A Few Pages from the Folklore of Wales, Concerning the Unquiet Dead
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Sometimes, the dead do not rest lightly. A tale from
Wales reveals both a haunting by restless dead, who
are incidentally described as “elves”, and the means
by which an old Witch-woman on the edge of the
wood of Coedygadfa rid the locals of the menace of
these phantoms.
In 1244, near the town of Rhewl, the forces of Henry
III slaughtered an army of men loyal to Prince
Llywelyn. The phantoms of the slain began to plague
the local villagers, taking the form of “little elves”-
and coming out of the wood of Coedygadfa- a name
that means “Wood of the Battle.” An old woman
living on the edge of that wood knew a charm to keep
these phantoms at bay, or drive them away- a charm
that had to be carried out at dusk- a “between” time
that makes contact with spiritual powers easier.
At dusk, she would venture into the woods with
a stout stick and a frying-pan full of cooked and
scorched rabbit and frog-legs- the smell of which was
reminiscent of burning bodies on the battlefield. It is
said that “this smell, which was a horrible reminder to
the dead of their mortal ends, sent the elf-like spectres
cowering back under the ground.”
This is a very important point to ponder- the restless
dead are “dispelled” by reminders of their deaths, or
by making them aware that they have died. The “stout
stick” was more than a means of protection; it was the
wand of her craft- the emblem of her authority in the
unseen world, but also of her ability to pass into the
unseen at will.
The two animals used to simulate the smell of burning
flesh- rabbits and toads or frogs- both have symbolic
power; the rabbits of the goddess of life and death,
and of life in general, and the frogs of the passage
west across the waters that divide this world from the
unseen. The rabbit resonates with the power of the
east and the Hyldor or Fire-queen, and the Frog or
Toad with the west, the waters, the twilight, the ghost-passage.
Naturally, anything that simulated the smell of
burning flesh could have been, or can be used, if the
phantoms are of those who died in fire or in violence
that involved fire or smoke, like battles, vehicle
accidents, or even gunshots and the like.
The general smell of decay is enough to “wake” the
awareness of the dead to their Fate.
In many places, such as Wales, it is believed that if
people hide things before they die, and never have
a chance to retrieve them, they run a high chance of
being bound to the earth, until the items they hid are
uncovered and exposed to direct sunlight outdoors,
thus revealing them. This is another important fact
to remember and take into account, if you ever
encounter such a situation.
