Nevertheless, the legend of Gelert may have been known locally before Prichard’s arrival, and historical records verify that Prince Llewelyn ab Iowerth had a staghound called Gelert, or “Killhart,” given to him in 1205 by his father-in-law, King John of England. Indeed, another explanation for the town’s name is based on Gelert’s hunting prowess; as this story goes, Llewelyn buried his beloved Gelert where the hound fell dead after chasing a stag for thirteen miles.

Whether Gelert in fact saved Llewelyn’s son from a wolf we do not know, but the premise of the story—an animal falsely accused of harming a child when in fact it has saved the child—is plausible and undoubtedly has happened more than once. In fact, we find similar traditional stories in other parts of the world (some with heroes other than dogs), and writers have given the idea literary treatment, as in Rudyard Kipling’s short story “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.” The English poet William Spencer was inspired by the Gelert legend to set the story in verse (see sidebar).

The meaning of the legend

Gelert forgave his master with a lick of the hand, and died.

In a sense, it doesn’t matter whether the legend of Gelert, or any legend, is factual. For a legend can be true in another sense—the same sense that a folktale or song or novel can be true. To the Victorian Britons who so honored the memory of Gelert, perhaps the legend had special resonance. Gelert courageously defended not only the child of his friend and master but the future of the nation itself, invested in the person of the young prince. He was faithful to his duty and willingly accepted the monarch’s will—and therefore that of the state—though it meant his own death. In days when the sun never set on the British Empire, such devotion was widely esteemed.

But the messages of the legend aren’t just for British Victorians. In the story of Gelert and Llewelyn we find a number of still-relevant cultural (dare I say universal?) truths that, though embedded here in the story of a man and a hound, have far wider application. It is true that judgments made in haste and founded on raw emotion are often unwise and unjust. It is true that actions carried out in the heat of passion may lead to long regret.