#Welsh mountain song

[mysterious-wet-stain]

[katjadarkrider]

Soldier & Quest

StarStable Edit

Original post date: 19th October 2020

App: Procreate & Ibis Paint X

Time: 2h

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

Hello from the other side of the world. Could you share a little about hiraeth? It's okay if not, I know you said it was hard to explain, but I'm guessing the Wikipedia article is, ah, very simplistic.

What was the feeling that made it silent like a church? Introspection? Was it because of the specific music of tha song, or is the subject of hiraeth always this impactful?

Sorry if this is dumb or insensitive or something, I really know next to nothing about Welsh culture (my country wasn't even invaded by the British Empire, if you can believe it), but that part of the story really stood out to me, and the way you explained it so casually to your friend and he seems to have just understood makes me feel like I'm missing a very big piece of context.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your adventures and shenanigans with us, and it's okay if this is too complicated for right now.

The number of places Britain didn't try to colonise is so low that makes you a unicorn, I think. Congrats!

Happy to explain though, no worries. Part of it is the song itself, which is worth a listen to get the vibe; I do mean a bit of a hush fell over the moderately busy restaurant. It's got hella vibes.

But yes, hiraeth is a very important concept in Welsh. The best translation is 'homesickness', or maybe 'yearning', but it's more complex and nuanced than that. Sort of hard to explain. I've seen it used to describe the urge Welsh people get, when they've been away from Wales for too long, to reconnect; to journey back and climb a mountain and look down into the valley and let your soul heal. I've seen it described as the feeling of bone-deep belonging, the sense of coming home that some people feel who visit Wales for the first time, and find it speaks to them. The land reaching out for the soul, the mountains into the mind. That's hiraeth.

(There's a poem that turns up on Welsh tourist tea towels a lot, no idea where from, but it sums it up as: "To be born Welsh is to be born privileged. Not with a silver spoon in your mouth, but with music in your blood and poetry in your soul.")

I've also seen it described in internet memes as "longing for a home you can never return to", which in typical Anglophone fashion, is almost right while fundamentally misunderstanding and stripping away the most important part. Because it's the longing for a Wales we can never return to. The version of our past, without English occupation, that can never exist again. Thanks to Wales having had a fairly complex cultural and historical makeup, we were not unified as a single country until after English occupation; plenty of unified elements existed before that (uniting under a dragon to drive out the invading Saxons, for example), but not what in the modern day we'd understand as a country. But we ARE a country now; so it's a sort of shared dream. The country we could have been, should have been, can never be. The lost version of us.

That's hiraeth. It's all hiraeth. And it's all specifically Wales.

[scotianostra]

On November 21st 1835 James Hogg, the poet known as the Ettrick shepherd, died in Ettrick.

As his date of birth is unknown and only a gueestimate, and it being so close, I will forgo the December date and concentrate on todays post.

Like Burns and Scott, James Hogg was keenly interested in Song.  He published a book of music known as The Forest Minstrel.  Originally published in 1810, The Forest Minstrel is the complete collection of songs by Hogg, featuring his first compositions as a shepherd in Ettrick and those inspired by early contact with the literary culture of Edinburgh. Hogg also taught himself to play the fiddle, and rapidly began to make a name for himself as "Jamie the Poeter", a singer of traditional ballards and reciter of the rich folklore of the Scottish Borders, he could also draw, as seen in the pic which shows The River Esk in Roslin Glen, a body of water I know very well.

James Hogg was born on a farm near Ettrick Forest in Selkirk and baptized there onor around December 9th. The house that James Hogg was born in was at Ettrick Hall, a few miles from St Mary's Loch. Here a statue commemorates his birth. He lived here for the first seven years of his life. James Hogg had little education, and became a shepherd, living in poverty. His father was a shepherd and he too took on the title, hence his nickname, The Ettrick Shepherd. His employer, James Laidlaw of Blackhouse, seeing how hard he was working to improve himself, offered to help by making books available. Hogg used these to essentially teach himself to read and write. He had achieved this by the age of 14. In 1796 Robert Burns died, and Hogg, who had only just come to hear of him, was devastated by the loss. He struggled to produce poetry of his own, and Laidlaw introduced him to Sir Walter Scott, who asked him to help with a publication entitled The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. In 1801, Hogg visited Edinburgh for the first time.

His own collection, The Mountain Bard, was published in 1807 and became a best-seller, allowing him to buy a farm of his own. Having made his name, he started a literary magazine, The Spy, and his epic story-poem, The Queen's Wake (the setting being the return to Scotland of Queen Mary after her exile in France), was published in 1813 and was another big success. Yesterdays subject of a post, William Blackwood recruited him for the Edinburgh Magazine, and he was introduced to William Wordsworth and several other well-known literary figures. He was given a farm by the Duke of Buccleuch, and settled down there for the rest of his life.

