IT IS SAID THAT A HOST OF SINGING ANGELS BORE HIM TO HEAVEN.
9
MUHAMMAD FOUNDER OF ISLAM WAS BORN THIS CENTURY IN MECCA.

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