Penparcau - Myth, Folklore and Legend

Myth, Folklore and Legend

One of the more unusual residents is the headless dog of Penparcau. The myth tells of how a giant, going to his father's rescue, rode at such a rate that his dog could not keep up with him and its head came off in the leash. The dog now roams, mournfully crying and looking for its long-lost owner. Other local stories relate to the discovery of ancient gold in Penparcau, thought to have once belonged to the druids (Celts) living around the Penparcau and Pen Dinas area. There may be some truth to this as early coin hoards have been found, that suggests some of the earliest religious activity in Wales took place on this site. It has also been theorised that the original inhabitants were the same people that made the Banc Tynddol sun-disc in nearby Cwmystwyth. There are also many stories relating to the pirates that used this part of the coastline such as Bartholomew ‘Black Bart’ Roberts the Pirate.

During one winter in the late 19th century, villagers woke to find mysterious footprints in the fresh snow. It soon became apparent that these had not been made by any human as they were hoofprints made by a creature who walked on two legs and not four. Villagers followed these hoofprints and found that the creature had walked through fields, roads and even managed to walk over walls and roofs in one uninterrupted path. It was believed that the Devil had walked through Penparcau that snowy night and has never been seen back since.