Name______Date ______

Beginnings in Legends

Aim: Understand what information goes at the beginning of Legends.

Read the beginnings of the three legends below then copy the table into your book and use it to answer who, what, where, when questions for the three legends.

Can you identify the theme for each legend?

Legend / Who? / What? / Where? / When?

Wibernant

A 'gwiber' in today’s Welsh means viper or adder. But a long time ago a 'gwiber' was something quite different - a huge snake that could fly. This is the story of how Wibernant, (valley of the gwiber), near Penmachno, got its name.

The local gwiber was unique in that it was the only one in Wales that could live on land and under water. This monster was therefore especially dangerous and would devour the local livestock and killed those who tried to get rid of it. So the locals decided to offer a reward to anyone who killed the monster.

Owain ap Gruffydd from the nearby Hiraethog Mountains came to kill the beast.

Merlin and the Red Dragon of Wales

Centuries ago in the time after the Romans had left Britain, the King of all Britain was called Vortigern (or Gwrtheyrn in Welsh). He was under attack from the Saxons, so he decided to build a fortress in Snowdonia. He chose a hill at the foot of Snowdon, but every time the fort walls were built they fell down.

The wise men were consulted, who said that it was the work of a bad spirit, and that a child without a father should be sacrificed and its blood poured on the foundations to keep the spirit happy. The castle could then be built in peace. And so men were sent in all directions to seek such a child.

Eventually Dafydd Goch came back with a boy who had no father - this boy was Myrddin Emrys or Merlin! Merlin questioned the wisdom of the wise men, saying that it was pointless sacrificing him. He said that two dragons (one white and one red) lived in a lake under the hill, and it was their fighting that was causing the walls to fall down.

LLys Helig

Long long ago, during the 6th Century, Gwendud the pretty daughter of the prince of Tyno Helig, Helig Ap Glannog, had reached the age for marriage. She had fallen in love with Tathal, a young man who was a commoner and therefore unable to marry her.

Now, Helig Ap Glannog, knew that Gwendud, would only ever be happy in life is she married Tathal, instead of the other suitors she had chasing her. So, Helig told Tathal that if he was to go away and return wearing a gold Torque around his neck – the same as a nobleman would wear – Helig would allow such a marriage to take place.