Folk Tales for Bold Girls

by Fiona Collins

  Everyone got their water and food from the river. There were plenty of fish in the river when Seren was a baby, but as she grew up, things changed: there were fewer and fewer fish in the river for the village people to eat. Something else was eating them. Nobody knew what this new creature in the river was, until it had finished all the fish, and started looking for something else to eat.

  When it crawled out of the river, everyone was amazed by its huge size. Then they were horrified, because it struck out with huge claws at the people who were standing near. And then they were terrified, as it dragged two people back into the water to drown them and eat them.

  This monster was an afanc (you say it like this: avank) with sharp teeth and long claws, thick fur and a broad flat tail. Now, afanc is the Welsh word for ‘beaver’, and these days beavers are small busy animals which build dams and only eat plants. But this afanc was a monster: as high as a house and as long as a ladder. And once it had decided it liked the taste of humans, life became a nightmare for the people living near the river. Everyone was afraid of being taken by the afanc, and soon everyone knew someone who had been taken by the afanc, and never seen again.

  Seren’s parents stopped letting her go anywhere near the riverbank, even with friends. ‘No one will be able to save you if the afanc gets near enough to take you,’ they said.

  A cold feeling of fear was everywhere.

  One day, Seren’s mother said, ‘We can’t go on like this! We don’t feel safe in our own place. We need help.’

  Seren’s father agreed. ‘You’re right, my love,’ he said. ‘But who would be brave enough and clever enough and strong enough to get rid of this monster?’

  Seren’s mother had been thinking about this for a while. ‘We need Huw Gadarn,’ she said. ‘He’ll know what to do.’

  ‘Huw Gadarn! Of course! If anyone can help us, it will be Huw,’ said Seren’s father excitedly. ‘That’s the first good idea anyone has had since this trouble started.’

  Soon Seren’s mother’s idea was being talked about all around the village, and soon after that, a messenger was sent to find Huw and ask for his help.

  Huw Gadarn had come over the sea to bring the first people to Wales, and he was wise, as well as brave and clever and strong. In fact, his name means ‘Huw the Mighty’. When he heard about their troubles, he came at once to help. He brought his two horned oxen with him. They were so big that their horns stretched right across the valley from one side to the other.

  Everyone looked at the oxen in surprise. They already had one giant creature … why had Huw brought two more? Then Huw explained. ‘My plan is to drag the afanc away from here. Only my oxen are big enough to do that. And only the strongest iron chains will hold the monster. I need all the blacksmiths to make chains from your very best iron. Then they must join all the chains together to make one long strong chain. We’ll have to wrap it round the afanc as many times as we can, to keep it from escaping. Then the oxen will pull it far away, so it can’t cause any more harm.’

  When they heard this, the blacksmiths looked at each other.

  Seren’s father spoke for them all. ‘We can do it! We’ll start today!’

  Soon all the fires in all the forges of all the blacksmiths were blazing brightly. The whole valley rang to the sound of their hammers beating out hot iron. They shaped rings and linked the rings together.

  When the blacksmiths had used up all their iron, they came carrying their chains, clanking and clinking, down the steep paths to the village. Seren’s father was waiting, ready to forge the chains together into one long length.

  But while the men were busy, Seren’s mother was sitting quietly, watching the river in the distance, and thinking. At last, she went to find Huw. ‘I understand your plan and it seems like a good one. But how will you get the afanc to come out of the water, and how can you make it wait while you chain it up?’

  Huw Gadarn looked at her. ‘That is the most difficult and dangerous part of this whole plan,’ he said. ‘We need to trick the afanc to come out of the water and settle down peacefully. I believe that if someone sits by the river and sings, the afanc will come out to listen. I think the music will calm it, so it will not attack the singer, but I don’t know for sure. It’s a very dangerous thing to ask someone to do.’

  ‘It certainly is!’ said Seren’s mother, and she walked away with a worried frown.

