A glossary of sorts
Jan. 31st, 2017 12:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
braingunkI thought rather than write on one topic tonight, I’d post the beginnings of a glossary some of the people, places, beings and ideas that have shaped Welsh history, culture and folklore.
As will be apparent from my postings so far, I’m not limiting this blog to folklore or the supernatural because I believe such a distinction is artificial and, to some extent, downright unhelpful. Welsh history and culture has been influenced every bit as much by supernatural as natural phenomena, otherworldly beings as people of this world, and I hope to reflect some of that diversity in future posts.
Here, then, is the first part of the glossary. I fully expect it to grow with subsequent postings and I will try to post a cumulative update from time to time. The glossary will follow the order of the Welsh alphabet[1]. The rest of the blog will not necessarily mirror this glossary (there will be entries here that are not mentioned in the blog) but I hope to include here every person, place, idea or being that I do mention in the posts.
Annwfn – Not a being but a place, the Underworld. Not to be conflated with Hell, Annwfn (sometimes spelled Annwn to reflect its common pronunciation) is a paradise ruled by variously Arawn or Gwyn ap Nudd (earlier sources say Arawn, later ones give Gwyn). Some have explain the name as the negative element ‘an’ + ‘dwfn’ (deep) while others favour ‘an’ as an intensifier giving the sense of ‘the Deep’.
Arawn – King of Annwfn in the Mabinogion
Arthur – He was Welsh and he fought against the Saxons. Got it?
Bendigeidfran – Son of Llŷr, brother of Branwen. A giant. His name translates as ‘blessed raven’. Famous for wading across the sea to Ireland and laying himself down across a chasm for his men to cross, saying .’a fo ben, bid bont’ (he who would lead, let him make a bridge). His head is buried at the White Tower in London. Now you know why there are ravens at the Tower of London.
Cantre’r Gwaelod – The Bottom Hundred. A kingdom now drowned in Bae Ceredigion (Cardigan Bay) but formerly one of the most fertile areas of Wales. It was drowned when the watchman Seithenin, resentful at being on duty when the king, Gwyddno Garanhir, was giving a feast, got drunk and fell asleep instead of shutting the floodgates. The resultant flood destroyed the kingdom for ever but on stormy nights the bells of Clychau’r Gwaelod can still be heard tolling out the alarm.
The petrified forest between Aberystwyth and Borth is frequently cited as evidence for the location of Cantre’r Gwaelod. Geologists and archæologists who have nothing better to do than meddle, try to claim that the dates for Cantre’r Gwaelod and the Forest don’t match. But what do they know?
Cŵn Annwfn – The hounds of Annwfn. Described in the Mabinogion as bright white with red ears, and not explicitly supernatural, in later accounts, Gwyn ap Nudd has replaced Arawn as king of Annwfn and the hounds’ prey is no longer deer, but human souls. They are not regarded as an omen of death but it is considered bad luck to look at them.
Cŵn Bendith y Mamau¸ Cŵn Cyrff, Cŵn Gwyn ap Nudd, Cŵn Wybr, Cŵn y Mamau, – See Cŵn Annwfn
Dinas Emrys – A hillfort and early castle in southern Eryri. According to the legend of Lludd a Llefelus, two dragons, one red and one white, were walled up beneath the foundations of the fort. Nennius, and later Geoffrey of Monmouth, reports that Myrddin (the wizard Merlin) showed them to King Gwrtheyrn (Vortigern), explaining that the two dragons represented the struggle between the Welsh (red) and the Saxons (white) for control over the Island of Britain. It is foretold that while the white may appear to have the upper hand, the red will eventually defeat it and the Saxons will be driven from Britain.
Dyfed – one of the old kingdoms of Wales, corresponding roughly to modern-day Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. The name was revived in the 1974 local government reorganisation but the county was again split in three in 1996. The name survives as a ceremonial county and as a convenient shorthand for the three counties.
