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0:00:23 > 0:00:26- LLEYN AND MYTHOLOGY
0:00:30 > 0:00:33- This land has an old, old history.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37- Legendary giants, ghosts...
0:00:38 > 0:00:41- ..and spirits - have walked these paths.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46- Lleyn has inherited more than - its share of magic and fantasy...
0:00:46 > 0:00:48- ..over the centuries.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54- Twenty thousand saints - rest on Bardsey Island.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58- Nothing disturbs - the peace of the grave on Bardsey.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07- I'm on a journey - to find the stories...
0:01:07 > 0:01:10- ..and myths of the peninsula.
0:01:11 > 0:01:16- I don't have to go back hundreds - of years to find a mystery story.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19- There are more recent legends.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25- People came from - the four corners of the earth....
0:01:26 > 0:01:28- ..for Lleyn's magic lotion.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34- This was, and is, - a very remote shop.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38- It's a house today.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40- People came from as far afield...
0:01:41 > 0:01:44- ..as Australia, America and Canada.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48- A Russian countess - once visited this isolated shop.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51- She was looking - for one thing in particular.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59- She wanted a secret lotion - that had healing properties.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05- It was only available - in Lleyn for many years.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14- My uncle, Owen Griffith, - was the last of the rural doctors...
0:02:15 > 0:02:18- ..to treat people - suffering from skin cancer.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24- It could be fatal if left untreated.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30- People in Botwnnog Surgery remember - the myth of the miracle lotion...
0:02:31 > 0:02:33- ..as well - as the man and his medicine.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39- He had a surgery - in Pwllheli every Wednesday.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44- People travelled miles to see him, - some from abroad.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48- Owen Griffith - got rid of a wart on Nain's lip.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52- The root was long.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55- He removed - a wart from my father's face.
0:02:57 > 0:02:58- In Pencaerau?
0:02:58 > 0:02:59- In Pencaerau?- - Yes.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03- This might be a modern surgery.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06- But they remember the old remedies.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12- My father's dirty old sock - was a cure for a sore throat.
0:03:13 > 0:03:14- The dirtier, the better?
0:03:14 > 0:03:15- The dirtier, the better?- - Yes.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17- Two drops - of asafoetida in an eggcup.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21- A boiled potato in a sock.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25- Rhubarb tincture and Indian brandy.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28- Indian brandy too?! - Did you drink the stuff?
0:03:29 > 0:03:30- Yes!
0:03:30 > 0:03:32- And you're still here.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34- I'm eighty.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38- It's the rhubarb tincture's fault!
0:03:40 > 0:03:44- Rhubarb tincture, - dirty socks and goose fat.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46- There must be something in it.
0:03:47 > 0:03:52- Uncle Owen Griffith was the last of - three generations of wart doctors.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58- The lotion's secret ingredients - reached mythical proportions.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03- Perhaps someone in Lleyn - can tell me the ingredients.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07- I might find them - before the journey's end.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16- A good legend is - a story that grabs the imagination.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21- Revenge, a curse and madness...
0:04:21 > 0:04:25- ..are the hallmarks - of a worthwhile legend.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33- I'm interested in witchcraft...
0:04:34 > 0:04:38- ..because it's the source - of so many good, colourful stories.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41- A good witch story - sends shivers down my spine.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51- In the case - of a certain Llannor vicar...
0:04:52 > 0:04:55- ..the story goes beyond the grave...
0:04:55 > 0:04:58- ..when the witch Dorti Ddu - came to the parish.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01- John Owen was from Llanidloes.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04- At 25, he became the parish parson.
0:05:04 > 0:05:09- Some sort of disagreement - happened between him and Dorti Ddu.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13- There's a reference - to her swearing and cursing him.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17- She went on her knees, naked, - and accused him of raping her.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24- Delwyn Williams - was raised in the parish.
