Ysbrydion Blaenau Gwent
Bob haf mae miloedd o gerddwyr yn mwynhau’r golygfeydd syfrdanol o lwybr troed Clawdd Offa yn rhedeg ar hyd Mynydd y Gader, trum uchaf a mwyaf dwyreiniol y Mynydd Du a’r ffin rhwng Cymru a Swydd Henffordd. Ni fydd y rhan fwyaf ohonynt yn gwybod y gallant fod â chwmni anweledig.
Ym mlynyddoedd cynnar y ganrif ddiwethaf, cofnododd Ella Mary Leather, arbenigydd ar chwedlau gwerin o Swydd Henffordd, y stori ryfedd hon:
“A few years ago a man was driving a lady from Longtown to Llanveyno, and she, being a stranger, questioned him concerning the “Apparition of our Lady” at Llanthony [a ddigwyddodd yn 1881]. He replied that he did not believe in it at all; there were indeed spirits to be seen on the mountain, but they were different. He had seen, and he knew. Once he went to see friends at Llanthony, and was returning directly over the mountain to Longtown, when a fog came on suddenly and he lost his way. He was standing, quite at a loss, when a man came towards him, wearing a large broad-brimmed hat and a cloak. He did not speak but beckoned, and the man followed him, until he found himself in the right path. Turning round, he thanked his unknown friend, but received no reply; he vanished quickly in the fog. This seemed strange, but he thought no more till, on visiting his friends at Llanthony later, they asked if he reached home in safety that evening, as they had been anxious. When the stranger in the broad-brimmed hat was described they looked at each other in surprise. “What!” they said, “tell us exactly what his face was like.” He described the stranger more minutely. “It was T— H—, for sure,” they cried, “he knew the mountain well, and he has been dead these two years.” [Leather 1912, tt. 36-37]
Mae’r stori hon am ysbryd parod ei gymorth yn wahanol iawn i gred hyn a llawer mwy tywyll yn yr ysbrydion ym mynyddodd Blaenau Gwent. Yn y 18fd ganrif, roedd y rhostir llwm o amgylch Brynithel, ar y mynydd rhwng Abertyleri a Phontypwl, yn gartref llai caredig – ysbryd rhyfedd oedd yn arian teithwyr ar goll ar draws y mynyddoedd. Daw’r adroddiad manylaf o 1767 ac (unwaith eto) o waith y Parch Edmund Jones A Relation of Apparitions of Spirits in the County of Monmouth and the Principality of Wales:
“The Apparition was the resemblance of a poor old woman, with an oblong four-cornered hat, ash-coloured clothes, her apron thrown a-cross her shoulder, with a pot or wooden Can in her hand, such as poor people carry to fetch milk with, always going be fore them, sometimes crying out wow up. Who ever saw this Apparition, whether by night or in a misty day, though well acquainted with the road, they would be sure to lose their way; for the road appeared quite different to what it really was; and so far sometimes the fascination was, that they thought they were going to their journey's end when they were really going the contrary way. Sometimes they heard her cry wow up, when they did not see her. Sometimes, when they went out by night to fetch coal, water, &c. they would hear the cry very near them, and presently would hear it a-far off, as if it was on the opposite Mountain, in the Parish of Aberystruth, and sometimes passing by their ears.” [Jones 1780, t.35]
Yn annhebyg i gynifer o ysbrydion eraill, roedd “Hen Fenyw y Mynydd” yn adnabyddus :
“The people have it by tradition, that it was the Spirit of one Juan White, who lived time out of mind in these parts, and was thought to be a Witch; because the Mountain was not haunted with her apparition until after her death. When people first lost their way, and saw her, they thought it was a real woman which knew the way; they were glad to see her, and endeavoured to overtake her to enquire about the way; but they could never over-take her, neither would she ever look back to see them; so that they never saw her face.” [op. cit., pp. 35-36]
Yn 1880, dywedodd dyn o Sir Fynwy, a anwyd tua 1850:
“Juan White is an old acquaintance of my boyhood . . . a ruined cottage on Lasgarn hill near Pontypool was understood by us boys to have been her house, and there she appeared at 12 p.m., carrying her head under her arm.” [Sikes 1880, t. 50]
Unwaith arweiniodd fardd lleol ar goll yn y niwl ar Fynydd Pen y Ddau Gae a:
“after travelling much, he came to a bush of rushes; this gave him so great a concern, that he afterwards made a song of complaint and reproach against her, in which he mentioned her four-cornered hat, &c.” [Jones 1767, t. 36]
Fel gyda’i ddisgrifiad o’r tylwyth teg, ni ddibynnodd Edmund Jones yn llwyr ar adroddiadau a gafwyd gan eraill. Roedd ganddo hefyd brofiad personol drosto ei hun o “Hen Fenyw y Mynyddoedd”:
“I once met a woman of the next Parish, who, together with her young daughter, had lost her way in the day-time, and was very weary, especially the young lass, whom I put in the way. I lost the way myself two or three times, in the day-time, on this Mountain, though I knew it very well, and that it is no more than a mile and a half long, and about half-a-mile broad.”
