British Goblins Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions by Sikes Wirt

Author:Sikes, Wirt [Sikes, Wirt]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: HardPress Publishing
Published: 2016-06-22T16:00:00+00:00

II.

John Clode, an honest labouring man living on the coast of Glamorganshire, near the Sker Rocks, had just gone to bed one night, when he and his wife heard the door open, the tread of shuffling feet, the moving about of chairs, and the grunting of men [227] as if setting down a load. This was all in the room where they lay, it being the only room their cottage afforded, except the one upstairs. ‘John, John!’ cried his wife in alarm, ‘what is this?’ In vain John rubbed his eyes and stared into the darkness. Nothing could he see. Two days afterward their only son was brought home drowned; and his corpse being borne into the house upon a ladder, there were the same noises of opening the door, the shuffling of feet, the moving of chairs, the setting down of the burden, that the Tolaeth had touched their ears with. ‘John, John!’ murmured poor Mrs. Clode; ‘this is exactly what I heard in the night.’ ‘Yes, wife,’ quoth John, ‘it was the Tolaeth before Death.’

Before Ewythr Jenkin of Nash died, his daughter Gwenllian heard the Tolaeth. She had taken her old father’s breeches from under his pillow to mend them (for he was very careful always to fold and put his breeches under his pillow, especially if there was a sixpence in the pocket), and just as she was about sitting down at the table on which she had thrown them, there came a loud rap on the table, which startled her very much. ‘Oh, Jenny, what was that?’ she asked of the servant girl; but Jenny could only stare at her mistress, more frightened than herself. Again did Gwenllian essay to sit and take the breeches in hand, when there came upon the table a double rap, much louder than the first, a rap, in fact, that made all the chairs and kettles ring. So then Gwenllian fainted away.

At a place called by its owner Llynwent, in Radnorshire, at a certain time the man of the house and his wife were gone from home. The rest of the family were sitting at supper, when three of the servants heard the sound of horses coming toward [228] the house, and cried out, ‘There, they are coming!’ thinking it was their master and mistress returning home. But on going out to meet them, there was nobody near. They re-entered the house, somewhat uneasy in their minds at this strange thing, and clustered about the fire, with many expressions of wonderment. While they were so seated, ‘Hark!’ said one, and all listening intently, heard footsteps passing by them and going up stairs, and voices of people talking among themselves. Not long afterward three of the family fell sick and died.

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