WELSH WICKED WITCHES & WISE WIZARDS

Witches and Wizard (wise men) in Wales were feared or respected and generally left alone. Wizards and wise men had quite an easy time of it, often they were paid well for their healing skills for sick animals. Pretty much every village had its a wise man. (Dyn Hysbys). It was said that wise men increased by persuading ignorant country folk to sacrifice their children to the devil to turn them into wise men. Sometimes bizarrely, it was the local vicar who would be the wizard. Vicar Pritchard of Pwllheli was well known to be able to lay ghosts to rest. What he did with the candle in a lead box buried under a tree, ( see below) is in line with long-held Welsh superstitions.Witches, on the other hand, were not so well liked. Often said to put spells on peoples’ livestock of anyone that crossed them. They were thought to be responsible for causing butter not to churn and remedies to rectify bewitched butter would include tying a rowan branch over the dairy doorway or to place an iron knife inside the churn because witches (like Faerie) are repelled by iron. The term “witching a pig” meant that a curse had caused a pig to have a seizure. In Gilwern where I live a witch by the name of Molly Davies was said to have been able to make a pig stand on its head. I found an interesting article in Welsh Newspaper Archives and have recreated here for you to read. Printed in 1913, it gives a fascinating insight into Welsh witches and wizards, and the beliefs held about them.The Cambria Daily Leader Saturday, October 11, 1913WITCHCRAFT. REMARKABLE STORIES OF WELSH CREDULITY. LAYING GHOSTS.The belief of witches and witchcraft persists in Wales, and in the current issue of "The Occult Review," some instances illustrating the prevalence of the belief are given by M. L. Lewes. In olden days Welsh witches used to "put spells" on the animals of neighbours who annoyed them.If a cow were the victim it would sicken of no apparent disease, cease to give milk, and, if the spell were not removed, would die. The effect of "witching" a pig was to cause a curious kind of madness, sometimes like a fit; this again ended fatally unless a counter-charm was forthcoming.Quite recently I saw one of these charms quoted in a local paper by a collector of folklore. "An old witch living not far from Llangadock (in Carmarthenshire) on one occasion when she had witched a pig was compelled subsequently to unwitch the animal. She came to put her hand on the pig's back saying, Duw a'th gadwo i'th berchenog (God keep thee to thine owner), which seemed a wild way of calming a frenzied pig.“Mary Perllan Peter"A noted witch used to live about a mile and a half from my own home (continues the writer). She was known as "Mary Perllan Peter," from the name of her house, “Perllan Peter,” deep down in a thickly wooded ravine, or dingle, as we call it in Cardiganshire. One day she asked a neighbour to bring her some corn which she required, and the man very unwillingly consented, as the path down to the cottage was very steep, and the corn heavy to carry. On the way, he spilled some, and Mary was very angry and muttered threats to her friend when he left. And when he got back to his home and went to the stable, what was his amazement, to see his little mare sitting “like a pig" on her haunches and staring wildly before her. He went to her and pulling at the halter tried to get her on her feet. But in vain; she did not seem able to move. Then the man, very frightened, bethought him of the witch's threats, for he felt sure the mare was spellbound. So, be sent off for Mary to come and remove the spell, and when she arrived, she went straight up to the animal and said “Moron fach, what ails thee now?" was all she said, and the mare jumped to her feet as well and lively as ever.Scarlet Yarn.As regards to the use of scarlet yarn for the "charming," I 'believe there is an old idea that a special healing "virtue" attaches to this colour. When in childhood one suffered from colds a piece of scarlet flannel was clapped on one's chest; it had to be scarlet, one was told, to do any good; white was no use.I have no doubt this idea was a relic of ancient folklore, as are so many of our little daily customs and observances in olden times a bunch of brightly coloured threads was supposed to ward off the evil eye. And the country custom of tying up horses' manes and tails at a fair with scarlet braid or worsted has its origin in the same idea.Hares and Moll White the WitchThe connection between witches and hares seems to have always been very widely spread. Addison mentions the belief in one of his essays, writing of an old village witch called Moll White. "If a hare makes an unexpected escape from the hounds, the huntsman curses Moll White. I have known the master of a pack upon such an occasion send one of his servants to see if Moll White had been out that morning." Not only was it thought that witches transformed themselves into hares, but Elias Owen tells us that in his day aged people in Wales believed that witches by incantation could change other people into animals. He quotes instances of a man being turned by witchcraft into a hare, in the neighbourhood of Ystrad Meurig (Cardiganshire). Another case he relates is that of a woman in North Wales who knew before anyone told her that a certain person died at such a time. The Rector asked her how she came to know of the death if no one had informed her, and if she had not been to the house. Her answer was " I know because I saw a hare come towards his house and cross over the road before me."The Sick Cow.The following stories, told me on excellent authority, relating to the parish of Llanvihangel Geneurglyn, Cardiganshire, and the "John Price" referred to was living a very few years ago, and is alive still for anything I know to the contrary. There was a man belonging to the village of Llanvihangel who had a sick cow. He could not find out what was the matter with her, and fit last in despair he went to consult John Price, the wise man, who lived at Llanbadarn- Fawr, a few miles away. John immediately declared that the cow was bewitched."Because," said he,"you will find when you look that every tooth in her head is loose.""Why who has done that?" asked the farmer. "That I cannot tell you," was the reply, "but this I will tell you, that the person who bewitched her has visited your house today."He would say no more, and the inquirer hurried off home. He lost no time in examining the cow's mouth, and sure enough, every tooth was loose! Then he asked his, wife, "Who has been here to-day?""No one," she answered, "except, indeed. . . So-and-so”, naming a poor girl who sometimes came to get work.Then the farmer knew who had ill-wished his cow, which, by the way, recovered. In the same parish of Llanfihangel, there was a child very ill, so ill, in fact, that the doctors gave him up. The I father went secretly and consulted John Price, who said the child was bewitched but would recover, and he did. I know the clergyman who was vicar of this parish at the time these instances occurred. And it was, he who. made notes of the two cases. He is, now rector of Llansamlet.A Layer of Ghosts.At the same time I was told of this wizard, my informant who, by the way, was a perfect mine of interesting gossip on such subjects, --asked me if I had ever heard of "Vicar Pritchard, of Pwllheli" (now dead), who in his time was a noted layer of ghosts, and whose fame as such still survives in Merionethshire, for he was in great demand throughout the country whenever an uneasy spook gave trouble. Armed with candle and book in an orthodox way, he said to one ghost, "Now will you promise me to cease troubling this house as long as this candle lasts?" The spirit gladly promised, thinking that was but an hour or so to wait. But the vicar promptly extinguished the flame, put the candle into a lead box, I sealed and buried the box beneath a tree, where it lies to this day, and the ghost can do more harm.Herb doctors were different to wizards, but they were consulted by locals and revered for their remedies. Some of these remedies were strange, to say the least. In some parts of Wales, a dried toad was placed under the armpit to ward off fever. Another peculiar medicine was snail water used for nerves and joint pain. Here is a recipe if you fancy trying it although I strongly recommend that you don’t!2lb of garden snails, Juice of ground Ivy, Coltsfoot, Scabious Lungwort, Purslain, Ambrosia, Pauls Betony, Hogs Blood, White wine, Dried tobacco leaves, Licorice elecampane, Orris, Cotton seeds, Anise seeds, Saffron, Rose petals, violets and borageSteep all the above for 3 days then distill. Then drink. (please don’t!)References http://www.worldhistory.biz/ancient-h...