0:05:24 > 0:05:29- The local historian - is familiar with Dorti Ddu's story.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32- It's a fact - that she was excommunicated.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36- Robert Jones Rhoslan said - he realized that wasn't enough.
0:05:36 > 0:05:42- She would wait outside the chapel - swearing and cursing the parson.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46- They eventually tied her - to the cemetery gates.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50- But it started all over again - once she was released.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59- She did exist - she's mentioned - in the Diocesan Courts' minutes.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03- She wasn't a figment - of someone's imagination.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08- She was an angry girl - whose real name was Dorothy Ellis.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11- According to Robert Jones Rhoslan...
0:06:12 > 0:06:16- ..she tormented the parson - to an early grave.
0:06:18 > 0:06:25- But death wasn't enough to protect - the parson from Dorti Ddu's curse.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28- He was born in Llanidloes.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30- He didn't want to be buried here...
0:06:31 > 0:06:34- ..to be trampled on - by locals and Dorti Ddu.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38- They guarded his body in Llannor.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42- But according to history, - Dorti somehow found her way in.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46- She grabbed his nose - and shook him violently!
0:06:46 > 0:06:50- If that wasn't enough, - she walked 80 miles...
0:06:51 > 0:06:54- ..to desecrate his grave.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58- As Robert Jones Rhoslan - bluntly put it...
0:06:58 > 0:07:02- "..she discharged her waste - on his grave."
0:07:05 > 0:07:08- I can't explain Dorti's behaviour.
0:07:09 > 0:07:14- Her death is recorded in 1774, - at 90 years of age.
0:07:15 > 0:07:21- She's buried somewhere in Llannor - but no-one knows exactly where.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24- Was she a witch or a madwoman? - Who knows.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27- I think it's time to leave.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44- Lleyn gave me my language.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48- As an author, I can look back...
0:07:48 > 0:07:53- ..and realize it's here - I came to appreciate a good story.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59- If there is humour in my writing...
0:07:59 > 0:08:01- ..it came from my father's side.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06- The characters come - from Porth yr Aur, or wherever...
0:08:06 > 0:08:08- ..but the paint that paints them...
0:08:09 > 0:08:12- ..is from my father's side, - from their imagination.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17- LAUGHTER
0:08:18 > 0:08:19- "What's the meaning of 'Molwch ef'?"
0:08:19 > 0:08:22- "What's the meaning of 'Molwch ef'?"- - Miss Pringle and the Potato
0:08:22 > 0:08:24- "What about 'Praise him'?"
0:08:25 > 0:08:29- "Why not 'Praise be'? - It sounds more majestic.
0:08:30 > 0:08:31- "Thank you very much."
0:08:32 > 0:08:34- "Accidentally, or on purpose...
0:08:35 > 0:08:40- "..Cecil Scissors carved - 'Braise me' on Jac Black's chest."
0:09:01 > 0:09:03- This is Penrhyn Mawr.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06- I was raised here - for three or four years.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09- I don't remember much about it.
0:09:10 > 0:09:15- The line between the imagination - and memories can become blurred.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24- I'm surrounded by stories.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31- My mother's family - were serious folk and country poets.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34- My father's family - were storytellers.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40- They had vivid imaginations, - and the gift of storytelling.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46- One story has sprung to mind.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51- My great-great-grandfather - was Big William Griffith.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54- I didn't inherit his genes.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58- My mother said when I was born - I could fit into a quart jug!
0:09:59 > 0:10:03- William Griffith - was a legendary, large man.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05- His legend lives on.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07- He was so big...
0:10:07 > 0:10:12- ..the sleeve of his waistcoat - would fit a normal man's waist!
0:10:12 > 0:10:16- He was so big and strong, - he could swim a mile out to sea...
0:10:16 > 0:10:19- ..carrying a man on his shoulders.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23- When he wanted - to turn over in bed at night...
0:10:23 > 0:10:26- ..he got out of bed - and turned around on the landing!
