The Giantess

 It's St David's day, so here is a short tale about another saint with Welsh connections. Collen was a warrior-monk who served as abbot of Glastonbury for some years before getting tired of it and seeking the solace of hermitage in a cavern partway up the Tor. This did not last long as he had failed to ask permission of Gwynn app Nudd who held court at the top of the famous mound. It all came to a head and Collen decided that Glastonbury was no longer for him.

This story picks up from that juncture, where God guides the hermit to find a new sanctuary after a long pilgrimage on foot and then by horse. The meandering equine takes him to Bwlch Rhiwfelen, which would eventually be renamed after its new resident at Llangollen, not far from Wrexham. All would have been fine had Collen learned his lesson and actually asked permission of the resident Presence - in this case a carnivorous giantess, Cares (which translates as Dear One, an unusual epithet for so frightening a being - though there is a long cross-cultural tradition of buttering up monsters by granting them flattering appellations such as Little Grandmother or Prime Minister). Was she a simple villain, or something much more primal?

Apologies to Welsh listeners for my dismal pronunciations - if I ever get more confident in Welsh words I'll record a better version.