Thursday 28 November 2013

Brenin Llwyd - The Gray King (Welsh/Scottish)



The Brenin Llwyd lives in the Snowdonia mountains in Wales.  A very similar creature, the Big Grey Man, inhabits the summit and passes of Ben Macdhui in the Cairngorm mountains.

Both are described as gigantic, furry creatures with the general shape of humans.  As a shorthand, they are often referred to as the Celtic equivalent of the sasquatch (Bigfoot).  There are reports of the creatures going back to the middle ages.

One of the interesting things about these massive hominids is the effect they have on those who encounter them.  People describe feeling an overwhelming sense of panic, although what they describe is not terribly scary in and of itself.  Hearing footsteps behind or above, sensing that they are being watched.

The word “panic” actually comes from the Greek, referring to a chance encounter with a faun or the god, Pan.  Both are described as creatures with a man’s torso and goat legs.  They shouldn’t be confused with the more sexually charged satyrs, who are half horse.  Those who encountered fauns in the woods tell us of being terrified out of their minds, to the point of fleeing in terror.

Could the fear be a defence mechanism?  A pheromone or some kind of projective empathy?  Witnesses don’t claim the creatures are simple beasts but instead say they are actually intelligent.

Those who are lost while climbing these peaks are said to be taken by the Gray Man or Gray King.  What they would want with humans is unclear.  Are they taking them on behalf of someone else?  Mountains wreathed in mist and cloud are the home of the god, Nudd, who shepherds souls between the land of the living and the dead.

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