Hogg had already made his reputation as a prose writer with a practical treatise on sheep's diseases; and in 1824 his novel, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, was another major success. He became better known than his hero, Burns, had ever been.

Hogg's poetry and essays were not as widely read as in his contemporary era. However "Justified Sinner" remains important and is now seen as one of the major Scottish novels of its time, and absolutely crucial in terms of exploring one of the key themes of Scottish culture and identity: You might be surprised to know that the Scottish novelist Irvine Welsh cited Hogg, especially "Justified Sinner" as a major influence on his writing.

Hogg published mainly poetry until he was in his late forties. A particularly notable poem from this period is The Queen's wake, a book-length narrative in which the poets of Scotland assemble at Holyrood Palace for a bardic contest to celebrate the return of Mary Queen of Scots from France. A notable series of novels followed. Hogg's alternative version of James Macpherson's Ossian poem, Fingal. Many of Hogg's best later poems were collected in A Queer book.

Hogg's writings explore the supernatural with great power and sophistication, as in The Justified sinner, which is regarded by many as the greatest of all Scottish novels. Equally powerful is The Three perils of Woman, which explores the terrible aftermath of Culloden. The Three perils of Man is Hogg's version of a Medieval romance. Overflowing with vivacity, this novel is full of devilry and witchcraft. Much of the action takes place at Aikwood in the Ettrick valley, where Gibbie Jordan witnesses a wedding between a demon and a witch.

Aikwood Tower was until recently the home a Hogg exhibition that was open to the public during the tourist season. The Hogg exhibition has since moved as Aikwood is no longer open to the public.

Many of you will know by now I prefer shorter poems, I will leve a link below where you can find more of his work, but for now here is one of his shortest poems.

O, love, love, love! Love is like a dizziness; It winna let a puir body Gang about his biziness!

[musicblogwales]

P E I R I A N T - New 'Dychwelyd' Album via NAWR

Welsh-Born Experiemental Drone-Folk Duo 'Peiriant' have released their sublime new album 'Dychwelyd' meaning to 'return' on the 5th of July via the Welsh experimental moniker 'NAWR Music'.

Dychwelyd explores the act of returning to source. It is born from the experience of homecoming and returning to a landscape and culture. Returning to strengthen roots and bring up a young family, albeit a move inland from where we grew up to a place dominated by hills and woven through with rivers. Y Mynyddoedd Ddu/ Black mountains of Bannau Brycheiniog frame our landscape - ancient hills with a rawness and freedom, which connect us through the ages to a sense of place.

'DYCHWELYD' TRACKLISTING

Taflu Dŵr

Y Gors

Carreg

Llethr

Cân Idris

Pits

Toriad / Agoriad

Spoons

RELEASE DATES

Friday 7th June - Single #1 - Taflu Dŵr

Friday 5th July - Album - Dychwelyd

Friday 2nd August - Single #2 - Cân Idris

BIOGRAPHY

Peiriant are a duo of violin and electric guitar, who play with melody and tonality to create atmosphere and soundscape. Electronic equipment, samples and found objects also add to their semi-improvised pieces, which are spun from grounded ideas.

Rose and Dan Linn-Pearl draw from their foundation in folk and classical in addition to post-rock, minimalism and sound art to weave experimental music that is anchored in the Welsh landscape. They play with layers of drone and dissonance, contrasting with songs and pure tones to give a rich and sonorous auditory experience.

‘Welsh-born duo Peiriant’s self-titled LP sculpts startling instrumentals from the bones of folk music, guitar delays and deep drones.’

- Jude Rogers (The Guardian)

Live performances have included BBC Radio 3: Late Junction at Chapter arts centre, Cardiff 2017, NAWR concert series (Swansea & Hay on Wye 2018 to present). They are regular performers at Nozstock festival & How The Light Gets In. In 2021 they released River Songs E.P : A collection of four pieces inspired by the River Wye.

ABOUT

Rose Linn-Pearl balances playing the violin with work as a veterinary ophthalmologist.

Early classical training and folk complemented a lifelong interest in improvisation and experimental music. Her interest now lies predominantly in tonal shifts and playing with discord and pattern.

Dan Linn-Pearl is a composer, songwriter and sound artist. His work includes alternative rock and electronic music, sound installation, experimental film and moving image under Deaf Pictures. He is a founding member of sound art collective Gwaith Sŵn who produce a monthly thematic show for award-winning arts station Resonance 104.4FM.

Both Rose and Dan are members of experimental concert series NAWR whow curate shows featuring established and up-and-coming artists. These take place in Swansea, Aberystwyth and Hay on Wye.

'Peiriant' Online

https://peiriant.bandcamp.com/https://www.instagram.com/peiriantband/

https://x.com/peiriantband?lang=en-GB

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Jad Fair

Photo: Brian Birzer

Jad Fair’s music has been described as “art punk,” “primitive rock,” “naive pop,” and “experimental,” though none of those labels quite capture what it is. Never encumbered by the conventions of songwriting or technical virtuosity, or the idea that an instrument should be tuned, the guitarist/singer/visual artist always made the music that felt most natural. It’s not an experiment, he has said. It just is.

