Tradition: Welsh Mythology
Alternative Names: Ychain Banog, the Mighty Oxen, the Prominent Oxen of Hu Gadarn
Category: Cow
The Myth
The Ychain Banog were a pair of mighty oxen associated with Hu Gadarn, the legendary figure who appears in Welsh tradition. They were enormous and powerful beasts, renowned for their extraordinary strength. A terrible water-monster lived concealed beneath an enchanted lake, where it terrorized the surrounding region. The monster is described in some traditions as a crocodile and in others as a dragon. The Ychain Banog were harnessed to draw the creature from the depths of the lake. The oxen strained with all their strength as they dragged the enormous monster from its watery hiding place.
The struggle was so immense that one of the mighty oxen died from the exertion. The surviving ox continued the struggle, and its tremendous bellowing was said to split the mountain in two. Thus the Ychain Banog became remembered as the mighty oxen whose supernatural strength was used to overcome the monstrous creature lurking beneath the lake.
Sources
Sikes, W. (2017). British Goblins: Welsh Folk-Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (Classic Reprint) Forgotten Books, p. 109.