The Crystal Jar
A legend from a lost world
One of the fun parts of writing The Druid Chronicles has been making up legendary tales for my imaginary bards to recall at key points in the larger story. Today’s post is from the fourth book in the series* when Caelym, a young Druid priest, is leading a small group of followers into the wilderness with insufficient supplies and an overwhelming task ahead of them. The story’s title character is Teidhwrn, a Druid with magical powers and the tale Caelym recalls is said to be the last story in a series of adventures Teidhwrn has had while traveling on the back of an extremely large eagle.
Teidhwrn’s Tale
[kneeling down and] gazing at his reflection in the pool’s still waters, Caelym opened his arms and rested them, palms up, on his thighs as the words of that last tale flowed through his mind, beginning when Teidhwrn, having promised a throng of his fellow Druids that he would find the answer to what lay beyond the curtain that separates life from death, mounted his eagle, Gwynglad, and flew off.
The majestic bird carried his master through the clouds and into the spirit world where they traveled far and wide. When Teidhwrn had learned all there was to know, he sat on the bank of an infinitely vast lake, composing his tale while Gwynglad perched at the top of a towering tree. Finishing the last lines, Teidhwrn remained seated in deep contemplation, as among the many things he’d learned was why, of all mortal beings, only birds could travel both to and from the spirit realm—and so he knew that Gwynglad could not bear him home again.
And yet Teidhwrn had vowed to his fellow Druids that he would tell them what he learned and he could not bear the shame of having made an empty boast.
After sitting and pondering for what might have been hours, days, or weeks, Teidhwrn rose and walked out, waist deep, into the lake. Cupping his hands, he drew up a whirling column of water, turning it like a potter shaping a jar while chanting the words of the saga he’d composed. Once the spinning water turned into a solid vessel, clear like ice but impervious to heat, Teidhwrn waved his hand over the top, sealing in his tale.
That done, Teidhwrn waded back to shore, called Gwynglad down from the tree, and gave him the jar, telling him to carry it back to the mortal world and give it to the chief of the Druid council with the instruction that he was to call all of their greatest bards to gather around, prepared to memorize everything they heard when the jar's lid was lifted.
With a final word of farewell, the eagle soared into the air and back into the mortal realm.
Gwynglad was winging swiftly over the mountain peaks that lay to the north of the plains where pastures and villages spread out around the great walls of the king’s palace, a vast shining citadel with the high spire of the Druids’ tower at its center. With his eagle’s vision, he could see tiny figures waiting on the tower’s ramparts, their robes blowing in the wind and their arms raised in greeting.
Below him, frightened by his shadow, a flock of ducks rose from a lake.
In the spirit realm where there was no need to eat, all animals, large and small, the hunters and the hunted, live together in peace. In the mortal world, Gwynglad’s ravenous hunger returned. Forgetting his mission, he dove, dropping the crystal jar as he stretched out his talons to take his prey.
The jar fell, spiraling, to crash on the top of the highest of the craggy peaks, splintering into crystal shards that scattered, tumbling over the edge of the steep cliffs to be caught by the wind and spread across the ridges and ravines.
As traditionally told, Teidhwrn’s final tale, ended with the lament, “and so it is that the living will never know what lies beyond the curtain between our world and the next,” along with the parting solace, “yet, Teidhwrn’s labors were not entirely in vain, for now and again a down-hearted traveler will come across a fragment of that jar and, if the light is just right, they will see a glimpse of what Teidhwrn saw and their spirits will be restored.”
*The Quarry, to be published by She Writes Press, Fall 2025
Pronunciation of Celtic names in this series is loosely based on modern Welsh. When used as a vowel, W is intended to be pronounced like the oo in book and while EI can be approximated by the English “ay” as in “bay” so that Teidhwrn may be pronounced Taydhoorn. The y in Gwynglad Y sounds like the “u” in “fun” making Gwynglad “Gwunglad”. (see welshcheat.pdf)
Author’s Note: While the books in The Druid Chronicles are available at all major book sellers, I encourage readers to patronize their local book store or, if unavailable there, to consider purchase through Bookshop.org.