The Legend of the Corgi

DOGS: MYTH, LEGEND and LORE 

Legend has it that the Welsh Corgi is the“enchanted” dog of the Fay. They were used by fairies and elves to pull their coaches or to serve as the steeds for their warriors. At night, the Welsh Corgi would slip away to the hills of Wales to play with the magical little people.
                                               

There are numerous theories as to where the word “Corgi” comes from. The first is that the name “Corgi” derives from the Celtic word for “dog.” Another theory is that the word “Corgi” is a mesh of the Welsh words, “cor” for “dwarf” and “ci” for “dog.” The latter half of the word, “ci” became “gi” which resulted in the word “Corgi.”
The word “Corgi” meant “dwarf dog” in Welsh. Another theory of how the word “Corgi” came about is that it came from the English words “cur dog” or “Cur” as it is referred to from Wyllam Salesbury’s “A Dictionary in Englyshe and Weslhe” London, 1574. In this dictionary, there is a reference to the “Korgi ne gostoc”, that is, Corgi or curre dogge. At the time, the letter K was interchangeable with the letter C.




Welsh legend has it that children found two pups in the forest which they believed to be foxes. 
Taking them home, the mother and father told them the dog's are the great steeds of the Faerie People for, you see, the mark of the saddle is still upon them to this day. 




THE FAIRY SADDLE LEGEND LONG, LONG AGO IN DAYS OF YORE,
IT MIGHT`VE BEEN SOONER, IF NOT BEFORE, ALONG A MOUNTAIN TRACK THERE CAME
 A GALLANT CORGI OF QUITE SOME FAME. AND THERE BESIDE THE TRACK HE SPIED A MAIDEN FAIR, WHO TO HIM CRIED, OH KINDLY CORGI, HEAR MY PLEA;
 I`VE FALLEN FROM MY HORSE YOU SEE. AND SO BEFORE YOU FURTHER ROAM WOULD YOU, PLEASE SIR, TAKE ME HOME? SO SAID THE CORGI, "I DO CONFESS;
 HOW COULD I  LEAVE YOU IN DISTRESS? SO CLIMB UPON MY BACK FAIR MAID I`LL TAKE YOU HOME, AS YOU HAVE BADE". AND SO THE CORGI STARTED FORTH;
 "MY HOME`S A CASTLE TO THE NORTH". THEY JOURNEYED THERE, AND AT HER DOOR SHE CRIED, "I SHOULD HAVE SAID BEFORE, I AM A FAIRY PRINCESS SIR, YOU SEE, AND FOR YOUR KINDNESS TO ME I`LL LEAVE UPON YOUR NECK AND BACK ALL TRACES OF THE FAIRY TACK". AND TILL THIS DAY YOU STILL CAN FIND THE FAIRY SADDLE TO REMIND HOW THE CORGI HELPED THE PRINCESS FAIR,
 AND JUST AS WELL FOR YOU WILL CARE. 

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