In Wales in the past centuries there were stories from a "wild man" who lived in the Nant Gwynant area - a very picturesque valley in the north of Wales.
If you go there on a tourist tour, you will definitely be shown a gloomy cave with the official name "Owen Lawgoch", and the unofficial "hairy man's cave". It was in it that this creature allegedly lived before.
The wild man, described as a cross between a man and a monkey, caused a lot of trouble for the peasants, raiding their fields, sheds with supplies and sheep pens.
At the same time, the creature did not just steal sheep for food, it adapted to milk cows and goats for milk. The peasants tried desperately to catch the thief, setting up ambushes and traps, but it was all to no avail.
Its invulnerability and elusiveness ultimately led people to the conclusion that they were dealing with something supernatural, perhaps with the spawn of the spirit of the valley itself.
In the collection of researcher Oll Lewis there is such an entertaining story:
“One day a shepherd was returning from the mountains later than usual and noticed something unusual on a nearby hill: a tall, humanoid creature, heavy-built, male and without clothes, but covered from head to toe with red hair.
The shepherd decided that this creature is the famous wild man who steals cattle. He cautiously walked past the savage, and then ran quickly towards the village.
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The shepherd gathered the villagers, told them what he had seen and convinced the people to attack the thief and drive him out of these places once and for all. After that, people with shouts and homemade weapons ran to that hill. Something they achieved, at the sight of them, the red-haired giant suddenly got on all fours and ran away from the hill. However, this did not bring deliverance to the villagers.
After only a few days, the savage returned to the village, stealing supplies and wreaking havoc and fear. Then people came up with a new plan and decided to set dogs on him. But this plan also failed, barely sensing the dogs, the creature rushed away at high speed, easily leaving the fastest hounds behind. And naturally, it soon began to visit the village again.
Then a man came to the village, whom everyone called a sorcerer. He said that he could help catch the ginger thief if they brought him a pure ginger hound without a single hair of a different color. After a long search, the people found such a dog and brought it to the sorcerer.
Shortly thereafter, the red hound led the people directly onto the red giant, and he seemed to be trapped at the edge of the cliff. However, when people rushed in his direction to catch him, he again managed to escape, jumping down from the cliff without harm to himself.
The people of the valley cursed this creature, which seemed to be at ease and which every time became more insolent. Even the humble local women ran out of patience. One of them was so outraged by the frequent raids of the hairy thief on her supplies that she decided to arrange an armed ambush for him.
Every night she hid in the room with supplies, ax in hand. And then one day she waited and in the middle of the night saw how a huge hairy carcass was trying to enter her house through the window. The woman did not wait for the creature to climb inside, but jumped out of her hiding place and forcefully hit him on the arm with her ax.
The blow was so strong that the monster's hand was completely severed, and he himself rushed to run away, leaving a bloody trail behind him. The next morning the whole village was awakened by the joyful news that the night thief had been wounded.
Gathered in a crowd, they followed the bloody trail, which led them to the very cave under the waterfall. They did not find anyone inside, but since then the monster has never been seen in the village again. It is assumed that he died of blood loss. After that, the cave was called “the hairy man's cave”.