Ceffyl Dŵr

Ceffyl Dŵr is a water horse in Welsh folklore, a counterpart of the Scottish kelpie.[1]

In her 1973 book Folk-lore and Folk-tales of Wales, Marie Trevelyan says that the Ceffyl Dŵr was believed to shapeshift and even fly, although this varies depending on region. For example, in North Wales he is represented as being rather formidable with fiery eyes and a dark forbidding presence, whereas in South Wales he is seen more positively as, at worst a cheeky pest to travelers and at best, as Trevelyan puts it, "luminous, fascinating and sometimes a winged steed".[2]

The Ceffyl Dŵr is said to inhabit mountain pools and waterfalls. Even though it appears solid, it can evaporate into the mist. In one form of the legend the Ceffyl Dŵr, as a horse, leaps out of the water to trample and kill lone travelers.[3]

Another form of the legend reports that the Ceffyl Dŵr entices the unwary traveler to ride him. Flying into the air, the Ceffyl Dŵr evaporates, dropping the unfortunate rider to his death.[1]

Notes

Citations

  1. 1 2 Evans (1887), pp. 170–171.
  2. ↑ Trevelyan (1973), p. 64.
  3. ↑ Rose (2001), p. 71.

Bibliography

  • Evans, Thomas Christopher (1887). History of Llangynwyd parish.
  • Rose, Carol (2001). Giants, Monsters & Dragons, An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend and Myth. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-32211-8.
  • Trevelyan, Marie (1973). Folk-lore and folk-stories of Wales. EP Publishing.


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