Dinas Emrys is a rocky hill above Nantgwynant where, according to the Mabinogion and the Historia Brittonum, the wizard Merlin revealed the true reason King Vortigern's tower kept collapsing: a red dragon and a white dragon, fighting in a hidden pool beneath the foundations. Archaeology has confirmed 5th-century occupation of the site. This intersection of mythology and historical evidence makes Dinas Emrys one of the most layered places in Eryri. This is Experience #43 of the Snowdonia 100.
The Legend
The story: Vortigern, fleeing the Saxons, attempts to build a fortress on this hill. Each morning the stones laid the day before have sunk into the earth. His advisors say he needs to sprinkle the blood of a fatherless child on the foundations. The child brought to him — Merlin (Myrddin Emrys) — instead reveals the true cause: two dragons in a pool beneath the hill, whose struggles cause the subsidence. The red dragon defeats the white. The red dragon of Wales, on the national flag since at least the 7th century, may have its origins in this story.
| Location | Above Nantgwynant, 2km northeast of Beddgelert |
| Access | National Trust land — short steep path from the A498 |
| Time needed | 45–60 minutes return |
| Archaeology | 5th–6th century occupation confirmed; pool exists on summit |
The Archaeology
Archaeological excavation of Dinas Emrys confirmed occupation in the post-Roman period — the 5th and 6th centuries — with evidence of a high-status settlement including imported Mediterranean pottery. The pool mentioned in the legend exists: a small marshy depression on the summit platform. Whether this inspired the legend or the legend inspired its preservation is an open question. Either way, the site connects the mythological and the historical in a way that few places in Wales can match.
Experience #43 of 100 — Heritage category.
Independently written — Snowdon.com