| Just south of Snowdon, in the grey-stoned
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| | today.Where do these tales come from ?
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| village of Beddgelert set among the wild
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| | It's possible that the village of
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| mountains of Wales, is the Grave of
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| | Beddgelert received its name from an
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| Gelert. Here, in a beautiful meadow below
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| | Irish Wolf Hound given to Llewellyn as a
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| Cerrig Llan, is a large stone slab lying
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| | gift by his father-in-law, King John of
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| on its side with two upright slabs which
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| | England.Irish Wolfhounds were known and
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| owes its fame to the legend of Prince
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| | admired in Rome as early as 391 C.E. when
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| Llewelyn ap Iorwerth and his faithful
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| | the first mention of the breed was
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| hound.Llewelyn (1173-1240 CE) was very
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| | written by the Roman Consul Quintus
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| fond of hunting and in the summer he
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| | Aurelius, who had received seven of them
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| lived in a hunting lodge at the foot of
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| | as a gift which "all Rome viewed with
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| Mt.Snowdon. Although he had many dogs,
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| | wonder."The story of a dog slain in error
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| his favourite was the brave Gelert, his
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| | after killing a wolf seems to have been
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| great Irish Wolfhound, not only a dog
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| | attached to Llewellyn about 1793-4 by a
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| fearless in the hunt, but a loyal friend
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| | local inn-keeper. A common enough
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| and companion at the fireside.One fateful
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| | occurrence along the same lines of hotels
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| day on the hunt, Gelert refused to
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| | and taverns placing signs like "Ye Olde
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| accompany his master further, but instead
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| | Inne" to attract more custom. William
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| he ran howling back to the Lodge. When
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| | Spencer visited Beddgelert and, on
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| Llewellyn returned he was met by his dog,
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| | hearing the tale, wrote his popular
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| bounding to meet him, but splashed with
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| | ballad about the faithful Gelert and so
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| blood around his muzzle. On entering his
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| | the story grew into the speech and
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| living quarters, Llewellyn found a scene
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| | hearsay of WalesHowever, the legend
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| of confusion with rooms disordered and
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| | behind all this folklore is extremely
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| articles scattered in heaps. Now Llewelyn
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| | old, though the animals involved
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| had a son, barely a year old, and as the
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| | originally were neither wolves nor dogs.A
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| prince recalled how Gelert and his little
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| | mongoose who saved a Brahmin's son from a
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| boy used to play together, a terrible
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| | snake is found in the Indian
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| thought came to his mind !He rushed to
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| | Panchatantra. It was written in Sanskrit
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| the nursery only to find the the cradle
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| | sometime in the third century C.E and
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| was overturned, the bed clothes bloody
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| | later translated into Persian and Arabic.
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| and though he looked frantically for his
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| | We find it in the Book of Sindibad and
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| son, the child could not be found.Turning
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| | thence our own Arabian NightsThe mongoose
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| to Gelert, whose muzzle was still wet
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| | wasn't known in the Arab world, so it
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| with blood, Llewelyn came into a great
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| | became a weasel, and then a dog. The
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| rage and cried, "Thou hast killed my only
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| | snake remained. A version of this story
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| son!", and drew his sword and drove it
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| | reached Wales and was recorded in the
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| into the heart of the hound.Then - as all
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| | 14th century in the Red Book of
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| was silent but for the steady drip of
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| | Hergest.In Welsh folktales the snake is
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| blood onto the stone flag floor, the wail
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| | replaced by a wolf probably because it
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| of a baby could be heard. On searching
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| | was a more likely attacker and already
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| further Llewellen found his son safe and
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| | had a fearsome reputationSo in this tale
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| well, lying next to the body of a large
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| | we see how time, folklore and
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| grey wolf.It was plain to see what had
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| | story-telling around the fire has fused
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| happened !Gelert had killed the wolf
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| | together traditions from many sources and
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| whilst defending the baby from attack.
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| | created them into a legend still honoured
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| Overcome with grief at his hasty action,
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| | at Gelert's Grave.Susanna Duffy is a
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| Llewellyn buried Gelert with all honour
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| | Civil Celebrant, grief counsellor and
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| and raised a memorial over his grave.From
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| | mythologist. She creates ceremonies and
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| then on the settlement was known as
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| | Rites of Passage for individual and civic
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| Beddgelert, meaning "Gelert's Grave" and
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| | functions, and specialises in
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| this is the traditional tale still told
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| | celebrations for women.
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