  Huw Gadarn turned round in surprise when Seren suddenly appeared beside him. ‘I heard what you told my mother,’ she said. ‘I’m a good singer. I’ll sing to the afanc on the beach.’

  Huw looked at her. She was very young. He opened his mouth to tell her it was too dangerous, but Seren spoke first, with a determined look on her face and her head held up high. ‘I’m not scared,’ she said. ‘Well, yes, I am scared, but I know it has to be done and I think I would be a good person to do it!’

  Huw stared at her. He changed his mind about what he meant to say. ‘Do you know,’ he said, slowly, ‘I think you might be right. But I don’t think your mother will agree …’

  Seren’s mother said ‘No.’ She said ‘No, no, no!’ She told Seren’s father to say ‘No’ too.

  But Seren argued with her. ‘I want to do it. I want to help the village. Everyone says my singing is beautiful. Now here’s a chance to make it useful as well!’

  Of course, Seren’s mother didn’t want her to do it. Every mother wants to protect her children. But while they argued, the monster caught and killed three more people. One of them was a little boy who was only four years old. His mother ran along the riverbank crying. ‘Can’t someone stop this beast before it kills all our children?’ she wailed.

  Seren looked at her mother. Seren’s mother looked at the ground. ‘If anything happens to you, I will never forgive myself,’ she whispered, and now it was her turn to cry.

  Seren went to find Huw. ‘What do I need to do?’ she asked.

  Huw’s plan was simple, but he did not know if it would work. He would wait just out of sight, with the horned oxen, the end of the chain looped over their massive shoulders. All the blacksmiths would hide along the riverbank, holding the rest of the long chain ready in their arms, while Seren sat on the beach and sang.

  If the afanc heard her, and if it liked her song, and if it came quietly out of the water, and if Seren could persuade it to lie down with its head in her lap, and if it went to sleep, the men would rush out and chain it up. Then Huw would get his oxen to pull it far, far away, to somewhere it would not cause any more trouble.

  Everyone could see that there were a lot of ‘ifs’ in Huw’s plan, but they trusted him, so they were ready to try it.

  Seren sat on the beach and looked at the river. She had known it all her life. But now it was no longer safe for her and her friends. She wanted to change that. She was scared, but she was bold. She looked around. Her father, holding the long chain, was hiding in the trees. He was the nearest person to her. He had insisted on that. He nodded to her. She nodded back. Everyone was ready; they were all in place.

  Seren took a deep breath, and began to sing. At first her voice was wobbly, but soon she relaxed and she began to sing more clearly and strongly. Her voice drifted over the water. It must have drifted under the water, too, because, after a while, she saw bubbles rising in the middle of the river. Then she saw the huge sleek head of the afanc break the surface. It floated there, looking at her, and listening to her song.

  Seren gulped with fear when she saw the afanc, but her song only stopped for a moment. She began again, singing about the deep blue water, the soft riverbed. The afanc listened, and swam closer to the shore.

  Seren changed to a song about looking at the sky, lying in the sun. She didn’t think the afanc could understand the words, but she wanted to do everything she could to make it come out of the water, near enough for her father to catch it.

  The monster was crawling up the beach.

  She kept singing.

  It was close enough for her to smell its w
et, slimy coat.

  She kept singing.

  It was close enough for her to hear it puffing and panting.

  She kept singing.

  It was close enough for her to feel its breath on her face.

  She kept singing.

  Very, very slowly, as though it was hard work to move its giant body, it lay down next to her, and put its head in her lap.

  Still singing, Seren began to stroke its head, changing the song to a lullaby.

  She watched as the afanc’s eyes began to close. She realised that her soft song was working: her lullaby was lulling the afanc to sleep.

  She kept singing and stroking its head. But she lifted her other hand to signal to her father.

  There was a long moment when nothing happened.

