Wales is full of folklore and mythology, with lots of stories about #dragons. One of the most famous stories is the tale of the fighting red and white dragons. It is why the dragon is on the Welsh flag! Apparently one of the dragons still lies at the bottom of #LlynDinas.
The story is from the #Mabinogion, a collection of 11 medieval Welsh tales based on mythology, folklore, and heroic legends, written in the 12th century, although the stories would have been told orally long before that. It is based in #Snowdonia in the valley of Nant Gwynant, which is where me and Nigel have been exploring for the last few days.
The story is about a blood-red #dragon that is locked in a never-ending battle with an encroaching white dragon (the red dragon representing the Welsh and the white dragon representing invading Anglo-Saxons).
When they faught their deafening roars had such a devastating effect that they caused flora to wither, animals to perish, and expectant mothers to endure miscarriages!
#Llydd was the #king at the time and in a bid to maintain order in his realm he captured both dragons and confined them in a pit filled with mead and honey at Dinas Emrys.
They drank and faught until the mead sent them into an alcohol-induced slumber. When they awoke, they did it all again! The relentless fight continued from within the mountain, every night. It became a nightly spectacle that persisted for centuries.
This ongoing battle, unbeknownst to the subsequent king, #Vortigern, is the reason why his partially constructed castle kept collapsing each night.
Frustrated by the fact his castle kept falling down, Vortigern sought advice from his trusted counsellors, one of which was a wise old man. The #wiseoldman explained that there was an old custom in these parts where a new house must have a blood sacrifice. Sometimes a #humansacrifice would even be walled up alive!
And for such a castle, the sacrifice couldn't just be anyone, it would have to be an innocent, fatherless boy. The wise man said sacrificing the boy to the standing stones would stabilise the king's #castle's construction.
Vortigern promptly embarks on a quest to find such a boy, and he returns with a young lad named #Merlin, one of the wisest sorcerer ever (but they didn't know that at the time).
However, being a sorcerer, Merlin knows the true cause of the castle's collapses – the battling dragons, and he tells the king that sacrificing him will do no good, he must find and release the dragons trapped in the mountain!
Vortigern finds the dragons and releases them from their confinement. They shoot out of the ground, continuing to fight as they fly high into the sky; biting, whipping their tails and bellowing fire at one another. The red dragon is winning and the white dragon flees. The red dragon triumphantly roars and soars high into the sky, before diving deep into the lake known as Llyn Dinas, where apparently he still sleeps to this day.
The red dragon's victory ushered in a period of peace in Wales, whilst also serving as a prophecy, foretelling the arrival of #KingArthur, and finally Vortigern could get his castle built. Vortigern tells his men to kill the stupid wise old man for not knowing about the dragons and spouting garbage about sacrificing a boy.
The hill rock the dragons faught inside for centuries is called Dinas Emrys. When it was dug up in the 1950s they found a deep pool - I wonder if anyone tasted it to see if it was actually mead?!
Me and Nigel headed to Llyn Dinas to try and find the red dragon. Whilst we were there we were also listening out for a bell. Apparently before Merlin left he buried a cauldron full of gold in a cave beneath Dinas Emrys. He put a huge boulder in the way which he covered up with moss so no one could find it. The gold is meant for one special person. They will hear a bell ring which will show them the way to the cave, the stone will roll away and the gold will be theirs!
#funfact Did you know that Prince Cadwaladr (633-682) was the first leader in Wales to fly a flag with the Welsh dragon on?
If you want to go and see the lake for yourself, here is a link to the National Trust walking route.
Whilst we were there we stopped at #Beddgelert, a beautiful little village nearby famous for it's story about a faithful dog. The village has some awesome independent shops including Beddgelert Woodcraft where we purchased this very apt hand-carved wooden bench.
Unfortunately we didn't see the red dragon whilst we were there. It's probably a good thing as the red dragon rests whilst Wales is at peace, so if we saw him I think it would have been a pretty bad omen.
We didn't hear a bell or find the gold either, although it might have rung but the wind was quite loud so maybe it drowned it out... the good news is that it's still there for you to find, so if you go to Dinas Emrys, make sure you listen out for a bell.
If you have been, did you see the red dragon? Did you hear a bell ring? Did you find the gold??!! Tell us below!
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