Myths and legends, while a little dubious as a fact-finding source, are still historically valuable to us as they reveal how and why a community's cultural significance has been maintained. They inspire art, literature and poetry and the stories are passed down through generations, sometimes over many hundreds of years. Wales in particular is rich in these tales, which include the haunting story of a woman named Nelferch.
Said to have occurred in Glamorganshire, in South Wales, stories of this blonde-haired water damsel have been told since at least the early nineteenth century, as John Rhys recorded in his book Celtic Folklore, published in 1901. What makes his work so interesting is that he didn't simply tell these stories, but researched them, attempting to discover their origins and interviewing local residents. Many of his written sources also dated to the late 1800s.
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The date of the occurrence told in the legend is not known, but a farmer was said to have been walking along near the lake at Llyn Nelferch, near his farmhouse at Rhondda Fechan. The area still has the same name today, and is just north of Pontypridd. It was early in the morning, when he noticed a woman walking on the other side of the lake. She had long blonde hair that tumbled around her ankles as she walked. He called to her, and she told him that she lived in the waters below with her cattle. The farmer fell immediately in love, and although she initially resisted his advances the couple eventually agreed to marry. The woman, whose name was Nelferch, however, had one condition she placed on their marriage: she would bring her cattle out of the lake and live with the farmer until they had had three arguments or disputes. Then, on the third dispute, she would return to the lake forever. He agreed.
The couple were said to have been happily married for a number of years, but on their third argument she left as promised, and, singing a haunting song, submerged into the lake not to be seen again. Still today, some believe they can hear Nelferch’s cries in and around the lakes and mountains of the area.
There are some contemporary facts that align with the legend of Nelferch. Two stories of a woman drowning while walking with her cattle near the lake were in circulation in the late nineteenth century. One reported the lake was once called ILyn y Forwyn, a name which Rhys said referred to a young woman whose cows had drowned in the water. Another stated that it was a woman with her cattle who had wandered too close to the water’s edge, and they all drowned. Rhys points out that near the edge of the lake there are a series of caves where it was believed people once lived; is it possible that one of these became impassable, or was the site of a tragic accident?
In January 1899, a farmer in his eighties named David Evans, reported what he knew of the legend. He was born and grew up in the Rhondda Fechan Valley, moving away when he was in his mid-forties. His aunt had told him about the Nelferch legend as a boy, dating this telling to around the 1820s-30s. He even claimed to know of some of the disputes the couple had – one over the death of a friend, another after the death of a child although the third he admitted he did not remember.
The legend is certainly very enigmatic, with Nelferch’s haunting cries and her supernatural similarity between those other water dwellers of our fairytales; mermaids. But although myths and legends could have had some basis in truth they were deliberately maintained in a community’s consciousness long-term as a warning, or to teach a life lesson. Nelferch’s ‘three disputes’ warning sounds as if it asks newlyweds to get along, to avoid a separation or unhappy relationship. Upset your partner too many times and you might lose them - along with their wealth (or cattle). Similarly, it may refer to a memory of a real-life accident or tragedy, as the stories of the drowned women and their animals show. Whatever its basis, the legend endures as an atmospheric and captivating tale of the mountains and lakes of Glamorganshire.
During the research for my book I found links between Welsh women and the Wars of the Roses, including the legends surrounding Ellen Gethin and Lady Gwladys Gam, 'The Star of Abergavenny'. Find out more about them and other women impacted by the conflict in my book Forgotten Women of the Wars of the Roses, published by Pen and Sword. Order your copy here.
Notes: Celtic Folklore, Welsh and Manx, Vol 1. Oxford, 1901. John Rhys.
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