The Peculiarities of the Poetry

The ancient Britons were undoubtedly brave, but they wanted unanimity and discipline, and to these causes must be attributed the success both of the Romans and the Saxons. Had their prudence been as great as their courage and their unanimity as strong and lasting as their love of liberty, no enemy durst have landed, or if he had, it would have been only to find a speedy grave.

Memoir of Aneurin

Aneurin, though called monarch of the Bards, on account of his splendid talents, was not a regular one, as war was totally inconsistent with the principles of Bardism. No Bard was permitted to carry arms, nor was a naked weapon to be held in his presence. Some indeed transgressed its laws after initiation, for the patriotic purpose of defending the liberties of their country, but such violations were so rare and singular that a Triad was formed of the three following ones.

“The three bards of the isle of Britain, who tinged spears with blood;

Tristvardd, the Bard of Urien;

Dygynnelw, the Bard of Owen;

And Avan Verdigg, the Bard of Cadwallawn, the son of Cadvan.”

⋅ Nota Bene ⋅

(Ha! There goes that popular fantasy trope that likes to use bards as a combination of thief, spy and assassin class.)

Memoir of Aneurin

Historians have severely censured the Britons for their dishonourable strain of lamentation to Ætius the consul, and for subsequently applying to the Saxons for assistance; but though there is considerable ground for blame, there are two things which greatly exonerate them, and which ought to soften the asperity of writers. When the Britons petitioned the Romans they were indeed defenceless, as the emperor Maximus had marched the flower of their youth into Gaul, and left few, besides old men and children, in the island. These, being sorely pressed by the Picts, and being incapable of defending themselves, naturally applied for aid; but had their heroes never been led into foreign countries, to perish in the Roman wars, such applications would have been unnecessary, and, from the courage of the Britons, it is not unreasonable to believe, would never have been made.

Further, the execrable Vortigern was the cause of application being made to the Saxons. That great but wicked man seized the throne by imbruing his hands in blood, and dreading the just resentment of his countrymen, he betrayed them, by artfully pretending danger, and forming an alliance with that powerful but treacherous nation. But though deprived of their youth and betrayed by their sovereign, the Britons made a noble stand, and bravely disputed every inch of ground with their enemies; hence the assertions, that they generally fled at the appearance of the Saxons, are as untrue as they are ungenerous.

⋅ Nota Bene ⋅

(To summarize: The Gododin is a poem from the time when the Britons got drunk before a big battle and subsequently lost to the Saxons. Aneurin is estimated to have been born around the 6th century. This bit is from the introduction and it was written around 1820.)

The Red Bandits of Montgomery

They declared they caught colds and sneezed oftener, than in the times gone by. The chimneys, they said, cost too much money, and were useless extravagances. They got along well enough, in the good old days, when the smoke had its own way of getting out. Then, it took plenty of time to pass through the doors and windholes, for no one person or thing was in a hurry, when they were young. Moreover, when the fireplace was in the middle of the floor, the whole family sat around it and had a sociable time.

⋅ Nota Bene ⋅

(The Red Bandits were an actual thing c. 16th century Wales, called the Red Bandits of Mawddwy. Also, the chimneys did allow for new ways of cooking but they had a low fuel efficiency; so low, in fact, that Europe suffered from deforestation in the 14th century. Also, Japan still has houses with similar open fireplaces called irori (囲炉裏, “sunken hearth”. The urban version of this is called hibachi (火鉢, “brazier”. They’re both really quite lovely.)

Why the Back Door was Front

“It’s no matter now, if you only do as I ask you. Shut up your front door, build a wall in its place, and then my family will not suffer from yours.”

The Welsh Fairies Hold a Meeting

All over the world, the Welsh folks, who do so passionately love music, poetry and their own grand language, hold the Eistedfodd at regular intervals. Thus they renew their love for the Fatherland and what they received long ago from their ancestors.

The Welshery and the Normans

Though their land has been many times invaded, the Welsh have never been conquered. Powerful tribes, like the Romans, Saxons and Normans, have tried to overwhelm them. Even when the English and German kings attempted to crush their spirit and blot out their language and literature, the Welsh resisted and won victory.

