Reading Notes: Welsh Fairy Book (Part B)

The story "The Bride from the Red Lake" followed a structure that I've seen in almost every culture's myths that we've explored. Someone is warned not to do a thing, and then they go and do it; usually out of carelessness. This time around there was a bit of humor to it, whether intentional or not. "Don't pelt your wife with clay" seems like an easy enough rule to stick to.

Something that I noticed in both Part A and Part B of this week's reading is that most of these stories focus on illusion in some way. Much of the plot is driven by things appearing as they're not, and it seems that illusion is the most common type of magic. supernatural beings appear as people, shells are made to look like money, and whole buildings are obscured from view.

Devil's Bridge, which makes an appearance in one myth. (Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography. The Welsh Fairy Book by Jenkyn Thomas. Web Link.