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In honour of St. David o' Wales . . .
And in honour of this fine holiday, I did a little searching via Google about ghosts and Wales, another of my ancestral homelands. Apparently there are those who would put forth that Wales is the most haunted country in the world. Not certain if that's by land area or per capita or what, but whenever I finally get there, I'll find out for certain (had the chance to attend Cardiff University, but chickened out - one of my great regrets).
But there is plenty about the ghosts and goblins of Wales - even the ways to prevent them entering your home or yourself. Very handy. Folk wisdom says white paint on the house/doors will keep out the witches and the Devil himself. Of course, it does leave me wondering why witches are often depicted in traditional Welsh clothing (pointy hats and all).
Two of the many, many groups who do research of all things paranormal (UFOs, ghosts, etc.) are:
The North Wales Paranormal Research crew - www.nwpr.org.uk
The South Wales Paranormal Research crew - www.swpr.co.uk
And a taste of the ghosts in Wales? With thanks to Richard Holland (Haunted Wales) here is a centuries old 'ghost' story . . .
It tells of an incident which took place in a remote valley in Gwynedd in the early 18th century, when a young girl on her way to be married foolishly hides in a hollow tree for a prank - and gets trapped. Despite frantic searches, she is not found alive again. She starves to death and her husband-to-be goes mad with grief and the mystery of it all.
Years later, he does come face-to-face with his bride again - when a lightning bolt rends the tree and her skeleton tumbles out. He drops dead from the shock.
A traditional story for a traditional day . . . and Happy St. David's Day!