The lost city of Ys
Drowned by the Devil
The city of Ys was built by King Gradlon for his sea-loving daughter, Dahut. The low-lying city was protected by a great dyke, the gate of which was locked each day without fail to prevent the land from being submerged when the tide came in. Dahut, so the rumours went, was of bad character: her insatiable appetites for drink and men led her to all manner of unmentionable debaucheries. When St Winwaloe took Dahut to task about her behaviour she ignored his sage counsel to mend her wicked ways.
One day, a knight dressed in red caught her eye. This devilish paramour incited Dahut to steal the key for the gate, with terrible consequences. The Devil opened the gate, and the water poured in, flooding the town and everything in it. With people drowning all around them, King Gradlon made for his horse – a magical steed that would see him and his daughter to safety. As they pelted along, however, St Winwaloe once more made an appearance. It was Dahut’s fault that this terrible fate had befallen the city, the saint preached, and Gradlon must therefore push his daughter into the raging waves below. The broken king did as he was instructed, sending Dahut to her watery death before escaping to safety, the only survivor.