“Once I lost my way — as I came from the Mountain I called at a house where I had never been; and finding an uncommon inclination to it, I offered to go to prayer, which they admitted, and I was greatly welcomed. I was then about twenty three years of age, and had begun to preach the everlasting Gospel. They seemed to admire that a person so young should be so warmly disposed; few young men of my age being religious in this Country then. Much good came into this house, and still continues in it. I think the Lord answered my earnest prayer, and if so the old hag got nothing by leading me astray that time. Often it is, that the malignity of evil Spirits is turned for good to them that fear God; and wonderful is the mercy that makes all things to work for good.
“Another time, on going over the Mountain on horseback, on a misty day, and thinking she might be near me, (for she was very busy on that Mountain observing who passed over it) I said in faith, “Do thy worst thou Old Devil, I will not loose my way”; and I did not at that time.” [op. cit.,tt. 36-37]
Ymhellach i’r gogledd, ar hyd yr un trum tuag at Fannau Brycheiniog mae Mynydd Milfraen. Yma cafodd ymddangosiad Juan White effaith mwy trawiadol:
“JOHN AB JOHN, of Coome Celin, in the valley of the Church, was travelling very early in the morning, before day, towards Caerleon Fair, and, on going up hill on Milvre Mountain, he heard a shouting behind him as if it were on Bryn Mawr,— which is a part of the black mountain in Breconshire, and soon after heard the shouting at Bwlch y Llwyn on his left hand, nearer to him; upon which, he became oppressed with fear, and heavy in walking; and began to suspect it was no human but a diabolical voice, designed to frighten him; having wondered before what people could be shouting on the mountain so early in the morning. Being come up to the higher part of the mountain, be heard the shouting at Gilvach fields on the right — before him, which confirmed his fear: but, being past the Gilvach fields, in the way to the cold springs, he heard [t. 20] something coming behind him like the noise of a coach; and what increased his fear the more, was the voice of a woman with the coach which he heard crying WOW UP. Now, as he knew that no coach could go that way, and hearing the noise of a coach approaching nearer and nearer, he was certain it must be an evil Spirit following him; he was very much terrified; and fearing he should see some horrid appearance, he walked a short distance from the path and lay down with his face towards the heath, fearing to look about until it had passed him: when it was gone out of hearing — he arose; and hearing the birds singing as the day began to break, also seeing some sheep before him, his fear went quite off.” [op. cit., t. 19]
Nid oedd ysbryd Juan White wedi ei gyfyngu i ogledd orllewin Sir Fynwy. Roedd yn aml i’w gweld hefyd yn y Mynyddoedd Du – arbennig ar Fynydd y Gader:
“Robert Williams, of Langattock Crickhowel, a substantial man and of undoubted veracity; as he was travelling one night over part of the Black Mountain, saw her; and having lost his way, called her to stay for him; but receiving no answer, thought she was deaf: he then hastened his pace, thinking to over-take her, but could not; for the swifter he ran the farther he was behind; — at which he wondered very much, neither did he know the reason of it, not thinking it was a Spirit which he saw and heard. In trying to over-take her his foot happened to slip in a marshy place, at which his vexation increased; he then heard her laugh at it, like an old woman: he was now much wearied and his mind greatly troubled, having some thoughts of an Apparition; and happening to draw out his knife for some purpose, she vanished: he then perceived he was in a most dangerous place; but he soon found his way home, and was very glad to find himself delivered from the unmerciful delusion.” [op. cit., t. 36]
Ymddengys fod gan ysbrydion a thylwyth teg Cymru arswyd neilltuol o gyllyll ac offer dur ac ymddengys fod cael gwared ag ysbrydion drwg gyda chyllell yn gyffredin [Sikes 1880, tt. 51-52]. Erbyn y 1760aau, roedd ymweliadau Juan White wedi dod yn llai mynych:
“Of late years there is but little talk about her, the light of the Gospel has driven her to closer quarters — in the coal-pits and holes of the earth, until the day when she shall be gathered in the body to receive the everlasting curse, Math. xxv. 41. “ Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” [op. cit., t. 37]
Erbyn 1912, ymddengys fod y gred yn yr “Hen Fenyw” bron wedi diflannu ar ochr Swydd Henffordd o’r Mynydd Du. Wrth gasglu deunydd ar gyfer ei Folk-Lore of Herefordshire, ni fedrai Ella Mary Leather ganfod unrhyw ôl o’r ysbryd ar wahân y dywedwyd fod bowlen o ddwr a ddodi wrth droed y fedwen haf yn Crasswell (yn y bryniau i ddeli’r Gelli Gandryll) ar gyfer cadw “Hen Fenyw y Mynydd” draw, gan fod ganddi ofn dwr [Leather 1912, t.49].
