From Wales comes this tale of young Huw, whose lilting harp music enchants Tylwyth Teg, the magic people of Bearded Lake. From the depths of the black lake comes the gift of a beautiful silver cow; and the cow is magic, for its milk is three times as rich as the milk of an ordinary cow, and she gives three times as much. Huw’s father is a selfish and greedy man, and his wealth makes him greedier than ever. Huw tries to make his father see the magic, but he scoffs at Tylwyth Teg…until they seek their revenge.

That’s the blurb from Susan Cooper’s book and a very nice story it is. My retelling takes us over the hills at West Town Farm to a silver lake. I take the idea of the cycle of drying cows out so they are not always in milk and the greed of the parent who wants rich (in all ways) milk all the time. The moment of the flash of greedy anger and violence that breaks the magic and sees the cow returning to the lake leaving Huw to play his music alone over the water of the lake.

It formed part of Cow Tales a story walk across the farm drawing upon cattle stories from other cultures and times.

Storybook reference: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Silver-Cow/Susan-Cooper/9780689715129