WELSH FAIRY TALES.

BY PROFESSOR RHYS.

In the two previous contributions for Cymmrodor, the Fairy lore of the Principality was skimmed over very hastily and without much method: but I fear that, now I have to reproduce some of the things which I have since gleaned, there will be less method. I hasten, however, to inform the general reader, in case he happens to be a member of our Society, that I do not now see any likelihood of my troubling him soon again with so lengthy a contribution as the present: he doubtless would feel, that, as soon as he has read a few of the tales, the rest seem to be familiar to him, and exceedingly tiresome. Still, it may be presumed that all men who are anxious to arrive at some idea as to the origin among us of the belief in Fairies, will agree that we should have as large and exhaustive a collection as possible of facts on which to work. If we can supply the data without stint, the student of anthropology may be trusted to discover the value for his inductions, and their place in the history of the human race.

In the course of the summer of 1882 I was a good deal in Wales, especially in Carnarvonshire, and I made notes of a great many scraps of legends about the Fairies, and other bits of folklore. I will now string some of them together as I found them. I began at Trefriw, in Nant Conwy, where I came across an old man, born and bred there, called Morris Hughes. He appears to be about seventy years of age; he worked formerly as a slater, but now lives at Llanrwst, and tries to earn a livelihood by angling. He told me that...

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