Morwen of the Woodlands

Benlli was the prince of Powys, rich in lands and cattle. One frosty morning he was hunting. The horse galloped into the woodland, and there Benlli saw a beautiful maiden. He called to her, but she only waved her hand in answer, turned and disappeared. “She is a beautiful maiden!” cried Benlli, “who can she be?” He rode on hunting the wild boar. But Benlli’s mind was not on the chase. “I love that beautiful maiden,” said Benlli. “I no longer love my wife, she has grown so old and ugly.” Twice again he saw the lovely maiden. Each time he called, but she did not answer. Then one evening, as deep in thought he paced the paths of the forest, the maiden appeared before him. “Do not run away my fair one,” begged Benlli. “Stay with me and live in my beautiful castle.” The maiden smiled. “Before I come,” she said, “you must send away your wife. Then I shall marry you. But there is one condition, I belong to the fairy world, and one evening each week I must be free to return to fairyland. You must not follow me. If you keep to this condition I shall never grow old. I shall remain young and beautiful until the gorse bushes grow in your castle.” “I promise everything,” said Prince Benlli. They returned to the prince’s palace, and found the Prince’s wife had disappeared. “My name is Morwen of the woodlands,” said the beautiful maiden, when the courtiers came to honour her. For many years Benlli and Morwen were very happy. Each week Morwen would return to her home in fairyland. Then as time went on, Benlli began to wonder why she still went to visit her home. He grew discontented and feared his wife was under some evil spell. One day Benlli gave a great feast to celebrate his victory in war, and to his castle came the great men of the realm. Among the most honoured was a monk named Wylan, who sat beside Benlli on the dais, in sight of all the guests. Benlli did not know that Wylan was a magician. “Prince Benlli has some secret grief,” said Wylan to himself. As they walked in the palace gardens Wylan said “Oh prince Benlli, you have many blessings, yet you tell me you are so sad. Tell me why.” Benlli told the monk how Morwen had disappeared every week mysteriously. “Your greatest need is peace of mind. I will give you peace of mind., but in return you must give me the woodland maiden, and also a gift each year for the monastery yonder.” “I agree,” said Benlli after thinking for a while, then he returned to his castle. That night Wylan hid his book of sorcery, within the folds of his gown, and made his way along a winding path to the great stones blocking the entrance of a cave that led to the land of the fairies. There Wylan sat and watched. He heard a rustling in the bushes, and the sound of silken skirts. He looked up from his book and saw Morwen of the woodlands hasten past. Wylan watched her until she was lost to sight in the darkness of the cave. He began to chant his incantations, the wind carrying his words across the moorlands. “May Prince Benlli be at peace!” he called as he fingered his learned book. “May he have peace, for he has promised a gift to the monks and a gift for me also. Morwen of the woodlands is to be mine.” There was silence a while. Then Wylan continued: “I take an oath that I will marry her in the Chapel of the Monastery. She must come to meet there at dawn. I shall be there to greet her and marry her.” Having chanted these words over and over again he hastened towards the Monastery. When he reached the cloisters he beheld a very tall lady seated on the steps of stone. There was something strange about her. Wylan steeped nearer , now she no longer seemed strange, but very familiar. On her hand he saw the ring that Benlli had given her. “Take me for your wife,” she said. “I have become a giantess now, but you have taken an oath that you will marry me.” Wylan was silent. “Seat yourself beside me,” said the tall stranger, “and i will tell you all that has happened to me. I am ugly now. I am a giantess. Twenty five years ago I was beautiful and fair, then it was I first became Benlli’s wife.” She grew sad and thoughtful. She continued: “when I grew older, I lost my beauty. In losing my beauty I lost Benlli’s love. Like you Wylan I studied Sorcery. I spoke to the fairies and made a bargain with them. I promised to enter fairyland once a week and become a giantess. In return they promised to make me beautiful for the rest of the week.” Wylan stared at her in surprise. She went on speaking: “By making this bargain I once again, as a woodland maiden, won the love of Prince Benlli, for I and Morwen of the woodlands are one and the same. I kept my vow to Benlli, I told him I would stay beautiful until the gorse bushes grew in his castle halls.” She stood up and wrung her hands in anguish. “All was well,” she said, “until someone chanted an evil spell against me, and now it has come about that I am bewitched as a giantess. But you have promised to marry me, so take me to the Monastery chapel.” Wylan looked at the giantess, and he was filled with fear. He made the sign of the cross. “May you be restored to Benlli Prince of Powys,” he cried. “May peace be restored to me.” Morwen was restored to Benlli. He welcomed her with open arms, for in her he saw both his early wife and Morwen of the woodlands. For a long time they lived happily in their castle. When they died, their castle sank beneath the earth. The waters gathered over it, forming a lake, the lake of Llynclys. On a summer’s day, if you row to the middle of the lake and peer down into the water you can see the castle deep down in the depths. Wylan’s name remains in the name Croes Wylan and The Wylan. Throughout the district people tell the story of Morwen of the woodlands Robin goch ar ben y rhiniog A’i ddwy aden fach anwydog; Ac yn y dywedd yn ysmala “Mae hi’n o’er, fe ddaw yr eira.”

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