The Faerie Feast

I thought you might be interested to hear another story of the Verry Volk, this time a story of an enchanted faerie feast.

This story was told by the Rev. John David Davis, to the American Folklorist W.Y. Evans Wentz just over 100 years ago. Evans Wentz considered him to be one of the “oldest and best” authorities on the Gower Faeries and recorded the tale in his “Fairy Faith in the Celtic Countries” from where the following is taken.

"I heard the following story many years ago: The tenant on the Eynonsford Farm here in Gower had a dream one night, and in it thought he heard soft sweet music and the patter of dancing feet. Waking up, he beheld his cow-shed, which opened off his bedroom, filled with a multitude of little beings, about one foot high, swarming all over his fat ox, and they were preparing to slaughter the ox. He was so surprised that he could not move. In a short time the Verry Volk had killed, dressed, and eaten the animal. The feast being over, they collected the hide and bones, except one very small leg-bone which they could not find, placed them in position, then stretched the hide over them; and, as the farmer looked, the ox appeared as sound and fat as ever, but when he let it out to pasture in the morning he observed that it had a slight lameness in the leg lacking the missing bone."

It appears that the farm still maintains a herd of cattle. They're the native Welsh Black Cattle who are the subject of several Welsh faerie tales. Seeing them standing there it was as if no time had passed since the faerie feast. And of course, that is often the way when we step into the world of the Fae. Curiously, I also noticed the arms of the Isle of Man, a triskele of three legs, on display. Coincidence? Well, it's a strange thing to see above a farm door in Wales for sure!

So where is this enchanted farmhouse? Just off the main South Gower Road, close to the sign for Fairy Hill, of course!