In the mid 1970s Fair started Half Japanese with his brother, David. In 1980 they released their famously audacious debut, a triple album called Half Gentlemen/Not Beasts. It was a raw explosion of teenage boy id. The brothers, both on vocals, indulged obsessions (girls, mostly) over discordant guitars and drums that bubbled and burst like boiling water.

Half Japanese has released many records since, in addition to the mountains of music that Fair has put out over the years, solo and in collaboration with Daniel Johnson, Yo La Tengo, Teenage Fanclub and many others. Over the course of 2021 he released two albums a week on Bandcamp, and then started making music with singer/songwriter/multiinstrumentalist Samuel Locke Ward. They just released their second record, Destroy All Monsters about which Dusted’s Margaret Welsh wrote that “In its warmth and sincerity, Destroy All Monsters straddles a strange line: It impersonates flimsy holiday novelty but resonates on a deeper level. Here are some of Fair’s favorite records.

It’s difficult to just choose 10 albums. There are so many albums that I love.

The Shaggs — Philosophy Of The World

I first heard Philosophy Of The World in 1979. I was given a cassette of it and immediately took to it. It was like no other album I’d heard. The music and lyrics are so sweet and sincere. I was very pleased that I was asked to do cover art for the release of The Dot Wiggin Band’s album Ready! Get! Go!. When I saw Dot’s band perform I was surprised to see that the musicians were reading music. I asked Dot about it and was told that the music for the Shaggs was written out.

The Modern Lovers — The Modern Lovers

In 1974 I read an interview of Jonathan Richman in Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine. I was impressed with what Jonathan had to say. When the Modern Lovers album was released I sent away for it and was floored by it. It’s a super fine album.

Spider John Koerner — Some American Folk Songs Like They Used To

Spider John Koerner is one of my favorite folk musicians. It’s a shame that very few people have heard the album. I think it’s his best.

Lord Invader — Calypso Travels

I’m a huge fan of calypso music. Lord Invader is a great calypsonian. I love the way he sings and his band is top of the top.

The Stooges — Fun House

I grew up in Michigan and when I was a teen, most of my favorite bands were from Michigan. Michigan had The MC5, The Stooges, Question Mark and the Mysterians, Destroy All Monsters and Motown. I felt I was living in the best state for music.

Daniel Johnston — Hi How Are You?

In 1984 my band Half Japanese had a tour with a stop in Austin. Daniel’s manager (Jeff Tartakov) gave me a cassette of Daniel’s album. During the tour we played it over and over in the van. I know many amazing musicians. What’s rare is a musician that is also a fine lyricist. Daniel was one of the best. He was a genius, and I was so lucky to have worked with him.

Bob Dylan — Basement Tapes

I like the relaxed feel of the songs. Bob Dylan and the Band were such a great match. Super fine songs and super playing.

Howlin Wolf — The Complete RPM and Chess Singles

In the early 1970s, I bought a lot of albums of Howling Wolf. It’s hard to beat Howling Wolf as a performer. He had power and charisma.

NRBQ — All Hopped Up

NRBQ is my favorite band. When I lived on the East Coast I would go to see them anytime they had a show in Maryland or DC. Definitely the finest live band I’ve seen.

James Brown — Live At The Apollo

It’s hard to pick just one James Brown album. He released so many great albums. Live At The Apollo has James in top form. It’s a brilliant performance. It’s star time!

[theemeraldforesthideout]

I totally missed that Perfume released their latest album on the 20th of last month. I thought the singles released previously were just standalone songs, so I actually know those, as I put them on the playlist for our recent Preseli Hills trip.

'Love cloud' is such a good song. It's like Gran Turismo menu music mixed a with a fuzzy, pulsing electro bassline. Whereas opener 'The Light' is very much 'We're on an adventure though the Welsh mountains!!', more of a hooky, instantly-stuck-in-your-head-say-woah-three-times-in-the-chorus, J-bopper.

[zorawitch]

20 Questions for fic writers!

I was graciously tagged by @two-hands-toward-the-sun. I love tag games so much and I love talking about myself so thank you so much!

I hate embedding links, so sorry to everyone about that. Everything should be linked in my pinned post at the moment.

How many works do you have on AO3?

I have eighteen right now! I used to have more but I get embarrassed about old writing really easily.

What’s your total AO3 word count?

150,934. Which is completely insane.

What fandoms do you write for?

