Welsh Folklore – The Murderous Brenin Llwyd, and His Court of Mists and Shadow.

Brenin Llwyd brings mists and bad weather…

A mysterious being is recorded throughout the mountainous regions of Wales: his name, the Brenin Llwyd (translated as “The Grey King”), is sometimes also rendered as “The Monarch of the Mist” - a terrifying entity said to prey on the unwary.

 As the names suggest, the Brenin Llwyd is described as a grey figure with an imposing, regal presence, surrounded by mists and shadow. He is believed to make his home at the peaks of Wales’ great mountain ranges, and is frequently associated with Snowdonia and Cader Idris in the northern Welsh highlands.

 Welsh writer and folklorist Marie Trevelyan gave a compelling account of this mysterious, mountain-dwelling king in 1909:

 "Stories about the Brenin Llwyd, the Grey King or Monarch of the Mist, were told in the most mountainous districts. In the North, he was described as being very mighty and powerful. He was represented as sitting among the mountains, robed in grey clouds and mist, and woe to anybody who was caught in his clutches! Snowdon and the ranges of it, Cadair Idris, Plinlimmon, and other lofty places, were his favourite haunts. In the South, he was regarded as 'hungering' for victims, and children were warned not to venture too high up the mountains, lest the Brenin Llwyd should seize them."

 From Marie Trevelyan, we see that the Grey King takes on a more threatening role the further south one ventures. In all regions, he was considered to influence bad weather and was therefore a danger to those who travelled or worked in the high places. However, further south, his desire to slay mortals was more pronounced, and he would actively seek out victims. Trevelyan provides the following account:

 "An old woman said that many a time she shuddered when they ascended to the mineral wells on the Smaelog, and was glad to come down, because the people and children warned everybody not to linger late, for the Brenin Llwyd would be after them. She was further told that there was no trusting him, for sometimes on the brightest summer evening he would come suddenly and draw them into his clutches."

So the Grey King could be seen as a bogeyman, sensibly warning children to be wary in the Welsh highlands. Other 19th-century folklorists, including Elias Owen, give vague accounts of the Grey King as a local superstition whispered about by shepherds and quarrymen.

Marie also recorded an account from Carmarthenshire that contained elements not found elsewhere. In this, she says the King dwelt in a ‘Court of Mists’ and was associated with “Hounds of the Sky” – great mystical hunting dogs, which may hint at a connection with the Celtic Underworld and its ruler, Annwn, and his Cwm Annwn (spectral hounds).

As with nearly all the other folk tales and myths I have explored, I am forced to wonder how many tales of the Brenin Llwyd have been lost to history, forgotten before the great folklorists of the 19th century could set them down on paper.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog, my friend. I do hope you didn’t find it too chilling. My new book, Threads of Shadow, is now available. If you enjoy ghosts, monstrous entities, and strange magic inspired by folktales – and would like to support the author and his work – please consider picking up a copy. Links below. Stay Spooky.