The afanc, a welsh lake monster, often described as a hybrid between a crocodile and a beaver.
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Aliases: Addanc
Introduction
The Afanc is a lake monster from Welsh mythology. It is believed to exist in a few different lakes in the United Kingdom such as Llyn Llion, Llyn Barfog or in Llyn yr Afanc. It has various descriptions which include a combination of a beaver, crocodile, and a dwarf-like creature. It is also said that this monstrous beast will eat anything that falls into the lake. There several very old legends for the Afanc based on regional folklore, but primarily, it is considered to be a demon responsible for flooding.
The First Afanc Legend
The first afanc legend states that a young lady was taking care of the monster and let it cradle on her lap asleep. When the maiden’s village saw the beast they were angry and bound the beast in chains. The Afanc started thrashing about and ended up crushing the lady, apparently because it was still on her lap. It was dragged by the men to the depths of lake Cwm Ffynnon, which is located in Snowdonia, UK.
The Second Afanc Legend
In the second legend it is believed that King Arthur or Percival (one of King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table) slayed the Afanc. In the national park in Snowdonia, Wales, there stands a gigantic rock with an imprint on it that resembles a hoof-print. Some say this imprint was made by King Arthur’s horse, Llamrai, while they struggled to take the beast out of the lake with chains. The Afanc was so massive that it caused the horse’s hooves to press down and make an indentation on the rock. After a long struggle, King Arthur succeeded in slayed the beast. The rock with the hoof print can be seen today and is called “Carn March Arthur” or “Stone of Arthur’s Horse.”
The location where Arthur battled with the afanc. His horse left a hoofprint in the rock after struggling with it.
The Third Afanc Legend
In the third legend a Welsh poet named Edward Williams, (aka Lolo Morganwg [job mor'yaung])described as a famous forger of myths and folklore, believed that the Afanc’s swimming rapidly and thrashing about caused immense flooding during the time. According to legend, the flooding led to the death of every inhabitant of Britain except for two people, Dwyfan and Dwfach. All of the Prydains are said to be descendants from those two individuals.
The Final Afanc Legend
Another of the Afanc legends occurred in Llyn Llion’s lake with Hu Gadarn (“Hu the Mighty”), a man in Welsh Mythology. He was credited with inventing a song to help improve memory and for teaching people how to plow. Much like the previous legends, this afanc was said to flood the land. One day, after a massivel flood, Hu the Mighty pulled the creature out of the lake with the aid of his oxen. Once out of the water, the Afanc was helpless and very easily killed. After the Afanc was dead, the flooding was said to have stopped.