Sandman mostly, but Doctor Who and A Song of Ice and Fire are in there too. Good Omens as well.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

"You Will Be The Death Of Me," which is my sole published ASOIAF fic, is first, followed by "Temptation" (my fic about The Nun), "Selfish Prayers," "You Were My Whole World...," and "For A Moment We Were Able To Be Still." I think it's part because a lot of my Sandman fics are reuploads but it's still very weird to me since I don't talk about either ASOIAF or The Nun on here at all.

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! I grew up using Wattpad and the Wattpad comments section often feels like a battleground to see who can get the author's attention. When I switched to AO3 where writers answering comments is pretty commonplace, I stood amazed. If I haven't answered your comment, you were either too demanding of me (a one-time incident) or I'm waiting until I get like five comments so I can sit down and answer them all at once.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oh, it's gotta be "My Ugly Organs (How Lucky We Are)." Partially because using Despair as a narrator means you get angst personified.

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably "Is This Fun For You?" It doesn't make a lot of sense, but to me the resolution is pretty happy.

Do you get hate on fics?

Not usually? I have gotten some iffy comments and one person accusing me of appropriating Welsh culture. But nah usually people are kind.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes. I write a lot of smut. Mostly stuff with weird power dynamics.

Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I've never written a crossover.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

If AI thievery counts, then yes. Never by a real person though.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Unfortunately no.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

The idea of doing so scares me. I find it antithetical to my method of writing.

What’s your all time favorite ship?

My apologies for being basic, but mountains will rise and fall and time will ravage the earth and I think it'll still be Aziracrow for me.

What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have this Rhaenyra/Alicent Siren and Lighthouse Keeper AU that I've been working on since April and I keep delaying it to work on other stuff. It might happen. It might never happen.

What are your writing strengths?

Contrary to the popular stereotype of writers never writing, I will sit down and write nonstop for long periods of time. I usually spend at least an hour a night writing, and every time I sit down for a few minutes, I usually do a couple lines.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I am very weak with criticism and I often set out to write a scene with a certain destination and then I write myself into a corner.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I used to do it a lot, back in my Dracula fanfic days (I was thirteen, it was a bad time). I would want to be more confident in my Romanian and/or Spanish writing before I do it again though.

First fandom you wrote for?

Probably Warrior Cats when I was about ten. The first fic I published was for The School For Good And Evil, though. It was on Wattpad.

Favorite fic you’ve written?

It is "You Were My Whole World... (And You Were Up And Gone)," hands down. I periodically reread it because I love the concept so much and guys we need to be doing stuff with the first Despair's funeral. The entire concept is an angst factory.

Tagging @orion-the-starspinner and @ineffably-ryuu

[ansicred]

Eisteddfod Y Caban (The Cabin's Eisteddfod) | a poem by Bleddyn.

This is a poem Bleddyn featured in his first poetry book Beth Am Yr Ysbryd? (What Of The Spirit?), which he recited on a TV feature for (the in-world version of) S4C that was filmed in Bangor Cathedral in the summer of 1993. It's written in the perspective of his father, based on stories he'd heard from other quarrymen about lunch hours in what's referred to as 'the cabin' - which is a room at Gilfach Ddu where the workers' would take their breaks/have lunch during the work day, where they'd often have debates, sing songs, recite poems, etc. to lift their spirits in the middle of a hard day's work and keep their morale up in spite of the gruelling, back-breaking work they'd have to go back to. He highlights the difference between the local village (mainland) lads and the lads who'd come over to work from Anglesey and how they had differences of opinion re: retirement dreams - while the island boys want to settle on farms or in the mountains, the mainland boys want to settle by sea, but both sides agree on songs, poems, family, beer, and chips being important for morale which Bleddyn finds funny. There is no actual English version of the poem in-world as he'd only written it in Welsh, I just translated it (however poorly that may be).

[nightsidewrestling]

D.U.D.E Bios: Delwyn Rhydderch

The Mountain King of C.R.C Delwyn Rhydderch (2020)

Kirby's uncle and the brother of Hywel, Delwyn. An Irish-Catholic living in Wales and a strong, protective and aggressive father. He's like a Pitbull made human or so the entire family says.

"Big and strong, powerful like a mountain."

Name

Full Legal Name: Delwyn Cearbhall Math Iarlaithe Rhydderch

First Name: Delwyn

Meaning: From Welsh 'Del' 'Pretty' combined with 'Gwyn' 'White, Blessed'

Pronunciation: del-WEHN

Origin: Welsh

Middle Name(s): Cearbhall, Math, Iarlaithe

Meaning(s): Cearbhall: From Old Irish 'Cerball', probably from 'Cerb' meaning 'Pointed, Sharp, Cutting'. Math: Possibly from the old Celtic root 'Matus' meaning 'Bear'. Iarlaithe: From an Old Irish element of unknown meaning combined with 'Flaith' 'Ruler, Sovereign'

Pronunciation(s): KYAR-a-wal. MATH. EER-lah

Origin(s): Irish. Welsh Mythology. Old Irish

Surname: Rhydderch

Meaning: From the given name 'Rhydderch', from the Old Welsh name 'Riderch', derived from 'Ri' 'King' and 'Derch' 'Exalted'

