OLD GWILYM
by Unknown · from Welsh Fairy-Tales and Other Stories
Adapted Version
Once upon a time, in a small house near green hills, lived an old man named Gwilym. Gwilym walked to town. He wanted to buy cheese. He walked on green hills. He saw a shiny thing. It was a golden coin. The coin was very special. Gwilym picked it up. He put it in his pocket. He felt very happy.
Gwilym came to the town. He saw a happy house. People sang inside the house. Gwilym went inside too. He bought drinks for his friends. He spent his special golden coin. He sang many songs with friends. He forgot about the cheese. He stayed there until dark. Gwilym felt very happy.
It was dark now. Gwilym left the town. He walked on the green hills. The hills looked very strange. He heard sweet music. Small, sparkly fairies danced. They danced all around Gwilym. He saw bright, glowing houses. The houses glowed on the hill. Gwilym felt very surprised.
A little fairy came to Gwilym. She asked him to come inside. The house was all gold. It was very bright inside. The little fairies sang. They danced and made music. Gwilym ate nice food. He felt very sleepy. They put him to a bed. Gwilym slept very deeply.
Gwilym woke up. He felt very cold. His clothes were messy. Prickles were on his skin. He was in a big green bush. The golden house was gone. The little fairies were gone. He looked all around. He was all alone now. This was not a soft bed. Gwilym felt very sad. He felt very confused.
Gwilym went home very fast. He saw Gwilym's wife. He looked very sad. He told her his story. He told about the golden coin. He told about the golden house. He told about the green bush. Gwilym's wife listened. She listened very carefully. She looked at Gwilym.
Gwilym's wife spoke to him. "You spent the coin wrongly," she said. "You forgot to buy the cheese. The little fairies gave you a gift. You did not use it well. They played a trick on you. Be careful with special gifts. Always think first, Gwilym." Gwilym understood his mistake. He would be careful now.
Original Story
OLD GWILYM.
Old Gwilym Evans started off one fine morning to walk across the Eagle Hills to a distant town, bent upon buying some cheese. On his way, in a lonely part of the hills, he found a golden guinea, which he quickly put into his pocket.
When he got to the town, instead of buying his provisions, he went into an alehouse, and sat drinking and singing with some sweet-voiced quarrymen until dark, when he thought it was time to go home. Whilst he was drinking, an old woman with a basket came in, and sat beside him, but she left before him. After the parting glass he got up and reeled through the town, quite forgetting to buy his cheese; and as he got amongst the hills they seemed to dance up and down before him, and he seemed to be walking on air. When he got near the lonely spot where he had found the money he heard some sweet music, and a number of fairies crossed his path and began dancing all round him, and then as he looked up he saw some brightly-lighted houses before him on the hill; and he scratched his head, for he never remembered having seen houses thereabouts before. And as he was thinking, and watching the fairies, one came and begged him to come into the house and sit down.
So he followed her in, and found the house was all gold inside it, and brightly lighted, and the fairies were dancing and singing, and they brought him anything he wanted for supper, and then they put him to bed.
Gwilym slept heavily, and when he awoke turned round, for he felt very cold, and his body seemed covered with prickles; so he sat up and rubbed his eyes, and found that he was quite naked and lying in a bunch of gorse.
When he found himself in this plight he hurried home, and told his wife, and she was very angry with him for spending all the money and bringing no cheese home, and then he told her his adventures.
“Oh, you bad man!” she said, “the fairies gave you money and you spent it wrongly, so they were sure to take their revenge.”
Story DNA
Moral
Misusing unexpected good fortune can lead to misfortune and regret.
Plot Summary
Old Gwilym finds a golden guinea on his way to buy cheese but spends it all on drink at an alehouse, forgetting his original task. On his way home, he encounters dancing fairies who invite him into a magical, golden house where he is entertained and put to bed. He wakes up naked in a gorse bush, realizing the magical night was an illusion. He returns home to his angry wife, who explains that the fairies took revenge for his misuse of their gift.
Themes
Emotional Arc
excitement to confusion to regret
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
The guinea was a British gold coin, used until 1813, suggesting a pre-industrial or early industrial setting. The mention of 'quarrymen' further grounds it in a specific historical context where such labor was common.
Plot Beats (7)
- Old Gwilym sets out to buy cheese, finding a golden guinea on his journey.
- He goes to an alehouse in town, spending the guinea on drink and forgetting his cheese.
