It is said that there
was a period in time when the good folk who lived along the Conwy valley
were constantly plagued with terrible floods that both drowned their
livestock and ruined their crops. The cause of this destruction to
people’s farms and livelihood was not however a natural occurrence: all
knew that the floods were caused by the Afanc.
The Afanc was a
legendary Welsh water monster, likened, some have said, to the Loch Ness
Monster. The Afanc lived in Llyn-yr-Afanc (The Afanc Pool) in the River
Conwy. It was a gigantic beast who, when annoyed, was strong enough to
break the banks of the pool causing the floods. Many attempts had been
made to kill him but it seems that his hide was so tough that no spear,
arrow or any man-made weapon could pierce it.
The
wise men of the valley held a meeting and decided that if force wouldn’t
work, then the Afanc must somehow be enticed out of his pool and removed
to a lake far away beyond the mountains, where he could cause no further
trouble. The lake chosen to be the Afanc’s new home was Llyn Ffynnon Las,
under the dark imposing shadow of Mount Snowdon.
Preparations started
straight away: the finest blacksmith in the land forged the strong iron
chains that would be required to bind and secure the Afanc, and they sent
for Hu Gardan and his two long-horned oxen – the mightiest oxen in Wales -
to come to Betws-y-coed.
One minor problem
though: how to
coax the Afanc out of this lake, bind him with chains and then hitch
him to the oxen?
It appears that the
Afanc, like many other ugly old monsters, was very partial to beautiful
young women, and one maiden in particular, the daughter of a local farmer,
was brave enough to volunteer for the quest.
The girl approached
the Afanc's lake while her father and the rest of the men remained hidden
a short distance away. Standing on the shore she called softly to him, the
waters began to heave and churn, and through it appeared the huge head of
the monster.
Courtesy of
Elle
Wilson
Although tempted to
turn and run the girl bravely stood her ground and, gazing fearlessly into
the monsters green-black eyes, began to sing a gentle Welsh lullaby.
Slowly the massive
great body of the Afanc crawled out of the lake towards the girl. So sweet
was the song that the Afanc's head slowly sank to the ground in slumber.
The girl signalled to
her father, and he and the rest of the men emerged from their hiding places
and set about binding the Afanc with the forged iron chains.
They had only just
finished their task when the Afanc awoke, and with a roar of fury at being
tricked, the monster slid back into the lake. Fortunately the chains were
long and a few of the men had been quick enough to hitch them onto the
mighty oxen. The oxen braced their muscles and began to pull. Slowly, the
Afanc was dragged out of the water, but it took the strength of Hu
Gardan’s oxen and every available man to pull him onto the bank.
They dragged him up
the Lledr valley, and then headed north-west toward Llyn Ffynnon Las (Lake
of the Blue Fountain). On the way up a steep mountain field one of the
oxen was pulling so hard that it lost an eye – it popped out with the
strain and the tears the oxen shed formed Pwll Llygad yr Ych, (Pool of the
Ox’s Eye).
The mighty oxen
struggled on until they reached Llyn Ffynnon Las, close to the summit of
Snowdon. There the chains of the Afanc were loosed, and with a roar, the
monster leapt straight into the deep blue water that was to become his new
home. Encased within the sturdy rock banks of the lake he remains trapped
forever.
©
Historic UK
