Welsh Corgi—were gifted to two human children by the “wee folk,” who used them for any number of tasks.
The diminutive dog breed was said to have been handy for pulling the fairies’ carts and carriages, as well as for riding into battle. Though the most commonly-told tale of the discovery of corgis has human children stumbling across the dogs—whom they at first assumed to be foxes—another version tells of a battle between two warring fairy tribes, the Tywyth Teg and the Gwyllion, which resulted in the deaths of two of the Tywyth Teg.
Two children happened upon the Tywyth Teg funeral procession and were gifted the departed warriors’ noble steeds to help with their herding. As the dogs were passed on to the children, a representative of the Tywyth Teg spoke fondly of the dogs’ talents. “They are trained warriors in their own right,” he supposedly said. “But they are more than warriors: they are great helpers for the faerie folk.” The diminutive dogs were perfect for herding cows, he explained; Their short stature kept them out of the way of flying hooves when they nipped at angry cows’ heels.
The corgi’s battle-forged origin explains a few things about the high-energy breed. First off is the name: Corgi is dog in Welsh, and cor is dwarf, so corgi is literally “dog of the dwarfs.” Many corgis have a darker patch of fur under their shoulders that even today is sometimes known as the “fairy saddle.” And if corgis have a tendency to get nippy, well, that’s because fairies don’t really give gifts without strings attached.
Welsh Corgi—were gifted to two human children by the “wee folk,” who used them for any number of tasks.
The diminutive dog breed was said to have been handy for pulling the fairies’ carts and carriages, as well as for riding into battle. Though the most commonly-told tale of the discovery of corgis has human children stumbling across the dogs—whom they at first assumed to be foxes—another version tells of a battle between two warring fairy tribes, the Tywyth Teg and the Gwyllion, which resulted in the deaths of two of the Tywyth Teg.
Two children happened upon the Tywyth Teg funeral procession and were gifted the departed warriors’ noble steeds to help with their herding. As the dogs were passed on to the children, a representative of the Tywyth Teg spoke fondly of the dogs’ talents. “They are trained warriors in their own right,” he supposedly said. “But they are more than warriors: they are great helpers for the faerie folk.” The diminutive dogs were perfect for herding cows, he explained; Their short stature kept them out of the way of flying hooves when they nipped at angry cows’ heels.
The corgi’s battle-forged origin explains a few things about the high-energy breed. First off is the name: Corgi is dog in Welsh, and cor is dwarf, so corgi is literally “dog of the dwarfs.” Many corgis have a darker patch of fur under their shoulders that even today is sometimes known as the “fairy saddle.” And if corgis have a tendency to get nippy, well, that’s because fairies don’t really give gifts without strings attached.