The Maidens of the Lake: A Welsh Legend of Love, Loss, and Healing Magic
The Maidens of the Lake are Welsh fairies who reign over the waters of the lakes. They can bind their hearts to mortals and even marry them. Possessing healing powers, they live beneath the still waters, and some claim to have seen one of their submerged cities under the surface of a Welsh lake, complete with towers and battlements.
One legend tells of a shepherd tending his flock near a lake in the Black Mountains. One day, he saw a maiden of radiant beauty rowing gently across the lake in a golden boat. The young man fell deeply in love with her and, to show his affection, offered her some bread he had brought from home. She refused, telling him the bread was too hard, and retreated into the depths.
The young man recounted the event to his mother, who prepared soft bread made from uncooked dough for him to offer her. The maiden appeared again the next day, and the shepherd repeated his gesture, but she refused once more, this time saying the bread was too soft.
On the third day, his mother baked freshly cooked bread. The maiden accepted it. At that moment, three figures emerged from the surface of the lake: the maiden’s father and her two identical sisters. The father told the shepherd that if he could recognize the maiden he loved among the three, he would grant her to him as his bride.
The young man was distraught and, just as he was about to give up, the maiden subtly moved her foot. Recognizing her shoe, he identified her and won her hand in marriage. The fairy was given a generous dowry, and the two lived happily together.
However, the young man was warned that he would lose his beautiful wife if he struck her three times without reason. The maiden had peculiar habits, such as weeping at weddings or singing at funerals. When her husband reproached her more than three times, she was forced to leave him.
Though the fairy departed, she never forgot her children and taught them her healing secrets. They grew up to become renowned physicians.
