Ifor Crwyn

Chronicle Entry

Recorded by Brother Wyn of Caermynach, Anno Domini 912

Occupation: Trapper
Known as: Ifor of the Hides
Active Period: c. 610-590 BC
Location: High country east of Abergwesyn
Status: Deceased before 587 BC

Ifor was a trapper who maintained trap lines in the high country east of present Abergwesyn during the early sixth century BC. He was husband to Milisandra and father to Nest ferch Ifor.

The Record

Ifor worked trap lines in the borderlands between territories claimed by Powys and the Silures of Brycheiniog. His trade involved the taking of furs, which he sold or traded in the settlement of Garth. Records indicate he dealt primarily in fox pelts, though the full extent of his trapping activities remains unrecorded.

He possessed both bronze and iron implements, notable for that period when iron remained costly in the borderlands. His tools included a bronze skinning knife suitable for processing pelts and small game, and an iron spearhead acquired through trade for approximately half a winter's catch of furs. The spearhead was not yet hafted at the time of his wife's death, indicating either recent acquisition or intended future use.

Ifor possessed knowledge of medicinal plants and wound treatment, skills which he taught to his daughter Nest. The extent of this knowledge suggests either formal instruction from another healer or practical experience accumulated through necessity in isolated country. His teaching methods focused on practical survival skills appropriate to borderlands life.

He maintained no dogs during his marriage, expressing the view that such animals departed when most needed and proved unreliable after extended hunting trips. This position changed following his wife's death, when he acquired a working dog named Griff as a puppy from Garth. The timing of this acquisition suggests a reassessment of defensive needs after the wolf attack which killed Milisandra.

History

In approximately 605 BC, Ifor traveled to Garth to purchase bronze needles and sinew thread, trading winter furs for these items. During his absence, three wolves attacked his wife while she gathered medicinal plants near a stream. Milisandra concealed their daughter Nest in a gorse thicket before drawing the wolves away, sacrificing herself to preserve the child.

Ifor returned to discover his wife dead and the wolves still present near the thicket where his daughter remained hidden. He retrieved the iron spearhead from his pack and killed two of the three wolves. The third fled. He then extracted his daughter from the thorns, where she had received a permanent facial scar during her concealment.

Following his wife's death, Ifor raised his daughter alone in the high country. Contemporary accounts suggest a period of prolonged silence and withdrawal after the loss of Milisandra. He continued his trapping work and taught Nest the skills necessary for survival in isolated territory, including the identification and preparation of healing plants, the treatment of wounds, and the reading of weather and terrain.

The date and circumstances of Ifor's death remain unrecorded. He died sometime before 587 BC, when his daughter was forced to flee the borderlands. No accounts survive regarding his final years or the location of his burial.

Last Record

Ifor was last mentioned in connection with events occurring before 587 BC. His daughter Nest worked as a healer in the borderlands during that year, employing knowledge which originated with her father's teaching. The specific date of his death and circumstances thereof remain unrecorded in sources available to this chronicler.

Category: Persons

Tags: Trappers, Iron Age, Abergwesyn, Fathers