  Then, suddenly, the men were all around her. The chains were clashing together as they threw them over the monster, which was roaring and thrashing around. Her father grabbed Seren from behind and pulled her out from under the afanc. As he did so, it lashed out with its long sharp claws. Seren felt a horrible pain in her chest. She looked down and saw blood running down her dress. It was her own.

  Her father carried her to the trees. Her mother ran to them, tore off her scarf and pressed it over the wound, to stop the bleeding.

  They didn’t take any notice of what was happening on the beach, where the men stood back from the afanc, wrapped in chains, and Huw Gadarn’s oxen began to pull. Slowly, slowly the afanc was dragged up the beach, and the oxen drew it away.

  The stories say that this was such hard work, even for the mighty horned oxen of Huw Gadarn, that they cried as they went over the top of the hills, and the lake that was made from their tears is still there today.

  The stories say that the oxen pulled the afanc all the way to the shadow of Mount Snowdon, and that when they reached the edge of the lake there, the afanc jumped in, still with the chains around it, and Huw had to work fast to free the horned oxen before they were pulled in after it.

  The stories say that, even today, birds will not fly over that lake, in case the afanc rears up and pulls them down.

  But the stories do not say what happened to Seren after that day. I hope she was not badly wounded, and that people still remember how brave she was.

  A TALE FROM WALES AND ENGLAND

  Once upon a time there was a king who lived in the middle of Wales. His name was Pumlumon (you say it a bit like this: pim-lim-on). He had three daughters: they were all brave and bold and beautiful, but quite different from each other, as sisters often are. Their names were Hafren, Gwy and Rheidol (you say them a bit like this: Hav-ren, Gu-whee and Rhey-doll).

  Hafren was the oldest sister. She was clever and thoughtful and loved learning about the world. Her favourite hobby was reading. Gwy was the middle sister. She loved nature and knew a lot about animals, birds and fish. Her favourite thing was sitting quietly outdoors to watch and listen to the wildlife around her. Rheidol was the youngest. She loved running and dancing and turning cartwheels. Her favourite things were singing and dancing. They were all happy, living in the mountains of Wales.

  One day their father the king said that he wanted to talk to them.

  Hafren came to the great hall with a book in her hand. Gwy called goodbye to the birds and came indoors. Rheidol cartwheeled into the hall and nearly bumped into her father’s throne. They all laughed as she turned the right way up and looked around her.

  ‘Well, my dears,’ said Pumlumon, ‘it’s good that you are all here. I want to talk to you about the kingdom.’

  The girls looked at him in surprise.

  ‘I’m getting old, and I think that being king is quite hard work. I didn’t mind when I was young, but now I would like to stop and rest. That means someone else needs to take care of the kingdom. It is too big a job for one person, so I want you to share the land between you. And I’ve had an idea. Why don’t you each make a journey? Start at the top of our mountain and keep going until you reach the sea. Think about the places you like best and what things you would like to be in charge of. Share the kingdom between the three of you. What do you think?’

  ‘It’s a great idea,’ cried Rheidol excitedly. ‘I would like to run straight down the mountain to the sea and be in charge of the shore and the beaches!’

  ‘It is a good idea,’ said Gwy. ‘I would like to wander through the countryside and take care of all the places where birds and animals gather.’

  ‘I like it too,’ said Hafren. ‘I would like to go through the towns and cities and see the libraries and museums. Those are the places I would most like to look after.’

  And so it was agreed. That night they were all very excited.

  Hafren kept a cool head. She collected everything that she thought she would need, and checked a map. She chose her path carefully. Gwy thought about the birds and animals she loved, and looked in her nature books to find their favourite places to go through. Rheidol was so excited that she couldn’t go to sleep for ages.

  In the morning Hafren woke up early, picked up her things and set off. She wasn’t going fast, just taking her time, looking to left and right, and enjoying the journey.

  Gwy woke up soon after. She checked her nature books once more and went eagerly down the mountain, turning this way and that, and listening to the early morning birdsong.

