Did you know that according to local folklore Brittany in France has its very own Atlantis? The mythical City of Ys is steeped in Breton folklore and tales of its grandeur and destruction have captivated audiences for centuries.
Legend has it that this splendid city, ruled over by the pious King Gradlon, fell victim to the folly of his daughter, Princess Dahut, and sank beneath the waves. Nestled on the coast of Brittany, Ys became a submerged realm, lost to the depths.
For generations, people have wondered if Ys ever truly existed. Was it once real, lost to a princess? Or was its existence merely a legend?
The Legend of Ys
There are lots of different versions of the legend of Ys but most of them follow the same basic outline and feature most of the same major figures. Most versions tell how King Gradlon ruled over the city of Ys.
Ys is described as having been reclaimed from the sea and, like most legendary lost cities, is said to have been a land of impressive wealth and advanced culture. Gradlon’s palace alone was built of marble, cedar, and gold.
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Some versions tell how the king built the city for his favorite daughter Dahut (although she doesn’t appear in the earliest versions of the tale). Ys was said to be protected from the sea by a dike with a gate that could be opened during low tide. Only one man had the key to the gate, King Gradlon himself.
Usually, Gradlon is depicted as being a pious figure, while Dahut is the opposite, wayward and rebellious. Some versions (especially later ones) go as far as having her being an unrepentant sinner or even an amoral sorceress. In nearly every version of the myth, it is she who is responsible for Ys’s destruction.
How? Well, that depends on the interpretation. In most cases Dahut steals the key from her sleeping father, usually because she’s trying to sneak one of her many lovers into the palace. She then drunkenly uses the key to open the gate instead of the palace doors, inviting in the sea’s deluge.
Others depict Dahut as being downright evil. In these versions she takes a new lover every night, entertaining them at night before killing them and dumping their bodies into the city’s surrounding waters.
Eventually, her acts bring a divine curse down on the city, catching Satan’s attention. One night he seduces Dahut in the form of a Red Knight and convinces her to give him her father’s keys. He then opens the gates, destroying the city.
The thing that all the versions featuring Dahut share, however, is that she comes to an untimely end. The stories tell how as the waters are drowning the city’s residents the king awakens (sometimes at the behest of St. St. Gwénnolé or St. Corentin,) and attempts to flee the city on horseback with his daughter. As they are escaping a voice calls out (sometimes the voice of St. Gwennolé) and tells the king if he wants to live and perhaps save his city, he must sacrifice his daughter.
He does so and lives, but the city still sinks beneath the waves, killing all those who lived there. In some versions Dahut then becomes a mermaid who haunts the region’s seas, singing sad songs to lure souls to her.
The Truth Behind the Legend
There’s no evidence that Ys was based on a real city, nor that its events were inspired by history. Instead, its origins lie in Celtic folklore, where stories about Gradlon go back many centuries. The stories featuring Dahut and Ys are much newer, originating from the 15-17th centuries.
These stories often have a Christian influence and emphasize that Ys was destroyed because of its inhabitants’ sinful behavior. These versions, such as those written by Albert Le Grand, describe Dahut as the main instigator but in them, it is God’s wrath that destroys Ys, not Dahut accidentally opening the gates. Dahut’s sins are just the straw that broke the camel’s back.
In these Christian retellings, it is often Saint St. Gwénnolé who comes to the rescue and saves King Gradlon as his subjects drown. Why only him? Because Gradlon’s conversion to Christianity and pious lifestyle mean he is the only one worth saving. Dahut suffers the worst fate because she is the worst of the sinners.
You can clearly see what happened with these later versions. Basically, during the medieval period, the church took a piece of Celtic folklore and turned it into a biblical cautionary tale similar to Sodom and Gomorrah or the Tower of Babel.
It was a way for it to reinforce its power and instill fear into the locals of Brittany. Be good or God will drown you all, after all he’s done it before.
The City of Ys stands as a reminder of the enduring power of myth and folklore, weaving a captivating narrative that transcends time. While its existence remains unverified, the legend of Ys enriches Breton culture and storytelling traditions. The cautionary tale of Ys serves as a poignant reminder of the consequences of hubris and the unpredictable forces of nature.
Whether seen as an allegory or a fantastical story, Ys power as a cautionary tale served the Church well for a long time, leaving an undeniable mark on the cultural landscape of Brittany. Its submerged splendor may be confined to the realm of legend, but the enduring allure of Ys persists, resonating through generations.
Top Image: The Flight of King Gradlon from the Lost City of Ys, 1884. Source: Évariste Vital Luminais / Public Domain.
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