About half an hour away from Pontllyfni, Caernarfon (where we are) lies the town of Beddgelert, deep in the Snowdonia National Park. This location is the setting for a few famous Welsh stories, the name of the town translates to ‘Gelert’s Grave’ after the story of the dog Gelert.
However, the more well known story is that of the two dragons which are connected to Beddgelert through Dinas Emrys. Dinas Emrys is a rocky mountain which is said to be the home of the dragon you see on our Welsh flag.
King Vortigern’s Fortress
The story begins back in the fifth century. The Celtic King Vortigern chose a mountain that he wanted to build his new fortress on, but this wasn’t a smooth plan.
Each night, the king’s masons would put down their tools after a day of working, only to return the next morning to find they had disappeared, and the walls they built had fallen. This went on until the king seeked the help of sorcerers. They said that the ground needed to be scattered with the blood of a child whose mother was human, and father was from the ‘other world.
Something Stirring From Within the Mountain
A search began, and in the end a child was found. This child was Myrddin Emrys, who was Merlin the wizard. Merlin explained to King Vortigern that the reason the castle was falling is because there were two dragons sleeping next to a lake within the mountain they were building on. The dragons were destroying the foundations of the fortress from inside.
King Vortigern believed the child and ordered his labourers to dig far into the mountain. After a while they found the lake Merlin had described, which began to drain. The red and white dragons woke from their slumber and began to fight.
In time, the white dragon gave up and fled. The red dragon retreated back to his lair in the mountain.
Vortigern’s fortress was then built on the now peaceful land, and was suitably named Dinas Emrys in honour of the child Myrddin Emrys, and the red dragon has been an icon in Wales ever since.
The Truth Behind the Tale
If you’re not convinced by this story then listen to this… In 1945 the site of the mountain was excavated by a team of archaeologists who found a lake and ruins of a castle dating back to King Vortigern’s ruling. When inspecting the ruins, they also found evidence that they had been rebuilt several times, which lines up with the story.
If you visit the site of Dinas Emrys in Beddgelert make sure you tread carefully, there might be a dragon beneath you!