Re: Kin to None

In message <fbeq4s$cdg$1$8300dec7@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Tim S <Tim@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes

[Lots of absolutely fascinating stuff snipped. I have printed it out for future reference.]

Sorry for not delving further. I stopped at the references in my book, I never though to Google for Jacobs and his actual information.

And what of the innkeeper? Jacobs says,

"According to Murray's _Guide to N. Wales_, p. 125, the only authority for the cairn now shown is that of the landlord of the Goat Inn, 'who felt compelled by the cravings of tourists to invent a grave.' Some old men at Bedd Gellert, Prof. Rhys informs me, are ready to testify that they saw the cairn laid. They might almost have been present at the birth of the legend, which, if my affiliation of it is correct, is not yet quite 100 years old."

So from this, it appears that Jacobs does _not_ believe the landlord to have been responsible for associating the legend with the town (which is indeed impossible for the timing) although he may have been responsible for the cairn.

This makes a lot of sense. After being pestered enough times about the grave, I can see someone deciding to build one just to keep the visitors happy. I can also imagine the innkeeper encouraging people to believe the story if it brought him more custom, though as you say, it sounds as though he was probably not responsible for linking legend and town in the first place.

So apparently Jenkins, though he may have correctly identified the innkeeper, did not correctly identify the source of the legend. Except that I don't have Jenkins actual words ... all I have is a quotation from http://www.irishwolfhounds.org/gelert.htm (and elsewhere) purporting to be from Eric Parker's book, _Best of Dogs_ who (according to the website) referenced Jenkins' 1899 book _Bedd Gelert: Its Facts, Fairies and Folklore_ as a source for his own (apparently quite inaccurate) account:

It's always more complicated that it at first appears! It definitely looks as though Michelle could safely use the name if she wishes.

Sorry for the long post. I hope this clears up some things.

I wonder what that elusive "15th century manuscript" was supposed to be? There was also a mention of a similar hound legend in the Mabinogion, but I can't think of one and it's so long since I read the whole thing that I can't say whether it is or isn't there. There are certainly quite a few dogs in Culhwch and Olwen, but they're hunting the giant boar, not saving babies from wolves. (More Celtic dog names there though for Michelle, possibly better than Gelert too, unless she wants the tragic connotations?)

Helen
--
Helen, Gwynedd, Wales *** http://www.baradel.demon.co.uk
_A Legacy of War_, a fantasy murder mystery, now on the web at:
http://helenkenyon.livejournal.com/413.html
.

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