4 guides
Moelfre's Stone Women and the Sabbath Punishment: When Three Women Turned to Rock for Working Sunday
Three women who winnowed corn on Sunday were said to have been turned to stone as divine punishment. An early account says the stones were later uprooted and rolled down the hill; this is Moelfre near Dwygyfylchi, not the separate hill near Barmouth.
Pumlumon Fawr and the Sleeping Giant: The Legend Beneath Wales's Five Peaks
An unnamed giant is said to sleep inside Pumlumon. The mountain's name means “five peaks”, but the surviving folklore does not identify the summits as body parts or say the giant will wake to defend Wales.
Yr Wyddfa and the Giant's Beard Cloak: When Arthur Killed Rhita Gawr for Wearing Kings
The giant Rhita Gawr took the beards of defeated kings for a cloak and demanded Arthur's. Geoffrey of Monmouth places their duel on Mount Aravius; later Welsh tradition links the fight and Rhita's grave to Yr Wyddfa.
Cadair Idris and the Giant's Chair: When Sleeping on the Summit Meant Waking Up Mad or a Poet
Legend says anyone who spends the night on Cadair Idris will wake either mad or blessed with poetic genius. The mountain is linked to the giant Idris, while another explanation connects its name with the 7th-century prince Idris ap Gwyddno.