Tales of Mikhaila the Bard

My name is Mikhaila and I am a bard. I’m here to tell you some stories from Wales, so that you can help me in my quest to keep these beautiful stories alive. I discovered these stories at the Lost Legends of the Stone Circle.  I hope you enjoy them.

The first story is about a little boy named Elidorws. He lived with monks who beat him, so when he was 12 years old, he ran away. He was very thirsty and hungry because he had not eaten or drunk for two days. Elidorws was walking on a mountain, when he heard two voices calling to him. They were little men who took Elidorws to the Fairy King. The King let Elidorws stay in the kingdom to play with the prince, but he had to promise never to lie or steal from them. Elidorws promised and was welcomed into the kingdom.

From time to time, he would go back into the human world to visit his mother and would tell her about the wonders of the Fairy Kingdom. One day, he told her about ball the prince owned made out of pure gold. The mother then convinced Elidorws to bring her the ball, even though the boy knew it was wrong. When the prince wasn’t looking, Elidorws slipped the ball under his jacket and started his journey home, his guilt making him run. He gave the ball to his mother, just as the two little men who had first taken him to the Fairy Kingdom burst in. They told Elidorws that he could never return to the Fairy Kingdom because of what he had done. Although he searched for many years, Elidorws was never able to find the way back.

This story teaches us that sometimes the mistakes you make can’t be fixed. It also teaches us not to be greedy like the mother, and to not break our promises to other people.                               This reminds me of the story of King Midas. Both parents’ were greedy and the consequences affected their children.

The next story is about the Lady of the Lake. A shepherd named Gwyn lived near a lake and always liked to look at the lake and watch the little waves. One day, when he was tending his sheep, he saw a lady come out of the lake, and offered him bread. She told him to eat it as a sign of their friendship, which he did. When the shepherd went home that night, he told his mother, who didn’t believe him, and was shocked when he went back out to the lake even though it was night and his friends were coming over to his house. When he went to the lake, he saw a piece of bread floating in the water. When he picked it up, the Lady of the Lake appeared. He told her that he loved her, and she told him that she loved him as well. They got married, but she told the shepherd that if he struck her three times, she would return to the Fairy World. He promised, so they were married and had sons and daughters.

Time passed, and one day, the shepherd and his wife were at a christening, and the shepherd was impatient to get back home to take care of his sheep. His wife wanted to stay a bit longer, and the husband, without realizing, tapped her shoulder. He had struck her once.

More time passed, and the couple were at a wedding, and the wife wouldn’t stop crying because she could see the future, and knew that the newly wedded couple wouldn’t stay together. The husband wanted her to stop crying because people were staring, so he tapped her shoulder. He had struck her a second time; he only had one more chance.

Time passed, and the couple were now at a funeral for a friend. The wife was laughing because she knew that their friend was in a better place. The husband wanted her to stop laughing because everyone was staring. Then he tapped her shoulder. He had struck her three times. The wife returned back to the lake, so her husband would go there to grieve his loss. She did, however, appear to her sons, and told them that they would be great healers. Then the Lady of the Lake disappeared and was never seen again.

This story teaches us to have patience and respect others. It also teaches us to be kind to everyone. This story reminds me of the Lady of the Lake in the stories of King Arthur. She is the one who gives him his famous sword Excalibur.

The Lady of the Lake

Our last story is about a man named King March. King March had a secret: his ears were the same size and shape as mule’s ears. He thought if people knew about his ears, they wouldn’t take him seriously as a ruler.

The only man who knew about the size and shape of the king’s ears was his barber, named Bifan. The king told Bifan that if he told anyone his secret, he would cut off his head with his own scissors. Bifan never told anyone the king’s secret and the burden of it made him ill. The doctor wanted Bifan to tell the secret to him, but the barber was too afraid. The doctor said to cure him, Bifan needed to tell his secret to the earth. So Bifan went up on a tall hill and told the earth about King March’s ears. He felt much better, so he danced all the way back down.

But little did he know, there were some reeds growing nearby. A boy found them and wanted to use the reeds to make a pipe to play for the king. When the boy went to play for King March, the reeds sung out his secret! The king was furious and ordered the boy and Bifan be executed. Then, he started laughing because now that his secret was out, it wasn’t such a big deal. The boy and Bifan were saved, and his people were happy to see the king show them mercy.

This story teaches us that we should love ourselves for who we are, because we are beautiful in our own way. This story reminds me of the movie Pinnochio when some boys got turned into donkeys, but Pinnochio only grew donkey ears.

From hearing these stories, I have learned that all legends and stories, no matter where they come from, try to teach us valuable lessons.