0:10:29 > 0:10:34- These colourful legends - on my father's side live on.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39- After the break...
0:10:39 > 0:10:44- ..we might discover the ingredients - of the magical wart lotion.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46- And over in Mynytho...
0:10:47 > 0:10:49- ..is the ghost still on the prowl?
0:10:50 > 0:10:50- .
0:10:53 > 0:10:55- 888
0:11:06 > 0:11:09- There have always - been ghosts in Lleyn...
0:11:09 > 0:11:13- ..in Gelliwig and Bodnitho - to name but a few.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17- But the Pant Y Wennol ghost - lived in my parish.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23- This is where I played.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27- Mynytho School is on my right.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30- Look how far I had to walk...
0:11:30 > 0:11:35- ..from the white building - to Mynytho School on the hill...
0:11:35 > 0:11:37- ..and back at night.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43- Mynytho School - was three miles from home.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49- It was an ideal opportunity - to ignite my imagination.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58- I don't know whether - Mynytho is still haunted...
0:11:58 > 0:12:00- ..but there's plenty of fun here.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04- Can I come in?
0:12:06 > 0:12:06- Are you having a tea party?
0:12:06 > 0:12:09- Are you having a tea party?- - This lady is eighty!
0:12:10 > 0:12:12- Today? Happy Birthday.
0:12:13 > 0:12:14- Thank you.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17- Are you OK? Can I have a kiss?
0:12:18 > 0:12:22- It's the first kiss - I've snatched from her!
0:12:22 > 0:12:27- Can you remember - ghosts or monsters in Mynytho...
0:12:28 > 0:12:30- ..when you were children?
0:12:30 > 0:12:34- I always ran past Bryn - because I was afraid of the ghost.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38- Do you remember the Bryn ghost?
0:12:40 > 0:12:40- Did you see him?
0:12:40 > 0:12:41- Did you see him?- - No!
0:12:44 > 0:12:46- There was a haunted tree.
0:12:47 > 0:12:48- Why?
0:12:49 > 0:12:53- I don't know. It's a pretty tree, - and it's still there.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58- Were there other ghosts, apart from - those haunting Bryn and Lon Las?
0:12:59 > 0:13:03- The quarry ghost wore a white cloak - and dragged chains.
0:13:04 > 0:13:05- He was terrifying.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11- What were you told as children - about the Pant Y Wennol ghost?
0:13:11 > 0:13:15- Dishes would smash.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18- She lived next to Tan Y Fron.
0:13:18 > 0:13:23- There were incidents at night - while the family slept.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25- Objects had moved by the morning.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36- I never walked down the lane to - Pant Y Wennol as a child at night.
0:13:36 > 0:13:41- I believed... still believe, - maybe... that a ghost lived there.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55- Terrifying, unexplained - incidents happened here...
0:13:55 > 0:13:58- ..strange noises at night, - dishes smashing...
0:13:58 > 0:14:01- ..doors opening and closing...
0:14:01 > 0:14:06- ..clothes were ripped...
0:14:07 > 0:14:12- ..and finally the big family Bible - was torn to shreds.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16- It terrified everyone...
0:14:17 > 0:14:19- ..the family and their neighbours.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24- We avoided Pant Y Wennol - because of the ghost.
0:14:26 > 0:14:32- In 1885, a mother and her two - daughters lived at Pant Y Wennol.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36- Catrin, the eldest, - was due to marry Huw the Cobbler.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40- Elin, the youngest, - was 14 years old.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50- It is said the house was possessed - by a poltergeist who moved things...
0:14:51 > 0:14:53- ..and wreaked havoc everywhere.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56- The story spread through the area.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59- Four ministers eventually came here.
0:15:00 > 0:15:05- One came from London to exorcise - the ghost from their midst.
0:15:05 > 0:15:10- But there was no improvement. - They finally called the police.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16- Elin, the youngest, - was blamed for the trouble.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21- But some think it had more - to do with Catrin's love affair...