Ddwfn, Plant Rhys – see Plant Rhys Ddwfn
Emrys, Dinas – See Dinas Emrys
Eryri – Snowdonia. The principal mountain range of northern Wales and home of giants such as Rhita (Gwyddfa Rhita Gawr = ‘Snowdon’) and Idris, whose cadair can be seen on the hill above Dolgellau.
Gwrach y Rhibyn – Variously the Hag of Cors Fochno/Borth Bog, who caused a form of ague/malaria (which may have been due to burning peat for fuel), or a death omen reported from Llandaf and reputedly from Caerffili castle. See http://braingunk.livejournal.com/799.html
Gwyn ap Nudd ruler of Annwfn Often depicted as a huntsman leading the wild hunt, His hound are known by several names, including Cŵn Annwfn, Cŵn Gwyn ap Nudd and Cŵn Bendith y Mamau
Iolo Morgannwg - 18th-century poet, antiquarian, hymnwriter and all-round Renaissance man. Established Gorsedd y Beirdd in 1792 and probably did more than almost anyone else to safeguard and promote the Welsh language. Now best known for forging poems by Dafydd ap Gwilym.
Llyn y Fan Fach – A glacial lake in the Brecon Beacons near Llanddeusant, Carmarthenshire. Rhiwallon married the daughter of the king of the lake fairies and founded the line of Physicians of Myddfai (See http://braingunk.livejournal.com/598.html).
Merlin – See Myrddin
Myrddin – Legendary wizard, founder of Carmarthen (Caer + Myrddin = Caerfyrddin; don’t believe what the etymologists tell you about a fort at Maridunum (Mar- -> môr, dunum -¦din), this is a post-truth blog) and adviser to Arthur. Witnessed the Battle of Arfderydd and was so traumatised by what he saw that he took to the woods and never returned to society.
Plant Rhys Ddwfn – in Dyfed, a branch of the fairy family who live on hidden islands in the sea between Cemaes (Pembs.) and Aberdaron (Llŷn). There are certain similarities between the tales of Plant Rhys Ddwfn and the legend of Cantre’r Gwaelod.
Williams, Edward – See Iolo Morgannwg
As will be apparent from my postings so far, I’m not limiting this blog to folklore or the supernatural because I believe such a distinction is artificial and, to some extent, downright unhelpful. Welsh history and culture has been influenced every bit as much by supernatural as natural phenomena, otherworldly beings as people of this world, and I hope to reflect some of that diversity in future posts.
Here, then, is the first part of the glossary. I fully expect it to grow with subsequent postings and I will try to post a cumulative update from time to time. The glossary will follow the order of the Welsh alphabet[1]. The rest of the blog will not necessarily mirror this glossary (there will be entries here that are not mentioned in the blog) but I hope to include here every person, place, idea or being that I do mention in the posts.
Annwfn – Not a being but a place, the Underworld. Not to be conflated with Hell, Annwfn (sometimes spelled Annwn to reflect its common pronunciation) is a paradise ruled by variously Arawn or Gwyn ap Nudd (earlier sources say Arawn, later ones give Gwyn). Some have explain the name as the negative element ‘an’ + ‘dwfn’ (deep) while others favour ‘an’ as an intensifier giving the sense of ‘the Deep’.
Arawn – King of Annwfn in the Mabinogion
Arthur – He was Welsh and he fought against the Saxons. Got it?
Bendigeidfran – Son of Llŷr, brother of Branwen. A giant. His name translates as ‘blessed raven’. Famous for wading across the sea to Ireland and laying himself down across a chasm for his men to cross, saying .’a fo ben, bid bont’ (he who would lead, let him make a bridge). His head is buried at the White Tower in London. Now you know why there are ravens at the Tower of London.
Cantre’r Gwaelod – The Bottom Hundred. A kingdom now drowned in Bae Ceredigion (Cardigan Bay) but formerly one of the most fertile areas of Wales. It was drowned when the watchman Seithenin, resentful at being on duty when the king, Gwyddno Garanhir, was giving a feast, got drunk and fell asleep instead of shutting the floodgates. The resultant flood destroyed the kingdom for ever but on stormy nights the bells of Clychau’r Gwaelod can still be heard tolling out the alarm.