Pronunciation: HRUDH-ehrkh

Origin: Welsh

Alias: Mountain King, Delwyn Rhydderch

Reason: This is Delwyn's ring name

Nicknames: Del, Wyn, Cear, Mat, Iar

Titles: Mr

Characteristics

Age: 65

Gender: Male. He/Him Pronouns

Race: Human

Nationality: Welsh. Irish-Welsh Mix. Dual Citizenship ROI-UK

Ethnicity: White

Birth Date: January 20th 1955

Symbols: Mountains, Boulders, Snow, Crowns

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Religion: Irish-Catholic

Native Language: Irish

Spoken Languages: Irish, Welsh, Scottish (Scots Gaelic), English

Relationship Status: Married

Astrological Sign: Aquarius

Theme Song: 'Mack The Knife'' - Bobby Darin (1970-)

Voice Actor: Colm Meaney

Geographical Characteristics

Birthplace: Tullahought, Kilkenny, Ireland

Current Location: Llanfaethlu, Anglesey, Wales

Hometown: Llanfaethlu, Anglesey, Wales

Appearance

Height: 5'9" / 175 cm

Weight: 170 lbs / 77 kg

Eye Colour: Blue

Hair Colour: (Born Blond) Black

Hair Dye: None

Body Hair: Hairy

Facial Hair: Stubble

Tattoos: (As of Jan 2020) 20

Piercings: Ear Lobe (Both, Triple), Tragus (Both), Anti-Tragus (Both), Conch (Both), Daith (Both), Rook (Both), Snug (Both), Flat (Both), Industrial (Both), Helix (Both, Triple), Bridge (Double), Nasallang, Austin Bar, High Nostril (Both), Nostril (Both), TearDrop (Both), Anti-Eyebrow (Both), Eyebrow (Both, Triple), Horizontal Eyebrow (Both), Canine Bites, Dahlia Bites, Cyber Bites

Scars: Many small but noticeable scars

Health and Fitness

Allergies: None

Alcoholic, Smoker, Drug User: Smoker, Social Drinker

Illnesses/Disorders: None Diagnosed

Medications: None

Any Specific Diet: None

Relationships

Allies: (As of Jan 2020) The Rhydderch Clan

Enemies: (As of Jan 2020) None

Friends: Naoise Rhydderch, Rhodri Rhydderch, Uinseann Rhydderch, Yorath Rhydderch, Bran Rhydderch, Fergus Rhydderch, Hywel Rhydderch, Conall Pritchard

Colleagues: The C.R.C Locker Rooms / Too Many To List

Rivals: None

Closest Confidant: Rhosyn Rhydderch

Mentor: Gearalt Rhydderch

Significant Other: Rhosyn Rhydderch (66, Wife, Née Dougherty)

Previous Partners: None of Note

Parents: Gearalt Rhydderch (R.I.P, Father), Angharad Rhydderch (101, Mother, Née MacMathan)

Parents-In-Law: Sholto Dougherty (96, Father-In-Law), Eurwen Dougherty (97, Mother-In-Law, Née MacDougall)

Siblings: Naoise Rhydderch (80, Brother), Rhodri Rhydderch (77, Brother), Uinseann Rhydderch (74, Brother), Yorath Rhydderch (71, Brother), Bran Rhydderch (68, Brother), Fergus Rhydderch (62, Brother), Hywel Rhydderch (59, Brother)

Siblings-In-Law: Too Many To List

Nieces & Nephews: Too Many To List

Children: Llinos McConnell (35, Daughter), Roderick Rhydderch (32, Son)

Children-In-Law: Faust McConnell (36, Llinos' Husband), Gethsemane Rhydderch (33, Roderick's Wife, Née Guillaume)

Grandkids: Paden McConnell (15, Grandson), Olindo McConnell (12, Grandson), Natalie McConnell (9, Granddaughter), Magdalene McConnell (6, Granddaughter), Lailoken McConnell )3, Grandson), Kellen Rhydderch (12, Grandson), Jaslene Rhydderch (9, Granddaughter), Igraine Rhydderch (6, Granddaughter), Hallam Rhydderch (3, Grandson)

Great Grandkids: None

Wrestling

Billed From: Kilenny, Ireland

Trainer: The C.R.C Wrestling School, Gearalt Rhydderch

Managers: Rhosyn Rhydderch

Wrestlers Managed: Rhosyn Rhydderch

Debut: 1970

Debut Match: Delwyn Rhydderch VS Gearalt Rhydderch. Delwyn won via pinfall

Retired: N/A

Retirement Match: N/A

Wrestling Style: Powerhouse

Stables: The Rhydderch Clan (1970-)