A Boy That Visited Fairyland

To the elves, human beings were never satisfied, or long happy, even when they got what they wanted.

Giant Tom and Giant Blubb

They were the British people, and nobody ever heard the German name, “Wales,” which means a foreign land; or the word “Welsh,” which refers to foreigners, until men who were themselves outsiders came into Britain.

The Touch of Iron

By this time, the man was so vexed that he lost his temper; and he who does that, usually loses the game, while he who controls the wrath within, wins.

The Great Red Dragon of Wales

When the tent flap was opened for all to see, nothing was visible except a red dragon; for the victorious serpent had turned into this great creature which combined in one new form the body and the powers of bird, beast, reptile and fish. It had wings to fly, the strongest animal strength, and could crawl, swim, and live in either water or air, or on earth. In its body was the sum total of all life.

∞

As for the boy, he became a great magician, or, as we in our age would call him, a man of science and wisdom, named Merlin. He lived long on the mountain, but when he went away with a friend, he placed all his treasures in a golden cauldron and hid them in a cave. He rolled a great stone over its mouth. Then with sod and earth he covered it all over so as to hide it from view. His purpose was to leave this his wealth for a leader, who, in some future generation, would use it for the benefit of his country, when most needed.

This special person will be a youth with yellow hair and blue eyes. When he comes to Denas, a bell will ring to invite him into the cave. The moment his foot is over the place, the stone of entrance will open of its own accord. Anyone else will be considered an intruder and it will not be possible for him to carry away the treasure.

How the Cymry Land Became Inhabited

Men might be born, live and die, come and go, like leaves on the trees, which expand in the springtime and fall in the autumn; but their songs, and poetry, and noble language never die. Even to-day, the Cymry love the speech of their fathers almost as well as they love their native land.

The Mighty Monster Afang

The Cymric men were not surprised at this, for they knew that girls were very sweet and they almost worshiped women. So they learned to guard their daughters and wives. They saw that to do such things as eating up people was in the nature of the beast, which could never be taught good manners.

The Lost Legend of Arthur

by Steve Blake and Scott Lloyd

“Many books have been written about Arthur, discussing the sites of his battles, his courts and his burial, and locating them in widely separated places across the island of Britain. However, this book will travel into what for many people is unfamiliar territory: into a language, culture and landscape far removed from the contents of Arthurian volumes. You will find no Glastonbury, no Tintagel or Winchester, and no Camelot in this book, for these have little, if anything, to do with the real origins of Arthur. Nor will you find any mention of the famous Merlin, for this ancient Welsh figure had nothing to do with Arthur before the twelfth century. Instead you will be led through the traditions and poems of a time before the Norman invasion of Britain, to the very origins of the story of Arthur and a landscape that has remembered the passing of its heroes in the names of its hills, valleys and rivers.”

I am dreadful at making recommendations. I read mostly in English, which isn’t my mother language, and oftentimes I find it hard to gather my thoughts and arrange them into foreign words.

I don’t know how to express what I liked about this book for I liked the whole book overall; I liked the glimpses of Wales history, its language and landscape and heroes. I liked how, in a sense, this book took Arthur home, away from the Norman and Continental  and ecclesiastical propaganda, and the fiction of Sir Thomas Malory.

I would recommend this book for anyone interested in the origins of Arthur; but I suppose most of all I would recommend this book for the Welsh. One of my dearest wishes is that people would remember the stories of their past and their heroes.

(Although the Welsh might know more than I do; for my knowledge of the Welsh folklore so far is this book and the Gododin. I’d like to read more but so far I haven’t had the money to buy other books.)

Pennant Gouut yg gwrthir Uffern

This is a place name mentioned in the Y Gogledd, likely an abbreviation from Bonedd Gwŷr y Gogledd (The Lineage of the Men of the North), an old Welsh manuscript.

Apparently this name translates as: “The Valley of Grief in the Uplands of Hell.”

I must say, I approve of this name! It sounds like a pleasant place to be.