--- title: VII. Shepherd of Myddvai. — Celtic Fairy Tales · full text with trees description: VII. Shepherd of Myddvai., «Celtic Fairy Tales» by Joseph Jacobs: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: _Source_.--Preface to the edition of "The Physicians of Myddvai"; their prescription-book, from the Red Book of Hergest, published by the Welsh MS. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Celtic Fairy Tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/) / VII. Shepherd of Myddvai. # VII. Shepherd of Myddvai. VII. Shepherd of Myddvai. of «Celtic Fairy Tales» by Joseph Jacobs: the whole text, 26 sentences and 545 words. Every sentence has its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/1/) — \_Source\_.--Preface to the edition of "The Physicians of Myddvai"; their prescription-book, from the Red Book of Hergest, published by the Welsh MS. Society in 1861. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/2/) — The legend is not given in the Red Book, but from oral tradition by Mr. W. Rees, p. xxi. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/3/) — As this is the first of the Welsh tales in this book it may be as well to give the reader such guidance as I can afford him on the intricacies of Welsh pronunciation, especially with regard to the mysterious \_w\_'s and \_y\_'s of Welsh orthography. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/4/) — For \_w\_ substitute double \_o\_, as in "\_fool\_," and for \_y\_, the short \_u\_ in b\_u\_t, and as near approach to Cymric speech will be reached as is possible for the outlander. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/5/) — It maybe added that double \_d\_ equals \_th\_, and double \_l\_ is something like \_Fl\_, as Shakespeare knew in calling his Welsh soldier Fluellen (Llewelyn). - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/6/) — Thus "Meddygon Myddvai" would be \_Anglice\_ "Methugon Muthvai." - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/7/) — \_Parallels. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/8/) — \_--Other versions of the legend of the Van Pool are given in \_Cambro-Briton\_, ii. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/9/) — 315; W. Sikes, \_British Goblins\_, p. 40. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/10/) — Mr. E. Sidney Hartland has discussed these and others in a set of papers contributed to the first volume of \_The Archaeological Review\_ (now incorporated into \_Folk-Lore\_), the substance of which is now given in his \_Science of Fairy Tales\_, 274-332. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/11/) — (See also the references given in \_Revue Celtique\_, iv., 187 and 268). - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/12/) — Mr. Hartland gives there an ecumenical collection of parallels to the several incidents that go to make up our story--(1) The bride-capture of the Swan-Maiden, (2) the recognition of the bride, (3) the taboo against causeless blows, (4) doomed to be broken, and (5) disappearance of the Swan-Maiden, with (6) her return as Guardian Spirit to her descendants. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/13/) — In each case Mr. Hartland gives what he considers to be the most primitive form of the incident. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/14/) — With reference to our present tale, he comes to the conclusion, if I understand him aright, that the lake-maiden was once regarded as a local divinity. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/15/) — The physicians of Myddvai were historic personages, renowned for their medical skill for some six centuries, till the race died out with John Jones, \_fl. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/16/) — \_ 1743. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/17/) — To explain their skill and uncanny knowledge of herbs, the folk traced them to a supernatural ancestress, who taught them their craft in a place still called Pant-y-Meddygon ("Doctors' Dingle"). - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/18/) — Their medical knowledge did not require any such remarkable origin, as Mr. Hartland has shown in a paper "On Welsh Folk-Medicine," contributed to \_Y Cymmrodor\_, vol. xii. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/19/) — On the other hand, the Swan-Maiden type of story is widespread through the Old World. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/20/) — Mr. Morris' "Land East of the Moon and West of the Sun," in \_The Earthly Paradise\_, is taken from the Norse version. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/21/) — Parallels are accumulated by the Grimms, ii. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/22/) — 432; Koehler on Gonzenbach, ii. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/23/) — 20; or Blade, 149; Stokes' \_Indian Fairy Tales\_, 243, 276; and Messrs. - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/24/) — Jones and Koopf, \_Magyar Folk-Tales\_, 362-5. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/25/) — It remains to be proved that one of these versions did not travel to Wales, and become there localised. - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/41/26/) — We shall see other instances of such localisation or specialisation of general legends. - ← previous: [VI. Hudden and Dudden.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/40/) - next →: [VIII. the Sprightly Tailor.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/42/) - ↑ back to [Celtic Fairy Tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7885/)