Teams: No Team Names

Regular Moves: Throat Thrust, Two-Handed Chokelift, Running Low-Angle Dropkick To A Seated Opponent, Sidewalk Slam, Tilt-A-Whirl Mat Slam, Scoop Powerslam, Running Powerslam, Leg-Feed Enzuigiri, Pendulum Backbreaker, Diving Clothesline, Corner Clothesline, Big Boot, Spinebuster, Running Neckbreaker, Jumping Knee Drop, High Knee Strike, Figure-Four Leglock, Facebreaker Knee Smash, Chop Block

Finishers: Jacknife Powerbomb, DDT, Falling Powerbomb, Chokeslam, Tombstone Piledriver, Double Underhook Facebuster

Refers To Fans As: The Fans, The Family

Extras

Backstory: Delwyn Rhydderch of the C.R.C (Welsh Wrestling League / Cynghrair Reslo Cymru) owning Rhydderch family. Delwyn has 1/8th ownership of the promotion and is the head 'Mountain Style' (Powerhouse) trainer. He's Half-Irish, Half-Welsh.

Trivia: Nothing of Note

[dandelionflowery]

🎶✨️when you get this, put 5 songs you actually listen to, then publish. Send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers (non-negotiable, positivity is cool)🎶✨️

Ooooh only 5 is hard

Mostly because I could listen to all of Dua Lipa's discography and all of Ronan Hardiman's music on repeat forever lol

Uh let's see, excluding those two I still have way too many so I'll do by theme kinda lmao

Celtic-y/Kinda traditional I guess?

Misty Mountains-- Richard Armitage

Rantin Rovin Robin-- Alastair McDonald

Bones-- Sail North [it is AMAZING]

Fulenn-- Alvan & Ahez

Un o fy mrodyr i-- Plu (this is welsh, you're not having a stroke lol)

Lord of the dance-- Ronan Hardiman & Michael Flatly (yes i know i said excluding him shush, I couldn't NOT include this song)

Disney/Popular culture

I'll make a man out of you-- Danny Osmond (and the rest of the cast of Mulan probably)

Hedwig's theme-- John Williams

Noble Maiden Fair (A Mhaighdean Bhan Uasal)-- Emma Thompson & Peigi Barker [Brave]

Evermore-- Dan Stevens [Beauty and the Beast]

Kingdom Dance-- Alan Menken [Tangled]

Other (yes I'm putting more than 5)

Song of the Sea-- Lisa Hannigan (From the animated movie by the same name-- I love that movie)

Sitting - Josh Mac version-- Brian Jordan Alvarez & Josh Mac

Soft Universe-- AURORA

Insane-- Black Gryph0n & Baasik

Children-- Billy Porter

Unholy-- Sam Smith & Kim Petras

Cowboys on acid-- Projekt (this song is like 11 min long or something lmao)

Good Looking-- Dixon Dallas

Talking in your sleep-- Will Jay

Rush-- Troy Sivan

Bad Feeling (oompa loompa song)-- Jagwar Twin

[rastronomicals]

10:37 PM EST February 11, 2024:

Budgie - "I Ain't No Mountain" From the album Bandolier (September 1975)

Last song scrobbled from iTunes at Last.fm

File under: Welsh proto-metal

[itmeblog]

Idk how to explain it but listening to Camlann podcast (as someone with very, very limited knowledge of Welsh culture and somehow... even less about king Arthur) is like listening to a love letter to a place you've never been. It's beautiful and passionate and very clearly not addressed to me lol.

And as someone who is obviously reading a letter not addressed to me here's some stuff I had to look up.

Disclaimer: this is cursory top layer research.

Twrch Trwyth - (from Culhwch ac Olwen, a Welsh story that survives in 2 manuscripts according to wikipedia and is considered one of the first Arthurian romances, according to Britannica, from 1325 (the manuscript itself, though I've seen elsewhere that the tale itself may be from the 1100s)) A wild boar that terrorized the Black mountains in king Arthur's tales.

The comb comment refers to the last of the 40 tasks Culhwch (nephew to king Arthur) must complete in order to win Olwen's hand in marriage. Ysbaddaden (Culhwch's dad) attempts to kill him by telling him to find Twrch Trwyth and his piglets and kill him to bring back the comb, razor, and scissors somehow attached between the boar's ears. Read a synopsis here.

Even better the fact that the Gelert is holding the boar off reflects how Twrch Trwyth was chased by dogs during the hunt. Though honestly this just might be how people hunt boars today, I'm truly not going to find out.

Samhain - a Gaelic festival that takes place October 31st to November 1st to mark the end of harvest and the beginning of winter (according to wikipedia)

Gwragedd Annwn - female faeries or Welsh lake maidens that live beneath lakes and rivers in Welsh folktales (or the watery realms of Annwn a version of the underworld.) Think the lady of the lake. In some stories they apparently try to seduce men to drown them (a tale as old as time apparently, though this might be due to conflagration with other stories from different regions) [There were no sources I felt particularly like this is great! on this one so wikipedia and here. I might need to start looking on google scholar... or the library.]

