Widow Megan lived by the stream at Devil’s Bridge with her cow Melon and her dog Smala. She lived from the sale of the butter she made from the plentiful supply of milk from Melan who was one day grazing on the opposite bank when she was cut off by torrential rain that swelled the stream.
Megan immediately thought of the need for a bridge as she saw her cows plight when she went out to milk her. At the same moment she saw a monk, with his face hidden, in the white robes of the Cistercian order from Strata Florida Abbey. He told her to go back into her cottage whilst he performed a miracle of building a bridge across the stream and in return she must promise to give him the first living soul to cross it when it was finished.
Later on he called her out and there was a stone bridge spanning the gorge-but he and Melan were on the opposite side from Megan. He shouted to her that she must cross to fetch the cow but as he did so a gust of wind blew his head cowl open and Megan saw two horns and knew he was not a monk but the Devil himself. Just in time Megan remembered her promise and realized it was she he wanted-the first living soul to cross the bridge – and she did not cross.
The Devil asked if she was afraid to cross so she said she was not sure the bridge would even take the weight of the crust of bread she was holding-to which the Devil said throw it over the bridge and see for yourself but she threw it over the bridge to the other side whereupon her dog Smala ran across to retrieve it. Now the Devil was enraged and shouted ‘what use is the dog to me’? and at that very moment he vanished into a cloud of smoked and flames.
Megan then gingerly crossed the bridge and returned with Melan and Smala.