The petrified forest between Aberystwyth and Borth is frequently cited as evidence for the location of Cantre’r Gwaelod. Geologists and archæologists who have nothing better to do than meddle, try to claim that the dates for Cantre’r Gwaelod and the Forest don’t match. But what do they know?
Cŵn Annwfn – The hounds of Annwfn. Described in the Mabinogion as bright white with red ears, and not explicitly supernatural, in later accounts, Gwyn ap Nudd has replaced Arawn as king of Annwfn and the hounds’ prey is no longer deer, but human souls. They are not regarded as an omen of death but it is considered bad luck to look at them.
Cŵn Bendith y Mamau¸ Cŵn Cyrff, Cŵn Gwyn ap Nudd, Cŵn Wybr, Cŵn y Mamau, – See Cŵn Annwfn
Dinas Emrys – A hillfort and early castle in southern Eryri. According to the legend of Lludd a Llefelus, two dragons, one red and one white, were walled up beneath the foundations of the fort. Nennius, and later Geoffrey of Monmouth, reports that Myrddin (the wizard Merlin) showed them to King Gwrtheyrn (Vortigern), explaining that the two dragons represented the struggle between the Welsh (red) and the Saxons (white) for control over the Island of Britain. It is foretold that while the white may appear to have the upper hand, the red will eventually defeat it and the Saxons will be driven from Britain.
Dyfed – one of the old kingdoms of Wales, corresponding roughly to modern-day Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. The name was revived in the 1974 local government reorganisation but the county was again split in three in 1996. The name survives as a ceremonial county and as a convenient shorthand for the three counties.
Ddwfn, Plant Rhys – see Plant Rhys Ddwfn
Emrys, Dinas – See Dinas Emrys
Eryri – Snowdonia. The principal mountain range of northern Wales and home of giants such as Rhita (Gwyddfa Rhita Gawr = ‘Snowdon’) and Idris, whose cadair can be seen on the hill above Dolgellau.
Gwrach y Rhibyn – Variously the Hag of Cors Fochno/Borth Bog, who caused a form of ague/malaria (which may have been due to burning peat for fuel), or a death omen reported from Llandaf and reputedly from Caerffili castle. See http://braingunk.livejournal.com/799.html
Gwyn ap Nudd ruler of Annwfn Often depicted as a huntsman leading the wild hunt, His hound are known by several names, including Cŵn Annwfn, Cŵn Gwyn ap Nudd and Cŵn Bendith y Mamau
Iolo Morgannwg - 18th-century poet, antiquarian, hymnwriter and all-round Renaissance man. Established Gorsedd y Beirdd in 1792 and probably did more than almost anyone else to safeguard and promote the Welsh language. Now best known for forging poems by Dafydd ap Gwilym.
Llyn y Fan Fach – A glacial lake in the Brecon Beacons near Llanddeusant, Carmarthenshire. Rhiwallon married the daughter of the king of the lake fairies and founded the line of Physicians of Myddfai (See http://braingunk.livejournal.com/598.html).
Merlin – See Myrddin
Myrddin – Legendary wizard, founder of Carmarthen (Caer + Myrddin = Caerfyrddin; don’t believe what the etymologists tell you about a fort at Maridunum (Mar- -> môr, dunum -¦din), this is a post-truth blog) and adviser to Arthur. Witnessed the Battle of Arfderydd and was so traumatised by what he saw that he took to the woods and never returned to society.
Plant Rhys Ddwfn – in Dyfed, a branch of the fairy family who live on hidden islands in the sea between Cemaes (Pembs.) and Aberdaron (Llŷn). There are certain similarities between the tales of Plant Rhys Ddwfn and the legend of Cantre’r Gwaelod.
Williams, Edward – See Iolo Morgannwg