Bannau Brycheiniog - mountain range and national park in Wales.

Caru ti cariad! - I love you (? I love you darling?? Cariad might be some sort of term of endearment with no true english equivalent... because I also saw "love"... so Maybe??? google translate is terrible at colloquialisms also translation is inherently flawed and will almost never truly be 1:1, "Translation is an act of betrayal" (RF Kuang) and whatnot)

From the show notes: The Welsh folk song featured in this episode is Tân yn Llŷn, a protest song about the destruction of Penyberth.

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read the Hobbit! Chapter 7

The next morning Bilbo woke up with the early sun in his eyes. He jumped up to look at the time and to go and put his kettle on—and found he was not home at all.

Guess my joking predictions of last thoughts of home are dashed.

After a good while the eagles must have seen the point they were making for, even from their great height, for they began to go down circling round in great spirals.

They're lucky Bilbo didn't hurl.

"I may look in on it again before it is all over, but in the meanwhile I have some other pressing business to attend to."

I assume he's trying to ruin the lives of some other innocent people, but this is a very silly assumption to make because of course he's going off to deal with the Necromancer's fortress of Dol Guldur. He's also probably got to recruit Galadriel because she wasn't chilling around Rivendell except in the shitty films, I think.

Then they took off their clothes and bathed in the river, which was shallow and clear and stony at the ford.

Nine hours of film and not one bit of gratuitous skinny dipping. Simply shameful on Jackson's part.

“And why is it called the Carrock?” asked Bilbo as he went along at the wizard’s side.

Because the Celtic root word for Welsh "carreg" and English "carr" is an anomaly that doesn't match the normal sound-changes of the language, which got Tolkien's attention.

“He called it the Carrock, because carrock is his word for it. He calls things like that carrocks, and this one is the Carrock because it is the only one near his home and he knows it well.”

Or that, I guess.

“What! a furrier, a man that calls rabbits conies, when he doesn’t turn their skins into squirrels?” asked Bilbo. “Good gracious heavens, no, no, NO, NO!” said Gandalf.

I don't even think Gandalf snaps this way at Pippin later, which is some credit to the young idiot. Bilbo clearly doesn't know enough about furries. I mean wargs. I mean skinchangers.

He keeps hives and hives of great fierce bees, and lives most on cream and honey.

I'm not a nutritionist by any means (or is it dietician that's protected? I'm not whichever one is protected and am totally the one that belongs to shysters and other disreputable sorts, please send 17 payments of $19.99 to hear my dietary and/or nutritional advice - anyway), but is cream and honey really a great diet for a person or a bear?

They were bigger than hornets. The drones were bigger than your thumb, a good deal, and the bands of yellow on their deep black bodies shone like fiery gold.

Well, I'm out of here. Fuck bees of this size.

"Bombur is fattest and will do for two, he had better come alone and last."

Come on, Tolkien. Just... come on.

“I am Gandalf,” said the wizard. “Never heard of him,” growled the man.

I admire anyone who can stay away from celebrity culture.

“I have heard of you, if you have not heard of me; but perhaps you have heard of my good cousin Radagast who lives near the Southern borders of Mirkwood?”

"Cousin" is an interesting way to describe their relationship, but in a way virtually any family relation would be eyebrow raising for one reason or another.

“I was coming over the mountains with a friend or two...” said the wizard.

The way Gandalf shamelessly lies to most everyone makes me wonder why he's particularly welcome anywhere. Makes me think that Wormtongue's castigations had more basis in reality than Gandalf wanted to admit.

"...(son of Thrain, son of Thror, I believe)..."

You don't know Gandalf but you do know Thorin's family tree. Is there a really weird and selective "Who's Who in the North" getting published?

“Troop of ponies? What were you—a travelling circus? Or were you carrying lots of goods? Or do you always call six a troop?”

Beorn, buddy, stop giving him chances to overwhelm you. It's so obvious he's got a host of dwarves with him that even an actual bear would be able to see what was up at this point.

"Fifteen birds in five fir-trees ..."

This is your reminder to listen to this song every chance you get. There's not much more to say with this chapter - it's a lot more obviously for kids than most of the others, as only children would delight at Beorn's slowly and excruciatingly getting strung along like this.

He refused to wait five minutes, and followed immediately after the other two.

Good for you Bombur, don't be fat-shamed.

Inside the hall it was now quite dark. Beorn clapped his hands, and in trotted four beautiful white ponies and several large long-bodied grey dogs.

I forgot that Beorn was a Disney princess. Good for him.

(Also this whole sequence is quite nice even though it's still pretty kiddy.)

There they had a supper, or a dinner, such as they had not had since they left the Last Homely House in the West and said good-bye to Elrond.

