Some more modern weirdness around Carreg-y-Bwci (which means, in English, Stone of the Goblin / Weird Welsh Supernatural Thing. The english Puck may well be (etymologically) related to the Bwci? – see the forum posts).
I found a webpage by Karen Martel, who grew up nearby to the Goblin Stone. She hints at some curious goings on at
tellmeabout.co.uk/stuff/Paranormal/Secrets-in-the-stones.asp
She says she knew the site as ‘Rhiannon’s Navel’ – I’m assuming this is a genuine local name? I only mention my doubts because she ‘runs her own psychic business’ in Canada and goddesses are popular new-age fare: I haven’t seen the name mentioned elsewhere, that’s all.
“During my teenage years.. I would ride to the top of the ridge where the Cairn was. It’s a prominent landmark that marks the valley for miles around.. I ventured up there one day with my horse but we didn’t stay long. Foaming at the mouth my horse galloped to the edge of the cliff at the head of the valley stopping just short of a sheer drop. The Carreg Y Bwci seemed to be haunted. That was the general consensus in the village and not many villagers would go up there.
“[She was coming back from Lampeter once – though it strikes me as a very weird way back? and] it was the solstice. Driving past in my friends Dad’s car, we stopped for a brief second to watch the sunset go down. I didn’t know that a stone circle existed below the Cairn. But the megalith stretched out before us had the sun set behind it. Elongating the sun into a long strip. Perhaps a trick of the light, or the heat of the stone. It had been hot that day. The air was also very clear and clean up in the mountains. It could have been any number of things.
“Most [villagers] didn’t want to talk about the cairn, or the stone circle, most told me it was haunted and had bad vibes. Some villagers who went up there, would topple the stones that were piled on top of each other. But most warned me not to go up to the stone circle or cairn during the summer months.”
Nowhere in this area is Rhiannon a recognised deity name, historically speaking. That's an appropriation by new-agey 'psychic' types. I was born and still live not 5 miles from the stone, and it's ALWAYS been called Carreg y Bwci. I hate it when fluffy-bunny pagans keep making unfounded claims like that.
Hmm, that's interesting, Apikorsus (I had my suspicions).
So, as a local, did you grow up 'knowing' the bwci was there? and would you have been afraid to go there as a child? or was it just a place name to you?
Hi Rhiannon,
Can't say I 'knew' there was a bwci there, but it does have a definite feeling which distinguishes it from the area. It's gorgeous walking country, so I pop over quite often. It's always been popular with various pagan groups and some locals still have an aversion to the place.
>Some villagers who went up there, would topple the stones that were piled on top of each other.
This comment could be expanded. In the early 1990's, when I lived in Lampeter, there was a person or a group of people who would balance stones one on top of another sometimes seven or eight high in the vicinity of Carrge y Bwci. I never caught anyone doing it, but one time when I went up there on Beltane eve there were people at the stones, and one of them told me it was a pagan group from Lampeter who balanced the stones. I'm pretty sure it wasn't the University pagan group (as I knew some of them) and it certainly wasn't the wiccan coven - that was us!
I never did find out why the stones were balanced there. However, Carreg y Bwci was well known to local new-agers, at least in part because the hills around were - and are - good shrooming territory.