Fodd bynnag, parhaodd cred gref yng nghannwyll y gors yn yr ardal ac, mewn fform rhwng y Gelli a Crasswell, dywedodd y fenyw wrth Mrs Leather fod llawer o gorsydd ar y Mynydd Du ei hunan lle dywedai’r hen bobl y cai pobl eu harwain ar goll ganddynt [ibid.]. Yn is i lawr y dyffryn, dywedwyd wrth iddi fod hen bobl Longtown yn arfer dweud sut yr oedd y Diafol, ar wedd bran ddu fawr, yn arwain teithwyr yn dod dros y Mynydd Du ar goll, gan ddiffodd eu galon a’u hachosi i fynd ar goll [op. cit., t. 40].
Mae’n amlwg fod brain y Mynyddoedd Du yr disoidli’r Hen Fenyw gyda llawer o alluoedd grymus uwchnaturiol. Ym Mai 1903 cyfwelodd Mrs Leather â Mr W Parry yn Walterstone. Roedd yn 80 mlwydd oed ac yn hanu o Longtown. Bu’n fugail ar y Mynydd Du ar hyd ei fywyd a dywedodd wrthi ei stori am y brain a’u pwerau rhyfeddol:
“Years ago, on the Black Mountain above Longtown, there lived a hired shepherd, who managed a little farm for his master. There were on either side of this farm two brothers, farming for their father. I can remember, in my time, there was terrible jealousy and animosity between the shepherds on the mountain, where the sheep all run together. I could always tell my sheep; if I whistled they would all come running to me, every one, while the strangers took no notice. A good shepherd knows his sheep and they know him. Well, it was worse nor ever for this man, because the brothers were together, and they hated him. He stuck to his master, and they to their father. At last, one day, they got him alone on the mountain, and caught him, and said they would murder him. They told him there was no one about, and it would never be known. “If you kill me,” he said, “the very crows will cry out and speak it.” Yet they murdered and buried him. The body was found, after some time, but there was no evidence to show who the murderers were. Well, not long after, the crows took to come whirling round the heads of those two brothers, “crawk, crawk, crawk,” there they were, all day long — when they were together, when they were apart. At last they could scarcely bear it, and one said to the other, “Brother, do you remember when we killed the poor shepherd on the mountain top there, he said that the very crows would cry out against us?” These words were overheard by a man in the next field, and the matter was looked into, so that in the end the brothers were both hanged for the murder.” [op. cit., p. 168].
Felly, gerddwyr cadwch at y llwybr . . .*
Llyfryddiaeth
Bradney, J. 1906. A History of Monmouthshire: The Hundred of Abergavenny
Vol. I, Pt 2b (9 cyfrol, atg.. Academy Books, 1992).
Jones, Edmund. 1767. A Relation of Apparitions of Spirits in the County of Monmouth and the Principality of Wales (atg.. Trefeca, 1780; 2il atg. Casnewydd, Newport, 1813).
Leather, Ella Mary. 1912. Folk-Lore of Herefordshire (atg.. Wakefield, 1970).
Sikes,Wirt. 1880. British Goblins: the Realm of Faerie (atg. Llannerch 1991).
* Ffilmiwyd golygfeydd agoridaol An American Werewolf in London ym Mhenybegwn yn y Mynydd Du!