- After drinking, he leaves the town and encounters dancing fairies and brightly-lit houses in the hills.
- A fairy invites him into a golden house where he is entertained and put to bed.
- Gwilym wakes up naked in a gorse bush, cold and covered in prickles.
- He rushes home and tells his wife what happened.
- His wife scolds him for misusing the money and attributes his experience to the fairies' revenge.
Characters
Old Gwilym Evans
A man of advanced years, likely of average height and a sturdy build, accustomed to walking the Welsh hills. His body, when naked, is described as 'covered with prickles,' suggesting a rough, perhaps hairy, or unkempt appearance after his ordeal.
Attire: Typical Welsh peasant attire for an elderly man in the 19th century: sturdy wool trousers, a thick homespun linen or wool shirt, a waistcoat, and a heavy wool jacket or coat for walking the hills. Practical, durable, and likely in muted, earthy tones like browns, greys, and dark blues. He would wear sturdy leather boots.
Wants: Initially, to buy cheese for his household. Later, driven by the immediate pleasure of the golden guinea and the allure of the alehouse and fairy revelry.
Flaw: Greed and a lack of self-control, particularly when presented with unexpected fortune and temptation (alcohol, revelry).
Starts as a responsible man on an errand, falls prey to temptation and fairy mischief, and returns home bewildered and chastened, having learned a harsh lesson about misusing gifts.
Simple, easily tempted, somewhat naive, prone to indulgence, and a bit forgetful.
Gwilym's Wife
Likely a woman of similar age to Gwilym, with a practical and no-nonsense demeanor. Her appearance would reflect a life of hard work in the Welsh hills.
Attire: Practical, sturdy Welsh peasant clothing: a long, dark wool skirt, a plain linen blouse, a wool shawl draped over her shoulders, and a simple apron. Her clothes would be clean but well-worn, in muted, earthy tones.
Wants: To maintain order and provide for her household, and to ensure her husband acts responsibly.
Flaw: Her temper and perhaps a tendency to nag.
Remains consistent as the voice of reason and consequence, reinforcing the moral of the story.
Practical, stern, easily angered by foolishness, wise (in understanding fairy lore), and responsible.
The Fairies
Small, ethereal beings, described as crossing Gwilym's path and dancing around him. They are associated with sweet music and brightly-lighted houses, suggesting a luminous quality.
Attire: Implied to be light and flowing, perhaps made of natural elements like leaves or petals, or simply shimmering light. Their clothing would be fantastical and not bound by human fashion.
Wants: To lure humans into their realm, to dance and revel, and to punish those who disrespect their gifts.
Flaw: Not explicitly stated, but their power seems tied to their realm and specific conditions (like the misuse of their gold).
They serve as a force of nature and consequence, remaining consistent in their magical and mischievous roles.
Mischievous, alluring, vengeful when their gifts are misused, playful, enchanting.
Locations
Lonely Part of the Eagle Hills
A remote, elevated landscape characterized by rolling hills, likely with sparse vegetation and exposed rock, typical of Welsh uplands. The ground is uneven, suggesting a natural, untamed environment.
Mood: Initially ordinary, then becomes subtly magical and disorienting as night falls.
Gwilym finds a golden guinea and later encounters fairies dancing.
Alehouse in the Distant Town
A rustic, cozy Welsh alehouse, likely built of stone or whitewashed plaster with a slate roof. Inside, it features rough-hewn timber beams, a large stone hearth, and simple wooden tables and benches, illuminated by the warm glow of a fire and perhaps oil lamps.
Mood: Warm, boisterous, convivial, then hazy and forgetful.
Gwilym spends his golden guinea on drink and song, forgetting his original purpose.
Fairy House on the Hill
A fantastical dwelling, appearing as brightly lit houses on a hill, but inside it is entirely made of gold, glowing with an ethereal light. The interior is spacious, filled with dancing and singing fairies, and furnished with magical elements that cater to Gwilym's desires.
Mood: Magical, enchanting, dreamlike, disorienting.
Gwilym is lured into the fairy realm, entertained, and put to sleep.
Gorse Bush on the Eagle Hills
A dense, prickly gorse bush, likely part of a larger patch of gorse common in Welsh hillsides. The ground around it is rough and natural, possibly damp with morning dew.
Mood: Harsh, uncomfortable, bewildering, a rude awakening.
Gwilym wakes up naked and disoriented, realizing his encounter was a fairy trick.