Legend and Lore of the Radnor Forest
The Borders area of Radnorshire where the Radnor Forest is located “is breathtaking, and the drive from Presteigne to Aberystwyth was voted one of the ten most beautiful drives in the world by the AA.” This drive along the A44 ‘Gateway to Wales’ from Hereford winds it’s way along the edge of the Radnor Forest, “once a royal hunting ground which wasn’t a forest in the modern sense of being a heavily wooded area, but in the medieval sense of “forest” being an unenclosed area used for hunting deer.” (NRW)
Legend has it that the domed hills which form the ancient landscape of the Radnor Forest, is where the last Dragon of Wales sleeps. It is said that The Dragon will continue to sleep only so long as he is contained by a ring of four churches dedicated to St. Michael (Llanfihangel), the dragon-slayer. In actuality there are five Llanfihangel churches surrounding the Radnor Fforest. All of these Christian churches appear to have been built upon pre-existing mounds and possess what remain of circular yards with ancient Yew trees.
One of these churches, Llanfihangel Cascob, is home to the rather curious Cascob Charm, also known as the ABRACADABRA charm, composed of a mixture of Christian prayer and occult formula. It is said to have been used as a protection against witchcraft to keep one Elizabeth Loyd [sic] safe. The Charm, now framed and hung on the wall inside Llanfihangel Cascob was apparently discovered in the churchyard some 200 years after it’s purposeful creation.
Speaking of magic, the Welsh grandfather of Elizabeth I’s advisor, Dr. John Dee, “mathmatician and magician, astronomer and astrologer, antiquarian, geographer and philosopher”, purchased the estate of Nantygroes which Dr. Dee continued to maintain and visit. Nantygroes is relatively close to Llanfihangel Cascob, as the crow flies. It’s interesting to note that ”Dee claimed descent from Llewelyn Crugeryr, a thirteenth-century chieftain whose Castell Crugeryr mound can still be seen by the A44 just west of the Fforest Inn.” (1)
Whilst rounding The Bends past Castell Crugeryr Mound and Bailey Castle (Cryg Eryr, ”the eagle's mount”) along the A44, there before your eyes the magnificent ridge of iconic Llandegley Rocks appears before you. At first glance, it reminds one of the ridged spine of a massive dragon. Llandegley Rocks is what remains of an ancient volcanic island which has long been inhabited from at least prehistoric times as the Scheduled Ancient Monuments surrounding it attest.
The old Welsh name for the Radnor Forest was Fforest Clud (high). ”Open areas within the forest offer stunning views to Cader Idris and Snowdonia in the north-west, the Long Mynd to the north-east, across to the Malvern hills to the east and the Brecon Beacons to the south. It has been said that if you travel due east from the Black Mixen hill at the top of the forest the next highest point you come to is the Russian Urals!” (NRW)
According to lore, Owain Glyndŵr, ‘arguably the greatest Welshman of all time – the Welsh Braveheart whose name has become a symbol of pride and freedom’ and Rhys Gethin spent the night before the Battle of Brynglas [which took place close to Dee’s Nantygroes], encamped above Water-Break-Its-Neck waterfall or lodged at Monaughty.
“Something of the supernatural persisted in his reputation: he was never captured; never betrayed, despite the huge reward offered; never surrendered, even when amnesty was eventually granted. The place of his death and burial continues to be the subject of speculation. In his poem, ‘On Radnor Forest’, A.G. Prys-Jones wrote in 1934:
And here men say he vanished in the dawn Leaving no sign save a half-opened door, His baldric and his naked sword forlorn In some lone shepherd’s hut below the moor. And so he passed, but Radnor Forest still Hides in her wind swept acres, secret lore Of him whose heart bear one with moor and ghyll, The hero-heart of Wales that beats no more. (2)
(1.) The Folklore of Radnorshire © Roy Palmer 2001, pg. 105; Logaston Press 2007
(2.) The Folklore of Radnorshire © Roy Palmer 2001, pg. 206; Logaston Press 2007