  Rheidol was still in bed. She had gone to sleep so late that now she couldn’t wake up. When she did wake, the sun was already high in the sky. She jumped out of bed, pulled on her clothes and quickly washed her face and cleaned her teeth. She ran out of the palace. Her sisters were nowhere to be seen.

  ‘Oh, I’m late!’ she cried, and she ran off down the mountainside, taking the quickest way to the sea.

  All day long the three sisters travelled. Hafren made sure her path led her through towns and cities. Gwy wandered here and there across the countryside. Rheidol rushed towards the shining sea.

  As evening approached, the two older sisters caught sight of each other. Gwy ran to Hafren and they went on together, holding hands, until they reached the sea where Wales and England meet. Rheidol had gone down the mountain on the other side. She ran and ran, the wind in her hair, until she came to the sea on the west coast of Wales.

  And that’s how Hafren, Gwy and Rheidol shared the kingdom and gave their father a rest. Where the three sisters went, three rivers now flow from the top of the mountain to the sea.

  Afon Hafren, called the River Severn in English, goes down the mountainside and through the towns of Newtown and Welshpool before leaving Wales and flowing into England. There the river goes through Shrewsbury, Worcester and Gloucester before it reaches the sea. It is the longest river in Britain.

  Afon Gwy is called the River Wye in English. It is a Special Area of Conservation and is home to many animals, birds and fish. When it reaches the flat lands near the sea, it joins the Hafren, and they flow into the sea together.

  Afon Rheidol has the same name in English and Welsh. It runs swiftly down the mountain, with some wonderful waterfalls, before it tumbles into the sea at Aberystwyth.

  In the middle of Wales there is a mountain with five peaks. It is called Pumlumon; three beautiful rivers rise there and flow to the sea.

  Now you know their story.

  A TALE FROM THE ENGLISH GYPSY TRADITION

  Once upon a time there was a girl. She lived with her mother in a little house with roses round the door. They weren’t very rich and they weren’t very poor. They were just fine.

  One day, there was a knock on the door. When the girl opened it, a tinker was standing there.

  Now, in those days and those times, the tinkers used to travel around from house to house, with small things to sell, like pegs and pins, or buttons and bows. They would mend things too.

  The tinker had come to the house to find out if they wanted to buy anything. But when he saw the girl, he just fell madly in love with her!

  So he said, ‘Darling, will you marry me?’

  Well, she did
n’t want to get married, and anyway, she didn’t know him, but she didn’t want to be rude. She didn’t know what to say or do. So she did what you do when you don’t know what to do. She went to ask her mum.

  Her mum said, ‘My dear, you don’t need to worry about a thing, because I am making you a marvellous, magical something, and when it’s done, you can go far away to seek your fortune, and you won’t have to worry about the tinker at all. But it’s going to take me a bit longer to finish my work, so we must find a way to make the tinker wait. I know! Tell him you will only marry him if he brings you a beautiful dress made of white satin, all covered with big sprigs of gold, as big as your hand – and the dress has got to fit you perfectly. That will take him some time to make. That will give me time to finish my work.’

  The girl went back and told the tinker, and he said, ‘Darling, whatever you want, I will be glad to get it for you!’ And he looked at her, to see what size she was, and he went away.

  The very next day, he was back, with a beautiful white dress with big sprigs of gold. The girl took it away and tried it on, and it fitted her perfectly.

  ‘Now what shall I do?’ she asked her mum.

  ‘Well, I still need a bit longer to finish my work. Tell him you will only marry him if he brings you a beautiful dress, made of all of the colours of all of the birds of the air, and no two colours the same – and the dress has got to fit you perfectly. That will take him a bit of time. That will give me time to finish my work.’

  The girl went back and told the tinker.

  He said, ‘Of course, my dear, whatever you want!’ And he went away.

  The very next day, he was back, with a beautiful dress made of all of the colours of all of the birds of the air.

  The girl took it away and tried it on, and it fitted her perfectly.