Welsh folklore, Wirt Sikes
Old Woman of the Mountain
The Old Woman typifies the frightening mountain fairies in Sikes’s collection. She wears an angular hat and ash-coloured clothing, carries a vessel, and moves before the observer while sometimes crying out. Local tradition identifies her with the spirit of Juan White. Travellers who mistake her for a person able to guide them hurry after her but cannot catch her, and her face remains unseen.
Also known as Juan White apparition
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In the sources
Principal account
TraditionalThe Old Woman typifies the frightening mountain fairies in Sikes’s collection. She wears an angular hat and ash-coloured clothing, carries a vessel, and moves before the observer while sometimes crying out.
Further detail
TraditionalLocal tradition identifies her with the spirit of Juan White. Travellers who mistake her for a person able to guide them hurry after her but cannot catch her, and her face remains unseen.
Context & interpretation
This entry concerns the Llanhyddel and Black Mountain traditions quoted by Sikes. The identification with Juan White is a reported local belief, and other appearances in the collection need not describe one historical individual.
Original passages
Source 1
British Goblins
always going before the spectatorOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Wirt Sikes, British Goblins (1880), active reader leaf 64
Exact passage checked against active scan text and its original-leaf mapping; whitespace and scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0044-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0044-E001-P0064
- Original scan leaf
- 65
- Recorded leaf number
- 65
- Current Reader position
- 63
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Source 2
British Goblins
no man ever saw her faceOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Wirt Sikes, British Goblins (1880), active reader leaf 65
Exact passage checked against active scan text and its original-leaf mapping; whitespace and scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0044-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0044-E001-P0065
- Original scan leaf
- 66
- Recorded leaf number
- 66
- Current Reader position
- 64
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Illustrations
Continue exploring
Gwyllion
Mountain fairies who mislead travellers on lonely roads.
Same subject and traditionBwbach
A household goblin who helps with work but can torment an unwelcome guest.
Same subject and traditionCoblynau
Mine fairies whose knocking is said to reveal rich veins of ore.
Same subject and traditionEllylldan
The luring elf-fire that draws a wanderer into marshy ground.