𖣂 The Treasure of Penyard Castle
A hidden treasure. A watchful jackdaw. And two pieces of wood said to offer protection.
High above the Wye Valley, the ruins of Penyard Castle hold more than stones and forgotten walls.
They hold stories. One local legend tells of a farmer who ventured beneath the castle in search of hidden treasure. He arrived with twenty oxen, carrying a whip made from rowan and a piece of yew for protection.
Deep beneath the ruins, he discovered iron doors. When they opened, he found a chamber filled with treasure, guarded by an enormous black jackdaw.
But before he could take anything, the doors suddenly slammed shut. A mysterious voice warned him that without the rowan and yew he carried, he and his oxen would have been drawn inside. He didn't wait to find out what would happen next. He ran.
𖧧 Rowan & Yew
The most intriguing part of the story isn't the treasure.
It's the Rowan and Yew.
Both trees have long associations with protection and folklore, and in the Penyard legend they become the objects that keep the farmer safe. Whether the story began as a warning, a piece of local folklore, or something passed down simply because it made a good tale, the symbolism has endured.
Protection carried in something as ordinary as wood.
That idea feels particularly at home in LunaWye.
🐦⬛ The Watcher Beneath
the Castle
And then there's the jackdaw. A creature watching over something hidden. A guardian of a place that isn't meant to be entered lightly.
Perhaps that's why this story feels less like a tale about finding treasure and more like a story about knowing when to leave something untouched. Not every hidden thing is meant to be taken.
Some things are simply meant to be discovered, respected, and left behind.
⏾ A LunaWye
Thread
The Penyard legend has inspired a question:
What would a guardian of Penyard look like today?
Rowan.
Yew.
The watchful jackdaw.
The old castle above the Wye.
These are the threads LunaWye is beginning to explore. Any ritual, artwork or handmade piece that grows from this story will be a new LunaWye creation inspired by local folklore, rather than a recreation of an ancient ritual.
Old story. New interpretation.
📖 A note on the story
The tale of Penyard Castle belongs to local folklore and has been retold through different sources. LunaWye shares it as a legend, rather than presenting the events as documented historical fact.
Where possible, we'll explore the history behind the places and separate what is known from what has been passed down through story.
That's part of the journey.
༄ From the Wye
Penyard sits within the landscape that surrounds LunaWye.
Not far from Ross-on-Wye, its ruins, woodland and stories are part of the wider tapestry of the Wye Valley.
Moon-inspired. River-rooted. ⏾༄