Cilmin Droed Ddu

Cilmin was an ordinary farmer, though he much preferred to hunt and fish. He dreamed that
Coat of arms of Glynllifon one day he’d have enough money so that he could give up farming. One evening, Cilmyn went to meet a wise man that wished to defeat every witch in the area. They both decided that they could help each other, if Cilmin was brave enough.

A group of witches lived on the slopes of the Eifl mountains, and they often cursed the area, causing the milk in every churn to turn sour, the crops to fail and the animals to die. Every spell they had was written in a large book that was kept beneath a white stone, deep within a cave on the Eifl’s highest peak. If Cilmin were to steal the book, that would put an end to the witches’ sorcery. He would have to attempt to steal the book when the beast that was guarding it was asleep. He would also have to cross a poisonous brook at the foot of the mountain. Both the witches and the beast were petrified of the brook, and they dared not go near it. Cilmin borrowed the wise man’s horse and set off to steal the book. He immediately saw the poisonous brook, because the surrounding land was desolate, and the soil was as black as anything he’d ever seen. The horse leapt gracefully over the brook. Having tied the horse to a
Plas Glynllifon tree, Cilmin made his way up to the summit. In a while, he could hear cackling and chanting. He crept by and hurried up toward the cave at the summit. He saw the cave and waited patiently on all fours, listening intently. He heard heavy breathing and snoring from within the cave. The beast was asleep. Creeping into the cave, he saw the beast, sleeping soundly with one paw on white stone, on top of the book of spells. The stench was unbearable, and Cilmin was slightly scared of the beast, which was twice as tall as the tallest man. Eventually, Cilmin managed to move the stone very carefully, leaving the beast undisturbed. He saw the gold book of spells, with gems glittering on its cover. He reached for the book and grasped it, before making his
Entrance to Glynllifon Park way out. As he crept back outside, his foot disturbed a mound of stones. The beast awoke and ran after Cilmin. Cilmin ran as fast as he could with the beast closely beside him. He reached his horse, but he soon saw that it was in the clutches of one of the evil witches. Cilmin ran, and, having no choice, he leapt over the poisonous brook. His right foot touched the furthest bank, but the weight of the book of spells caused his left foot to slip beneath the water up to the knee. He got his leg out of the water immediately, but he could already feel the sensation draining from his lower leg.

He limped home and gave the book to the wise man who managed to reverse all the curses of the evil witches. Cilmin became a rich man, selling the gems and gold that adorned the book’s cover. He built a mansion and lived there for the rest of his days. Cilmin’s left lower leg remained black from the brook’s poisonous effects, thus giving him the name Cilmin Droed-ddu (Cilmin Blackfoot). His lower leg can be seen illustrated on Plas Glynllifon’s family Coat of Arms.