lnf.cymru stimulus sheet · Expressive Arts · Year 2
This is a legend, not true history. It is a very old story that people in Wales have told for more than 1000 years. Dinas Emrys is a real hill near Beddgelert in Eryri (Snowdonia); the dragons and the magic come from the story. This retelling and the pictures were made for this lesson.
Show each big picture as you read its part. It takes about 6 minutes. Read the CRASH! and ROAR! words loudly. How to say the Welsh names: Gwrtheyrn (GOOR-thairn), Emrys (EM-riss), Dinas Emrys (DEE-nass EM-riss), Eryri (eh-RUH-ree), Beddgelert (beth-GEL-ert), Myrddin (MUR-thin), Y Ddraig Goch (uh THRYG goch, the “ch” as in “loch”; it means “the red dragon”).
A legend is a very old story that people have told again and again for a very long time. People in Wales have told this one for more than 1000 years. It is not true history, but the hill in the story is a real place you can visit.
Long, long ago, there was a king called Gwrtheyrn. In English, people call him Vortigern. The king wanted to build a big, strong tower on a rocky hill in Eryri, near Beddgelert.
His workers carried heavy stones up the hill. All day long they built the walls, higher and higher. But in the night, CRASH! The walls fell down.
The next day, the workers built the walls again. In the night, CRASH! The walls fell down again. This happened again and again.
The king was cross. He stamped his feet. He was worried too. “Why do my walls keep falling down?” he shouted.
Nobody knew the answer. Then a boy came to the hill. His name was Emrys. He was young, but he was very clever.
“I know why your walls fall down,” said Emrys. “Deep under this hill there is a pool of water. In the pool, two dragons are asleep. When they wriggle and roll in their sleep, the hill shakes, and your walls fall down.”
The king was not sure. Dragons? Under his hill? “Dig, and you will see,” said Emrys.
So the workers picked up their spades. They dug, and dug, and dug, deep into the hill. At last they found a dark pool of water, just as Emrys had said.
Everyone stood very still. Nobody made a sound. Then the water began to bubble. Blub, blub, blub.
Out of the pool came two dragons! One dragon was white. One dragon was red. They woke up with a ROAR and began to fight.
They breathed fire and smoke. They flapped their wings and swished their tails. At first the white dragon was winning. But the red dragon did not give up. It fought back bravely, and at last the red dragon won! The white dragon flew far away.
The king gave the hill to Emrys. That is why the hill is called Dinas Emrys, which means Emrys’s fort. When Emrys grew up, people called him Myrddin. You may know him by another name: Merlin the wizard.
And the red dragon? People in Wales say that is why there is a red dragon, Y Ddraig Goch, on the flag of Wales today.
Remember: this is a legend. You can still walk up Dinas Emrys, near Beddgelert in Eryri. The dragons are only in the story.