EXPLORE SIX LOST LEGENDS OF ANCIENT BRITAIN

Wayland’s Smithy, Oxfordshire

1

This dark-mouthed prehistoric barrow in the Berkshire Downs has borne the name of a legendary Germanic goldsmith since at least the 10th century; it appears in a charter as ‘Welandes Smiððan’. According to Old Norse and Old English sources, an evil king cut the goldsmith’s hamstrings and imprisoned him on an island, making him work for free. Before escaping on wings crafted from the feathers of the island’s birds, he killed the king’s two sons and drugged and raped his daughter, Beadohild. Back in the 10th century, the barrow must have fascinated its first Germanic visitors, the Saxons, with whom this afflicted, menacing character had migrated.

Dinas Emrys, Snowdonia

2

This small, wooded hill in Snowdonia has a pool and medieval ruin at its summit. It is where a legendary usurper called Vortigern attempted to build a tower to protect himself from the rightful British king and invading Saxons, but each night it crumbled. The solution, imparted the child Merlin, was to demolish the tower and drain a pool that lay beneath it. The receding waters revealed a white dragon attacking a red dragon, which

Merlin interpreted as an omen of the injuries to be borne by the Britons at the hands of the Saxons.

Tintagel, Cornwall

3

In Arthurian legend, Tintagel is the home of Igraine, a descendent of Joseph of Arimathea. She is married to Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall.

King Uther Pendragon sees Igraine at a feast and resolves to have her for himself. While Uther’s troops battle those of Gorlois at Dameliock (now associated with the Iron Age hillfort, the Tregeare Rounds), Merlin transforms Uther to make him look like the Duke. He goes to the sea-cradled castle and Igraine sleeps with him, believing him to be her husband. As a result of this deception, she gives birth to the future King Arthur.

The River Ness, Inverness

4

According to Admonán (died 704 CE), the pebblebedded River Ness is the site of a miracle performed by St Columba, who crossed Scotland to convert the Picts. A water monster had killed a local man and his body lay on the opposite bank. One of Columba’s followers dived into the river to fetch a boat by which they would cross and tend to the deceased. When the monster attacked him, Columba repelled it by means of a prayer.

Stonehenge, Wiltshire

5

Medieval visitors to Stonehenge would have had no notion of Neolithic man. Instead, they thought it to be a memorial to British nobles massacred by the Saxons under Hengist and the burial place of Aurelius Ambrosius and Uther Pendragon, King Arthur’s uncle and father. Medieval visitors would have thought the stones had come from Africa, via Ireland, and that the last part of their journey was engineered by the young Merlin.

The River Severn

6

The Brut legend tells us that for seven years, King Locrin – son of Britain’s founding father, Brutus – had held a woman called Estrildis in London’s caves. When Queen Gwendolen, daughter of Corineus the giant-slayer, discovered the affair and the birth of a daughter, whose name was Sabrina, she gathered troops and killed Locrin. Then she had Estrildis and Sabrina drowned in the tidal waters of a river. Thenceforth, the river was named the Severn, after the little girl.

Amy Jeffs has a doctorate in history of art from the University of Cambridge and is the author and illustrator of Storyland (Quercus, £25).