0:15:21 > 0:15:23- ..with Huw the Cobbler.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26- Frightened locals - had all sorts of theories.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30- They thought - Huw and Catrin were responsible.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34- They were engaged - and married soon after.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39- They wanted to terrify - the old lady into leaving.
0:15:39 > 0:15:44- The other theory was that Huw - and Elin were co-conspirators...
0:15:45 > 0:15:50- ..that Huw had books on the occult - and that they had played the tricks.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53- But who knows? Take your pick.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58- At least there isn't - a ghost in Pant Y Wennol today.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04- Elin was blamed.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07- Do you know how the story ended?
0:16:09 > 0:16:10- What happened in the end?
0:16:10 > 0:16:11- What happened in the end?- - She went to prison.
0:16:11 > 0:16:12- She went to prison.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17- Your grandparents remembered her - going in an open car to Pwllheli.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21- She was kept overnight - and then released.
0:16:21 > 0:16:26- The strange events stopped - once she returned home.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30- This suggests - she was the cause of it.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32- She was being mischievous.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37- She was a trouble-maker.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44- She died an old lady in Mynytho - towards the end of WW1.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50- Legend has it that - she never looked into anyone's eyes.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55- Perhaps the ghost was the figment - of Elin's mischievous imagination.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58- The present owner might know.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03- Hello. I've come to ask a question. - Does the ghost still live here?
0:17:04 > 0:17:07- My 12-year-old daughter...
0:17:07 > 0:17:12- ..woke up in the night and was sure - she saw somebody sitting on her bed.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16- And then a friend of ours...
0:17:16 > 0:17:20- ..took a picture - of the house when it was empty.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24- In that window, when - he had the photograph developed...
0:17:24 > 0:17:28- ..there was a face at the window, - like a vision.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31- There was nobody in the house.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33- There was nobody in the house.- - So that was the ghost?
0:17:33 > 0:17:35- Perhaps that was the ghost - looking out at us.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45- The Pant Y Wennol ghost story - clearly lives on!
0:17:46 > 0:17:49- These characters still - grip the imagination.
0:17:49 > 0:17:54- But a good story - doesn't have to be terrifying.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57- "I'm putting - a leprechaun on her backside.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59- "I'm putting - a leprechaun on her backside.- - 'For the sake of Ballybunion babies'
0:18:00 > 0:18:02- PEALS OF LAUGHTER
0:18:03 > 0:18:07- "But her backside is so big, - I've run out of green ink."
0:18:11 > 0:18:14- They say laughter - is the best medicine.
0:18:14 > 0:18:19- But Llyr Hughes from Nefyn pharmacy - hasn't bottled it yet.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23- Like the old legends...
0:18:23 > 0:18:28- ..the tradition of concocting - potions still exist.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32- Llyr keeps his black potion - under the counter.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38- This is the dispensary. - Here's a bottle of black medicine.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43- But first, smell the asafoetida.
0:18:43 > 0:18:44- This is the black medicine.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47- This is the black medicine.- - No. It's asafoetida.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50- I remember the smell.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53- It's foul, - but you say it's good for us.
0:18:54 > 0:18:59- When I was an apprentice in Pwllheli - it came in big, glass flagons.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04- As an apprentice, - I'd go out to the back to pour it.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10- We daren't drop it on the floor - or it would stink all day.
0:19:11 > 0:19:12- It's disgusting.
0:19:13 > 0:19:14- What about the black medicine?
0:19:14 > 0:19:16- What about the black medicine?- - It definitely works.
0:19:16 > 0:19:21- Perhaps it'll sort out my throat.
0:19:21 > 0:19:22- Shall I get a spoon?
0:19:22 > 0:19:24- Shall I get a spoon?- - I'll drink it from the bottle.
0:19:24 > 0:19:25- Of course.
