It is twilight and, from the rivers, streams and lakes, a terrible spectre rises. Gwrach y Rhibyn soars into the air, her great, leathery wings beating a loud tattoo. She is the hag of the mist, with fingers like the talons of a raven. Her back is hunched. Her hair is jet black and knotted in long tendrels. Her piercing, anguished eyes are not matched in colour. One appears black and the other grey; they are both very deep-set. Her tattered clothes hang in rags about her withered form.
This fearsome crone has an expression permanently creased into a howling lament. She sights her prey and swoops down. In her native Welsh, she shrieks out a warning, "Oh my son!" or "Oh my wife!" or whatever else might be the relationship between the doomed and the individual before her. Or else she may fly around a house, scratching at the windows, shouting out the same. In Ireland, there is the banshee; but in Wales, her counterpart is much more scary. She has been known to attack.
Gwrach y Rhibyn: St Donat's Castle, Glamorgan
In 1738, Thomas Stradling was killed in a duel. The Stradlings had entered Wales with the Norman conquest, in the 12th century, and had lived at St Donat's Castle ever since. Thomas was the last of the line and, with his death, ownership passed to the Tyrwhitt family of Wiltshire. They didn't live there themselves, but leased the castle to a succession of wealthy tenants. None of these lasted long.
Local folklore tells that Gwrach y Rhibyn first appeared to herald the death of Thomas Stradling. She never went away. Eye-witnesses saw her frequently, flying over the castle, lamenting the last of the Stradlings. Even more terrifying, she was spotted inside it, staggering through the corridors, wailing.
In the early19th century, a young man was staying at St Donat's Castle. He was awoken in the night by 'the pitiful sound of a woman in the greatest possible agony'. He rushed to the window to investigate and came face to face with Gwrach y Rhibyn. She was hovering in the air outside, with her wings hitting the glass. The story, collected by Marie Trevelyan, doesn't record how soon he left after that.
They didn't have much luck at St Donat's, as they were also haunted by Mallt-y-Nos!
Gwrach y Rhibyn: Caergwrle, Flintshire
The road between Wrexham and Caergwrle could be very lonely and desolate, especially in 1868, before traffic and streetlights illuminated it. Meurig ap Tomos had been in the pub, so he wasn't very steady on his feet. However, what happened next would sober him up completely.
At first, he thought it was a dog that was howling in the distance. As went on, the sound grew closer and he realised that it was a woman's voice. There was now another noise too - the steady clap of large wings high above. It was dark. He couldn't see what was there. Suddenly a piercing shriek filled the air. He stopped, startled, and a shadowy figure dropped from the sky directly into his path.
He was literally petrified, unable to scream nor pray. The moon had come out now and he could see the creature before him. Meurig was Welsh. He knew who she was and why the Gwrach y Rhibyn was there. She reached out for him and wailed, "Come, lovely man!" He collapsed in terror.
Meurig was still lying there, exposed to the elements, at the dawn the next day. Farm workers saw him and raised the alarm. He was carried to a nearby Rectory, where he babbled out his story. But his health had declined from his night on the lane and the stress of his meeting. He died three months later.
Gwrach y Rhibyn: Pennard Castle, Oxwich Bay, Gower
Pennard Castle had been in ruins since about 1400. It had been built by the Normans, in the 12th century, on the reputed site of an earlier Danish stronghold. It had never been much good. The architecture was amateurish, as regards its use in defence, and the sand blew constantly to erode its walls. Nevertheless, for a weary traveller, it sufficed as an overnight shelter.
Local legend states that, sometime prior to the 17th century, a Carmarthen man wandered through Pennard village looking for lodgings. He spotted the ruins of the castle to the west and declared that he would camp out there. The villagers warned him not to, as Gwrach y Rhibyn haunted the place. No doubt he assumed that they wanted his business instead. After all, sleeping rough was not paying for a bed in the inn. He climbed up to Pennard Castle.
During the night, as he slept, the creature rose from the stream. The first he knew about her arrival was when she swooped down and viciously attacked him. Her claws raked into his face and her sharp teeth bit him. Her head came down, time and time again, like an eagle pecking him. His whole body was left black and blue with bruises. The beating when on, without a sound, until he slumped into unconsciousness.
The villagers did rescue him. He was taken back into Pennard and treated for his wounds. He described Gwrach y Rhibyn to them and they just nodded grimly. They already knew.
Gwrach y Rhibyn: The Welsh Banshee
In Ireland, the banshee merely stands outside and wails her warning of death from afar. In Wales, Gwrach y Rhibyn is terrifying and more pro-active. She howls out her prediction of doom, but sometimes she causes the very death that she is heralding. Beware of the Welsh banshee, Gwrach y Rhibyn!
Sources:
- JA Brookes, Ghosts and Legends of Wales, p 11 and 25. (Jarrold Publishing, 1991)
- J Pugh, Welsh Ghostly Encounters, p 24-25. (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 1990)
- M Trevelyan, Folk-lore and Folk-stories of Wales, p 65. (Kessinger Publishing, 1973)
Jo Harrington - Jo has a BA (Hons) in History and Philosophy and a MA in History. She has a book published on the history of Wicca.
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