Afanc: The Lake Titan
The Thing in the Deep
The lakes of Wales—Llyn Llion, Llyn y Fanod—are deceptively calm. They are black mirrors reflecting the grey sky. But local history explicitly warns against disturbing the surface. The water is deep, cold, and it hides something that has survived since the glacial age.
When the surface breaks, it is not a fish. It is not an otter. It is a wave of displacement caused by something massive rising from the silt. The Afanc has woken up.
The Breaker of Banks
The Afanc is a creature of catastrophic potential. In Welsh folklore, it is blamed for the flooding of the entire British Isle. It is not just a predator. It is an environmental hazard.
Descriptions of the beast vary, suggesting a creature that defies simple classification. Some accounts describe it as a titanic beaver, capable of felling ancient oaks to build dams. Others describe it as a crocodile-hybrid or a demonic toad. What is consistent is its mass. It is dense, heavy, and practically immovable. When it thrashes in anger, the resulting waves breach the banks and swallow villages whole.
Titan Physiology
The Afanc is built for one purpose: dominance of the freshwater ecosystem.
- The Hide: Its skin is described as impenetrable rock-like plating. Swords shatter against it. Arrows bounce off. It is essentially a living tank.
- The Tail: A broad, muscular appendage used to generate tsunamis in confined bodies of water. A single slap can capsize a boat or crush ribs.
- The Weight: It is so heavy that legends say it required the strength of enchanted oxen to move it even an inch.
The Oxen of Hu Gadarn
You cannot kill the Afanc. You can only relocate it.
The hero Hu Gadarn understood this. To stop the floods, he did not bring a sword. He brought engineering. He used his two mighty oxen—the Ychain Bannog—to haul the monster from Llyn Llion using massive iron chains. The struggle was tectonic. As the oxen pulled, the earth groaned and the chains sang with tension. One of the oxen exerted such force that its eye popped from its socket, shedding a tear that formed a new river.
They dragged the beast up the mountain and dropped it into Llyn y Fannog, a lake enclosed by steep cliffs. It is a prison, but the prisoner is still alive.
Survival Protocols
If you find yourself near a deep, still lake in the Welsh mountains, observe strict caution.
- Do Not Disturb the Water: Throwing stones or splashing is seen as a challenge. Keep the surface calm.
- Avoid the Edges: The Afanc is an ambush predator. It lurks in the drop-offs near the shore, waiting to drag large prey (cattle, horses, humans) into the crushing depths.
- The Lullaby: Myths suggest the creature can be lulled to sleep by music. If trapped, a soft, rhythmic melody might buy enough time to escape, though this is a desperate measure.
The Sleeping Disaster
The Afanc is not dead. It is strictly contained. Paradoxically, the safety of the valley depends on the beast staying bored.
The Final Warning
If ripples appear in the center of the lake when there is no wind, back away slowly; let the sleeper lie.
