During the fifth century, Vortigern, King of the Celtic Britons was being
hard pressed by the invading Anglo-Saxons, and so he decided to build a stronghold
in Snowdonia. He chose to build the hill-fort on a domed shaped mound near the
settlement of Beddgelert, and set his stone masons to work. The masons began
building quickly and with good heart, yet when the next sunrise came they discovered
that all their building materials had vanished mysteriously.
The same thing occurred the morning following, and then yet again the morning
after this; on each of these occasions, all the materials had vanished overnight.
Furious and powerless at the lack of his fortress' progress, Vortigern consulted
all his magicians and sorcerers. These told the King that he would be successful
in building the fort only if he sprinkled the foundations with blood stemming
from a boy born without a father.
One such "Child-of-Wonder" - born from a human mother and an Otherworldly father
- was a lad known as Myrddin - he lived close by. Myrddin was duly brought before
Vortigern, and there he was made ready for the sacrifice.
Myrddin was, however, Merlin the wizard - He who possessed a great number of
magical powers and he who had the gift of vision. He told the king that the
foundations of his fortress were being undermined by two dragons who lay in
fitful slumber in an under-worldly lake beneath the mound.
Vortigern's own wizards advised him to ignore Myrddin's words and carry
out the sacrifice upon him as they had planned. Yet Vortigern was uncertain
of the wisdom of this.... He eventually decided to pay heed to the boy, and
had his men dig down deep beneath the foundations of the fortress.
As Myrddin had foretold, beneath the foundations of the fortress they discovered
a large underground lake. Vortigern gave orders for it to be drained dry and
the two sleeping dragons were found - one white and one red.
These two dragons awoke and began to fight brutally. The battle was long and
filled with blood, fire and terror, for these beasts were well matched, and
yet finally the red dragon was victorious, and then the white dragon turned
and fled from the battle-ground.
Myrddin explained all this to Vortigern; that the white dragon represented the
Anglo-Saxons, and the red dragon represented the Welsh - who, in the fullness
of time, would once again conquer and reclaim their lands. It is said that this
is how the Red Dragon became the symbol of Wales. Vortigern's fortress was completed
without further delay. Myrddin revealed his true identity to the King, explaining
he was Myrddin and that he was also known as Emrys. As thanks to Myrddin, Vortigern
named his newly built fort after him - Dinas Emrys.
Source : Based upon Welsh legend and folktale. This reversion freely retold
by Shaun Brassfield-Thorpe.