_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. The legend is not given in the Red Book, but from
oral tradition by Mr. W. Rees, p. xxi. 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. 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. 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). Thus "Meddygon
Myddvai" would be _Anglicè_ "Methugon Muthvai."
_Parallels._--Other versions of the legend of the Van Pool are given in
_Cambro-Briton_, ii. 315; W. Sikes, _British Goblins_, p. 40. 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. (See also the references given
in _Revue Celtique_, iv., 187 and 268). 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. In each case Mr.
Hartland gives what he considers to be the most primitive form of the
incident. 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. 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._ 1743. 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"). 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.
On the other hand, the Swan-Maiden type of story is widespread through
the Old World. Mr. Morris' "Land East of the Moon and West of the Sun,"
in _The Earthly Paradise_, is taken from the Norse version. Parallels
are accumulated by the Grimms, ii. 432; Köhler on Gonzenbach, ii. 20;
or Blade, 149; Stokes' _Indian Fairy Tales_, 243, 276; and Messrs.
Jones and Koopf, _Magyar Folk-Tales_, 362-5. It remains to be proved
that one of these versions did not travel to Wales, and become there
localised. We shall see other instances of such localisation or
specialisation of general legends.