More E-texts

More E-texts The Welsh Fairy Book • Preface - The Welsh Fairy Book • Notes on Welsh Prounciation • The Lady of the Lake • Arthur in the Cave • The Curse of Pantannas • The Drowning of the Bottom Hundred • Elidyr's Sojurn in Fairy-Land • Lowri Dafydd Earns a Purse of Gold • The Llanfabon Changeling • Why the Red Dragon is the Emblem of Wales • Llyn Cwm Llwch • The Adventures of Three Farmers • Cadwaladr and His Goat • The Fairy Wife • Einion and the Lady of the Greenwood • The Green Isles of the Ocean • March's Ears • The Fairy Harp • Guto Bach and the Fairies • Ianto's Chase • The Stray Cow • Bala Lake • The Forbidden Fountain • Tudor Ap Einion • Fairy Walking Stick • Dick the Fiddler's Money • A Strange Otter • Fairy Ointment • Pergrin and the Mermaiden • The Cave of the Young Men of Snowdonia • Einion and the Fair Family • St Collen and the King of the Fairy • Helig's Hollow • Owen Goes A-Wooing • The Fairy Reward • Why Deunant has the Front Door in the Back • Getting Rid of the Fairies • The Mantle of Kings' Beards • Pedws Ffowk and St Elian's Well • Magic Music • Sili go Dwt • Another Changeling • A Fairy Borrowing • Treasure Seeking • The Richest Man • St Beuno and the Curlew • The Cat Witches • The Swallowed Court • What Marged Rolant Saw • Ned Puw's Farewell • Pennard Castle • The Man with the Green Weeds • Goronwy Tudor and the Witches of Llanddona • Robin's Return • The Harper's Gratuity • Six and Four are Ten • Envy Burns Itself • The Bride from the Red Lake • A Fairy Dog • Grace's Well • The Fairy Password • St Winifred's Well • Ancients of the World • Nansi Llywd and the Dog of Darkness • An Adventure in the Big Bog • The Pwca of the Trwyn • John Gethin and the Candle • Fetching a Halter • Dai Sion's Homecoming • Melangell's Lambs • Syfaddon Lake • The Power of St Tegla's Well • The Men of Ardudwy • The Parti-Coloured Cow • Striking a Corpse Candle • Hu Gadarn • The Devil's Bridge • The Martyred Hound • Twm of the Fair Lies • Black Robin • Llyn Llech Owen • A Ghostly Rehersal • A Phantom Funeral • Why the Robin's Breast is Red   Join the Discussion "What is your favorite scary tale?" Join the Forum Discussion...     Related Resources • Edgar Allan Poe • Book Reviews

Cadwaladr and His Goat

CADWALADR had a very handsome goat named Jenny, of which he was very proud. Now Jenny was a very well-behaved goat as a rule and gave no trouble, but one evening she would not let Cadwaladr catch her. She ran round and round the field, and though Cadwaladr was fleet of foot, do what he would he could not get near her. Then she jumped over the hedge, like a hunter, into the next field. When Cadwaladr went after her, she jumped into the field beyond, and over the mountain wall towards the mountain. Several times she allowed Cadwaladr to come close up to her and then darted away. The last time she rushed up to the top of a high precipice. Cadwaladr, who had been getting wilder and wilder as his breath became shorter, now picked up a great stone and threw it at the exasperating animal with all his force. The stone knocked her over the precipice and she fell bleating to her doom. Cadwaladr was now very sorry, and made his way to the foot of the crag: the goat was dying, and licked his hand. This so affected him that he burst into tears, and sitting on the ground took the goat’s head on his arm. Suddenly the goat was transformed into a beautiful young woman. Looking joyfully at him with great brown eyes, she said, "Ah, Cadwaladr, have I at last found you? Come with me." He put his hand in hers and allowed her to conduct him away. As for the hand, it felt just like a hoof, but when Cadwaladr looked at it, it seemed like an ordinary hand though it was whiter and more shapely than any hand he had ever seen before.

The maiden led him on and on, and Cadwaladr had never listened to more agreeable conversation than hers. At last they came to the top of a very high mountain. It was now night and the moon was shining. Cadwaladr looked round and saw that they were surrounded by a countless flock of goats, and the din of a most unearthly bleating arose suddenly. One of the goats which was larger than all the rest bleated as loudly as all the rest put together. This one rushed at Cadwaladr and, butting him in the stomach, sent him toppling over, just as he had sent Jenny. Cadwaladr went rolling down the mountain side and did not stop until his head went crash against a great rock. He fainted away and he did not recover consciousness until the sun and the singing birds awakened him in the morning. But he saw no more of either his goat or the fairy she had turned into from that day to his death.