FOLKLORE CALENDAR DAY NINE
As previously mentioned, in 'Heat of the Hunt' the master of the Wild Hunt has nine hounds at his command. Our ninth hound name is Gelert, and his folklore is strikingly similar to that which surrounds Guinefort.
The tale of Gelert is a Welsh myth, and in the story Llywelyn the Great goes out hunting and leaves his infant son in the care of his faithful greyhound. Upon returning, Llywelyn finds the cradle overturned and the dog greets him with a blood smeared mouth. In a rage, the man draws his sword and kills the hound. But as the dog utters his final yelp, Llywelyn hears the cry of a child, and goes on to find his son unharmed under the cradle with the body of a wolf beside him.
Gelert had fought off the wolf to protect the child from harm. Llywelyn is filled with remorse, and even though he buries his loyal hound with great ceremony, the dying cry of the animal haunts him for the rest of his life. Legend says that, from that day, he never smiles again.
A visitor can find Gelert's grave in a town called Beddgelert, which in folk memory is believed to take its name from the mound which marks the burial place of the hound. The grave today is marked with two plaques which tell the tale in both Welsh and English.
If you love folklore then you will enjoy reading Heat of the Hunt Book!
Paperback: www.facebook.com/heatofthehunt
Ebook: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Heat-Hunt-Helen-JR-Bruce-ebook/dp/B07WK82T62/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2QN8VW7XNTA66&keywords=heat+of+the+hunt&qid=1577308407&s=books&sprefix=heat+of+the%2Caps%2C165&sr=1-1
Image: 'Gelert' by Charles Burton Barber