Prince Browchel, the son King Cyngen Glodrydd, was a boisterous boy who enjoyed the thrill of the hunt. One day, while hunting in the English Midlands, Browchel came across a beautiful deer. The deer's antlers were prominent, and the beauty of the deer could not be overstated. As such, Browchel pursued the deer along with his pack of dogs. Yet as he and his hounds were chasing after the deer, they found a beautiful woman on her kneed and praying. Standing beside her was the beautiful deer glaring at Browchel and the hounds. Browchel was not deterred by this strange sight. He order the dogs to chase after the deer, but the dogs resisted. They seemed to be in some trance and began to back away from the maiden. Now all to himself, Browchel approached the woman and deer by himself. Cautiously he approached her and asked her who she was. "I am the Princess Melangell, son of the King of Ireland. I have remained in the woods for the last 15 years so that I may pray in peace. My father demanded I marry a nobleman, but I made a vow early in life to remain celibate. Thus, I live in the forest to pray without seeing the face of a man." Browchel was taken aback. "How could one dedicate oneself to God for so long?", he thought. Browchel was warmed by the dedication of Melangell and believed her to be a true follower of God. Thus, Browchel decided to make sure Melangell would be forever undeterred from praying. He granted her own asylum in the forest for her to pray and meditate for her life. If anyone were to come in her way, she was to call for my assistance. From then on, Melangell would spend her days praying until one day she finally passed away. It was at this spot that she was venerated as saint and soon her tomb would be the site of Saint Melangell's Church in Wales.
Author's Note: I really did not change much of the story because I felt like it was necessary to remain true to the plot in order to not completely alter the message of the story. However, I did add some historical details such as the who Prince Browchel was and where he resided. I also included how Melangell was canonized as a saint. I also changed the animal that Browchel hunts from a rabbit to a deer.
Bibliography: The Welsh Fairy Book by W. Jenkyn Thomas with illustrations by Willy Pogány (1908).
Wikimedia: Melangell's marker post near the church named after he
Hi Neal! I just read your story from Week 12, and I like how this one also features some puppers. Was Princess Melangell praying on Browchel's land? Is that how he could promise to protect her peace? At first, I was worried that Browchel would kill the deer, but it turned out he was a good person in the story!
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