Wednesday, 3 October 2018

Beddgelert, North Wales



This is Gelert's Grave in the village of Beddgelert in Snowdonia, North Wales - the name is Welsh for "grave of Gelert".
Gelert was a hound that belonged to Llewelyn, Prince of Wales in the 13th century. The story goes that Llewelyn was away from home when a wolf came to his house and attacked his baby son, but Gelert fought the wolf and saw it off, despite being injured.
When Llewelyn came home he could not see the child, but he did see Gelert, covered in blood. He drew the conclusion that Gelert had killed his son and immediately killed the dog. However, as soon as he had done so he heard the baby crying and discovered where Gelert had hidden him in safety from the wolf.
Llewelyn never forgave himself for his rash action, and he made sure that Gelert had a fitting memorial.
(The photo is not mine, but is taken from a copyright-free source)
© John Welford

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