Welsh Folk-Lore Part 39

"The goose is thought to be a silly bird, and hence the expression, 'You silly goose,' or 'You stupid goose,' as applied to a person. The falling snow is believed to be the effect of celestial goose-feathering, and the patron of geese--St. Michael--is supposed to be then feathering his proteges. The first goose brought to table is called a Michaelmas goose; a large annual fair at Llanrhaiadr-yn-Mochnant is called 'Ffair y cwarter Gwydd,' the quarter goose fair. Seven geese on gra.s.s land are supposed to eat as much gra.s.s as will keep a cow. Permanent gra.s.s land is called 'Tir Gwydd,' goose land. A bed of goose feathers is required to complete a well-furnished house. The fat of geese, called 'goose-oil,' is a recipe for many ailments. A small bone in the head of a goose, called the 'goose's tooth,' is carried in the pocket for luck, and is a sure preventative against toothache."

Much of the above paragraph is common to most parts of Wales, but the writer used to be told, when he was a lad, that the snow was caused by "the old woman feathering her geese," and a Michaelmas goose was called a green goose, as well as a "Michaelmas goose."

_The Crow_.

The crow figures much in Welsh folk-lore. In many ways he is made to resemble the magpie; thus, when one crow or one magpie was seen, it was thought to foretell misfortune, as implied by the saying:--

Un fran ddu, Lwc ddrwg i mi.

But should the spectator shout out in a defiant way:--

Hen fran ddu, Gras Duw i mi,

no harm would follow. The former lines in English would be:--

One crow I see, Bad luck to me.

But this foretold evil, brought about by the old black crow, could be counteracted by repeating the following words, (a translation of the second couplet), with a pause between each line, and thus the last line would a.s.sume the form of a prayer:--

Old Black Crow!

G.o.d, grace bestow;

or the evil could be hurled back upon the Old Black Crow by the repet.i.tion of these words:--

Hen fran ddu, Gras Duw i mi, Lwc ddrwg i ti.

Freely translated, these lines would be:--

Old Black Crow!

G.o.d's grace to me, Bad luck to thee.

In the English-speaking parts of Wales, such as along the borders of Montgomeryshire, adjoining Shropshire, I have heard the following doggerel lines subst.i.tuted for the Welsh:--

Crow, crow, get out of my sight, Before I kill thee to-morrow night.

The bad luck implied by the appearance of one crow could also be overcome, as in the case of the magpie, by making a cross on the ground, with finger or stick.

Although one crow implied bad luck, two crows meant good luck; thus we have these lines:--

Dwy fran ddu, Lwc dda i mi.

Two black crows, Good luck to me.

Many prognostications were drawn from the appearance of crows. A crow seen on the highest branch of a tree implied that the person seeing it should shortly see his or her sweetheart. The manner in which they flew foretold a wedding or a burying. When they fly in a long line there is to be a wedding, if crowded together a funeral.

There is a common expression in Montgomeryshire--"Dwy fran dyddyn"--"The two crows of the farm"--just as if each farm had its two crows, either as guardians of the farm--for two crows implied good luck--or as if they were located by couples in various places, which places became their feeding ground and homes. This, however, is not true of rooks, which feed in flocks and roost in flocks.

_Crows' Feathers_.

In Montgomeryshire it was, at one time, supposed that if a person picked up a crow's feather he was sure to meet a mad dog before the day was over.

But in other parts it was considered lucky to find a crow's feather, if, when found, it were stuck on end into the ground. This superst.i.tion lingered long in Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr, a remote, hilly parish in Denbighshire.

Some years ago, crows' wing or tail feathers could be seen stuck upright in the ground in many parts of Wales, but at present such a thing cannot be seen. The practice and the superst.i.tion have come to an end.

_A Rookery deserted was a sign of bad luck_, _but when they nested near a house it was a sign of good luck_.

The writer visited, in the year 1887, a gentleman's park, where for generations the rooks had made a lodgment, and by several persons his attention was called to the ominous fact that the rooks had left the ancestral trees which ornamented the s.p.a.cious and well-wooded park, and had even carried their nests away with them. He was informed that the desertion boded no good to the highly respected family that occupied that ancient seat.

The writer also visited a friend, who lives in an ancient abode, a mile or two from the rook-rejected park, and, with a smile, he was informed by the lady of the house that a colony of rooks had taken possession of the trees that surrounded her house. He gladly wished her luck, to which she responded--"It has been a long time coming."

Both these places are in East Denbighshire.

The writer remembers a case in which a rookery was deserted just before misfortune fell upon the gentleman who occupied the house around which grew the trees occupied by the rooks. This gentleman one morning noticed the rooks carrying away their nests to a new home. Se called his servant man to him, and desired him to go after the rooks and destroy their nests in their new abode, in the fond hope that they would thus be induced to return to their old home. This was done more than once, but the rooks would not take the hint; they persisted in gathering up the scattered sticks that strewed the ground, but these they replaced in the trees above, which now had become their new home. When it was found that they would not return, the man desisted, and his master, as he had feared, met with dire misfortune shortly afterwards (see p. 304).

_The Cuckoo_. _Y Gog_.

The cuckoo is a sacred bird. It is safe from the gamekeeper's gun. Its advent is welcomed with pleasure. "Have you heard the cuckoo?" is a question put by the fortunate person who first hears its notes to every person he meets. When it is ascertained that the cuckoo has arrived, parents give their children pence for luck, and they themselves take care not to leave their houses with empty pockets, for should they do so, those pockets, if the cuckoo is heard, will be empty all the year. Those who hear the cuckoo for the first time thrust immediately their hand in their pockets, and turn their money, or toss a piece into the air, and all this is for luck for the coming year ushered in by the cheering sound of the cuckoo's notes.

It is believed that the cuckoo is in our country for several days before its welcome two notes are heard, and that the cause of its huskiness is, that it is tired, and has not cleared its voice by sucking birds' eggs.

Generally the cuckoo is heard for the first time yearly about the same place, and the hill tops not far from the abodes of man are its favourite resort. Thus we have the ditty:--

Cynta' lle y can y cogydd, Yw y fawnog ar y mynydd.

The place where first the cuckoo sings, Is by the peat pits on the hills.

The cuckoo is supposed to be accompanied by the wry-neck, hence its name, "Gwas-y-gog," the cuckoo's servant. The wryneck was thought to build the nest, and hatch and feed the young of the cuckoo.

Many superst.i.tions cl.u.s.ter round the cuckoo; thus, should a person be in doubt as to the way to take, when going from home, to secure success in life, he, or she, waits for the cuckoo's return, and then should the bird be heard for the first time, singing towards the east, as it flies, that is the direction to take, or any other direction as the case may be; and it is, or was, even thought that the flight of the cuckoo, singing as it flies before a person, for the first time in the year, indicated a change of abode for that person, and the new home lay in the direction in which the cuckoo flew.

Should the cuckoo make its appearance before the leaves appear on the hawthorn bush, it is a sign of a dry, barren year.

Os can y gog ar ddrain-llwyn llwm, Gwerth dy geffyl a phryn dy bwn.

If the cuckoo sings on a hawthorn bare, Sell thy horse, and thy pack prepare.