CELTIC FOLKLORE
J. RHŶS
HENRY FROWDE, M.A.
PUBLISHER TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
LONDON, EDINBURGH, AND NEW YORK
OXFORD
AT THE CLARENDON PRESS
MDCCCCI
Oxford
PRINTED AT THE CLARENDON PRESS
BY HORACE HART, M.A.
PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY [401]
CHAPTER VII
Triumphs of theWater-world
Une des légendes les plusrépandues en Bretagne est celle d’une prétendueville d’Is, qui, à une époque inconnue, auraitété engloutie par la mer. On montre, à diversendroits de la côte, l’emplacement de cette citéfabuleuse, et les pécheurs vous en font d’étrangesrécits. Les jours de tempête, assurent-ils, on voit, dansles creux des vagues, le sommet des flèches de seséglises; les jours de calme, on entend monter del’abîme le son de ses cloches, modulant l’hymne dujour.—Renan.
More than once in the last chapter was the subject ofsubmersions and cataclysms brought before the reader, and it may beconvenient to enumerate here the most remarkable cases, and to add oneor two to their number, as well as to dwell at somewhat greater lengthon some instances which may be said to have found their way into Welshliterature. He has already been told of the outburst of the GlasfrynLake (p. 367) and Ffynnon Gywer (p. 376), of Ỻyn Ỻech Owen(p. 379) and the Crymlyn (p. 191), also of the drowning ofCantre’r Gwaelod (p. 383); not to mention that one of myinformants had something to say (p. 219) of the submergence of CaerArianrhod, a rock now visible only at low water between Celynnog Fawrand Dinas Dinỻe, on the coast of Arfon. But, to put it briefly,it is an ancient belief in the Principality that its lakes generallyhave swallowed up habitations of men, as in the case of ỺynSyfađon (p. 73) and the Pool of Corwrion (p. 57). To these I nowproceed to add other instances, to wit those of Bala Lake, Kenfig Pool,...