Cantre'r Gwaelod
This classic Welsh tale is in the tradition of "Atlantis" and the "Deluge". A nice twist to it, is that it is claimed that St Patrick's Causeway (see my chart of Tremadog Bay), a spit of boulders and gravel that extends out to sea from Merionedd, is the remnants of the sea wall. In an other legend this is the remains of a causeway that St Patrick built to get to Ireland. (RDC March 1998)

There once was land instead of sea in what is now called Cardigan Bay. This land was ruled by a king called Gwyddno Garanhir. It was a very pretty country and hundreds of people lived there. But the land was below sea level so the only way that they could keep the sea from flooding the country was with a huge stone wall. The person in charge of looking after the wall was the Prince Seithenin. His job was to make sure that there was always at least two watchmen in the towers on the wall and more at high tide or when there was a storm. The watchmen were there to watch for holes in the great sea wall. Somtimes holes would appear, but it was not a problem. All they had to do was ring a big bell in the main tower and people would come running up from the villages to repair them. One day the king decided to have a big party and everyone was to be invited. Seithenyn was also invited and so he put two watchmen on the tower. It was a good party and everybody got very drunk.

Meanwhile the two watchmen that were left on the tower were getting worried because their reliefs hadn't turned up.So Gwyn ap Llywarch,one of the watchmen, sent the other man to find out what was happening. After a few hours Gwyn started to get nervous. It was getting quite dark, no-one had come to relieve him yet and a storm was brewing.The storm became much worse and a hole appeared in the wall. Gwyn rushed to the main tower and rang the bell as loudly as he could, but no help came. So he jumped on his horse and rode to the castle. When he got there he found everybody drunk and sleeping. He saw Seithenyn and tried to wake him, but it was no good. He couldn't wake anyone else either, they had all eaten and drunk too much.

Then Gwyn noticed that the king's daughter wasn't in the hall. He ran upstairs and found the princess in her room. They ran down to the stables and jumped onto Gwyn's horse. They rode away accross the border and onto the high ground. There they stood and watched the sea wall burst and the country flood. Everybody else was killed. Gwyn and the princess married and lived on the shore of the bay where once Cantre'r Gwaelod had been. It is said that on a quiet day, when the bay is calm, you can still hear the bells of the watchtower in Cantre'r Gwaelod ringing under the sea.


Clychau Cantre'r Gwaelod


J.J. Williams (1869 - 1954)

O dan y môr â'i donnau
Mae llawer dinas dlôs,
Fu'n gwrando ar y clychau
Yn canu gyda'r nôs;
Trwy ofer esgeulusdod
Y gwyliwr ar y twr,
Aeth clychau Cantre'r Gwaelod
Ô'r golwg dan y dwr.

Pan fyddo'r môr yn berwi,
A'r corwynt ar y don,
A'r wylan wen yn methu
A disgyn ar ei bron;
Pan dyr y don ar dywod,
A tharan yn ei stwr,
Mae clychau Cantre'r Gwaelod
Yn ddistaw dan y dwr.

Ond pan fô'r môr heb awel,
A'r don heb ewyn gwyn,
A'r dydd yn marw yn dawel
Ar ysgwydd bell y bryn,
Mae nodau pêr yn dyfod,
A gwn yn eithaf siwr
Fod clychau Cantre'r Gwaelod
I'w clywed dan y dwr.

O! cenwch, glych fy mebyd,
Ar waelod llaith y lli;
Daw oriau bore bywyd
Yn swn y gân i mi;
Hyd fedd mi gofia'r tywod
Ar lawer nos ddi-stwr,
A chlychau Cantre'r Gwaelod
Yn canu dan y dwr.


Back to Folklore Page
{short description of image}