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TheAfanc (Welsh pronunciation:[ˈavaŋk], sometimes also calledAddanc,[ˈaðaŋk]) is alake monster fromWelsh mythology. Its exact description varies, being described as resembling acrocodile,beaver ordwarf-like creature, or aplatypus and is sometimes said to be ademon. The lake in which it dwells is also uncertain and it is variously said to live in Llyn Llion, Llyn Barfog, near Brynberian Bridge or in Llyn yr Afanc, a lake nearBetws-y-coed that was named after the creature.
The afanc was a monstrous creature that, like most lake monsters, was said to prey upon any foolish enough to fall into or swim in its lake.[citation needed]
One of the earliest descriptions of it is given by the 15th-century poetLewys Glyn Cothi, who described it as living in Llyn Syfaddon, inPowys.[citation needed]
One tale relates that it was rendered helpless by a maiden who let it sleep upon her lap; while it slept, the maiden's fellow villagers bound the creature in chains. The creature was awakened and made furious; its enraged thrashings crushed the maiden, in whose lap it still lay. It was finally dragged away to the lake Cwm Ffynnon, or killed byPeredur (Percival, Peredur's name inChrétien de Troyes' telling of theArthurian cycle).[citation needed]
In the tale,Peredur son of Efrawg, translated byLady Charlotte Guest in theMabinogion taken from theWhite Book of Rhydderch andRed Book of Hergest, the "Addanc of the Lake" resides in a cave near the "Palace of the Sons of the King of the Tortures". The palace is so named because the Addanc slays the three sons (chieftains) of the king each day, only for them to be resurrected by the maidens of the court. It is not stated why this cycle of violence continues, but when Peredur asks to ride with the three chieftains, who seek out the Addanc daily, they state that they will not accept his company as if he was slain they would not be able to bring him back to life.[citation needed]
Peredur continues to the cave on his own, wishing to kill the creature to increase his fame and honour. On his journey he meets a maiden who states that the Addanc will slay Peredur through cunning, as the beast is invisible and kills his victims with poison darts. The maiden, actually the Queen of Constantinople, gives Peredur anadder stone that will make the creature visible.[citation needed]
Peredur ventures into the cave and with the aid of the stone, pierces the Addanc before beheading it. When the three chieftains arrive at the cave they state that it was predicted that Peredur would kill the Addanc.[1]
According to a version of an afanc legend as put forth by the famous writer of myths and folklore Edward Williams known asIolo Morganwg, its thrashings caused massive flooding which ultimately drowned all inhabitants ofBritain save for two people, Dwyfan and Dwyfach, from whom the later inhabitants ofPrydain descended.[citation needed]
According to one version of the myth, also put forth byIolo Morganwg,Hu Gadarn'soxen dragged the afanc out of the lake; once it was out of the water, it was powerless and could be killed. This version locates the creature in Llyn Llion.[citation needed]
The correct rendering of this name inModern Welsh depends on the specific source. TheMiddle Welshavanc of Llyn Barfog isafanc in Modern Welsh, a word which is now used to mean "beaver". The formavanc/afanc is also used in theRed Book of Hergest and most other medieval sources. In the Middle Welsh version of Peredur's tale in theWhite Book of Rhydderch, the creature in the cave is called theaddanc.Afanc is by far the most common spelling.[2]
An afanc appears inSilver on the Tree, the final book inSusan Cooper'sThe Dark is Rising sequence.[citation needed]
In theMerlin episode "The Mark of Nimueh", the villainessNimueh creates an afanc by molding a small figure out of clay and hatching it from an egg-like container. The creature spreads a deadly disease acrossCamelot through the water it inhabits, untilMerlin andArthur manage to destroy it.[citation needed]
InChina Miéville's 2002 bookThe Scar, the floating city-state of Amarda summons an avanc, attaching it to the city and using its huge pulling-power to cross the ocean.[3]
In the October Daye series bySeanan McGuire, afanc are a marsh creature about the size of a cow with fur, scales, and a "disturbing" number of teeth.[4]
TheSuper Sentai TV seriesJuken Sentai Gekiranger features the Genjuken Warrior known as Genju Afanc-Fist Sojo who is modeled after the rodent depiction of the Afanc and is also based on therat of theChinese zodiac. InPower Rangers Jungle Fury, he is adopted into Badrat of the Phantom Beasts.[citation needed]
InThe Lord of the Rings Online video game, the culture ofDunland, sparsely described byJ. R. R. Tolkien, is heavily based on theWelsh mythology. The "Avanc" appear as wildlife monsters in Dunland with an appearance resembling that of acrocodile with fur and scales.[citation needed]
In the 2024 YA novelThe Wild Huntress by Emily Lloyd-Jones (based on Welsh mythology), the title character Branwen wields a dagger made from an afanc fang, Prince Pryderi was raised and exploited by an afanc as a young boy, and the Otherking’s champion huntress Cigfa wears a cloak of afanc scales.[citation needed]
David Williams, in his bookWelsh Folklore: A Guide to the Mythical and the Mysterious, highlights that theAfanc was a symbol of both danger and courage in Welsh myth.[5]