0:19:26 > 0:19:26- Will I be sober?
0:19:26 > 0:19:27- Will I be sober?- - Yes!
0:19:28 > 0:19:30- Soberly ill, maybe.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36- Very nice. Yes, indeed.
0:19:37 > 0:19:38- Better than asafoetida?
0:19:38 > 0:19:39- Better than asafoetida?- - It's not in the same league!
0:19:39 > 0:19:40- It's not in the same league!
0:19:40 > 0:19:43- Will I still - be walking by the afternoon?!
0:19:45 > 0:19:49- Can Llyr the pharmacist - answer the big question?
0:19:50 > 0:19:53- What were - the ingredients of the wart lotion?
0:19:53 > 0:19:57- I think - I'll keep the mystique going.
0:19:57 > 0:20:02- No-one should know - what the magic ingredient is.
0:20:02 > 0:20:03- You want to keep the legend alive.
0:20:03 > 0:20:04- You want to keep the legend alive.- - Yes!
0:20:04 > 0:20:05- You want to keep the legend alive.
0:20:05 > 0:20:06- According to a family story...
0:20:06 > 0:20:08- According to a family story...
0:20:08 > 0:20:14- ..the wart lotion recipe was bought - from a gypsy for a shilling...
0:20:14 > 0:20:15- ..many years ago.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20- I know one man - who will surely know the secret.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23- Take the stalk.
0:20:24 > 0:20:29- It's under the pennywort.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34- Glyn Roberts, or the Leaf Man, - lives in Rhydyclafdy.
0:20:35 > 0:20:40- The pennywort lotion is one - of the many medicines he prepares.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44- Perhaps he has - another secret to share.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47- You're interested - in the wart lotion.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50- We've done - some research in the area.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53- What's in the wart lotion?
0:20:53 > 0:20:57- What's in the wart lotion?- - They say it came from the gypsies.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03- The travelling Romanies...
0:21:04 > 0:21:07- ..used worms...
0:21:07 > 0:21:09- ..and put them in a tin...
0:21:12 > 0:21:14- ..and left them - in a dung heap for a year.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18- They left it there.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22- Aside from the worm, - there was another ingredient.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27- The poison they used was...
0:21:27 > 0:21:29- ..strychnine.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34- It was very dangerous. We used it.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39- But things evolved...
0:21:40 > 0:21:43- ..and they wanted to add arsenic.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46- That's how arsenic was introduced.
0:21:46 > 0:21:51- It only took spot of it - on a match...
0:21:52 > 0:21:55- ..to kill the warts.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58- A spot on a match was enough.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04- I might be - a step closer to the answer.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08- Glyn certainly knows his leaves.
0:22:08 > 0:22:09- Glyn certainly knows his leaves.- - Eat it.
0:22:10 > 0:22:15- Eat them all, if you want. - Don't eat every single one!
0:22:15 > 0:22:17- I've taken worse!
0:22:18 > 0:22:21- If you pick them - from the roadside...
0:22:22 > 0:22:24- ..remember to pick them high enough.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28- Dogs could have splashed - them lower down!
0:22:28 > 0:22:29- So this one's safe?!
0:22:29 > 0:22:31- So this one's safe?!- - I'll eat it.
0:22:31 > 0:22:32- I'll eat it.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36- It's not very nice, though.
0:22:37 > 0:22:42- You'll have forgotten in a week.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52- The old traditions live on...
0:22:52 > 0:22:55- ..like Glyn, - making his own medicine.
0:22:56 > 0:23:01- Perhaps Glyn, or the Leaf Man, will - be the subject of the next legend.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08- The old traditions live on in Lleyn.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11- More legends - will come to keep them alive.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15- In time, today's history - will be tomorrow's legends.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18- Time creates miracles, doesn't it?
0:23:40 > 0:23:42- S4C Subtitles by GWEAD
0:23:43 > 0:23:44- .