Sadly, the dinner itself is not described, but it clearly must be more than cream and honey since knives are involved. Maybe Beorn's a regular vegetarian?

The wind was on the withered heath, / but in the forest stirred no leaf: / there shadows lay by night and day, / and dark things silent crept beneath.

Such an upbeat song for after dinner. Still better than elf bullshit though!

Bilbo wondered what it was, and whether it could be Beorn in enchanted shape, and if he would come in as a bear and kill them.

It's definitely Beorn buddy, but it sure as heck ain't the case that he's gonna eat ya.

Just before sunset he walked into the hall, where the hobbit and the dwarves were having supper, waited on by Beorn’s wonderful animals, as they had been all day.

Another day passed and not a menu described. It's stuff like this that GRRM resents far more than tax policies and resurrections.

They must have looked very queer from outside, popping out into the air one after another, green, blue, red, silver-grey, yellow, white; big ones, little ones; little ones dodging through big ones and joining into figure-eights, and going off like a flock of birds into the distance.

Gandalf says "Gay rights!"

...he had eaten two whole loaves (with masses of butter and honey and clotted cream) and drunk at least a quart of mead...

Aha! Beorn and his animals bake! This explains everything.

“Little bunny is getting nice and fat again on bread and honey,” he chuckled. “Come and have some more!”

Gosh maybe Beorn is trying to eat him each night.

So much they told him when he forced them, but he guessed there was more wickedness than this afoot, and that a great raid of the whole goblin army with their wolf-allies into the lands shadowed by the mountains might soon be made to find the dwarves, or to take vengeance on the men and creatures that lived there, and who they thought must be sheltering them.

Note again that so much of this chapter is just about setting up the final conflict. It's good to have downtime after all the intensity, but this is one of the books' largest chapters and it's just kinda going in circles. This middle section could really have used some overall tightening.

"And in the dim shadows of that place I don’t think you will shoot anything, wholesome or unwholesome, without straying from the path. That you MUST NOT do, for any reason."

Guess what happens when they get there? Still though, this is a better use of this chapter's word count than other things have been. Foreshadowing goes a long way.

As the light faded Bilbo thought he saw away to the right, or to the left, the shadowy form of a great bear prowling along in the same direction. But if he dared to mention it to Gandalf, the wizard only said: “Hush! Take no notice!”

Protection, or Beorn's last attempt to eat Bilbo? You decide!

It is no use arguing. I have, as I told you, some pressing business away south; and I am already late through bothering with you people.

Off to Lothlorien to get the rest of the council ready for Dol Guldur? Or did Elrond take care of that and it's straight to the Necromancer? Did I already make this note? Will this chapter ever end?

“What about the horse, then?” said Thorin. “You don’t mention sending that back.” “I don’t, because I am not sending it.” “What about your promise then?”

"Just because Beorn can wreck your shit doesn't mean he can wreck mine," said the wizard.

"You have got to look after all these dwarves for me..."

Sure, Gandalf is laughing about this, but it's also pretty much true that Bilbo has a much better chance of keeping the dwarves alive than vice versa thus far.

Stick to the forest-track, keep your spirits up, hope for the best, and with a tremendous slice of luck you may come out one day and see the Long Marshes lying below you, and beyond them, high in the East, the Lonely Mountain where dear old Smaug lives, though I hope he is not expecting you.” “Very comforting you are to be sure,” growled Thorin.

Dammit Thorin if you hog all the snark what am I even here for? It's not like I have much else to say about this overlong chapter. The scene setting was nice but we've long passed foreshadowing and I feel like Tolkien was just including a few of these things to entertain himself while he told this tale to kids.

Then he galloped away and was soon lost to sight. “O good-bye and go away!” grunted the dwarves, all the more angry because they were really filled with dismay at losing him. Now began the most dangerous part of all the journey. They each shouldered the heavy pack and the water-skin which was their share, and turned from the light that lay on the lands outside and plunged into the forest.

And so ends another chapter. This middle part of the story is a lot more uneven than I really remembered. It does pick up again but when I compare the amount of detail and words spent on this section compared to the visit to Rivendell - which by all accounts should be the superior vacation destination, as it were - I have no idea why they're so lopsided as they are. It IS important to have levity between the caves of the Mountains and the spiders of the Mirkwood but this again derails the flow of the plot compared to the quick and breezy first few chapters.

Next time, another really long chapter with giant spiders, so in theory I should hate it but we'll see I guess!

[racout]

Korrigans

Note: I'm an English learner and I wrote this text to practise my written English. If you want to give me feedback about my English, please go ahead!

Korrigans are creatures from the folklore of Brittany (North-West of France) that look like little black and hideous people. They are described as hairy, thickset and they have frizzy hair. They keep with them a purse which is said to be full of gold. But if someone stole it, they would find inside only dirty horsehair and a pair of scissors. These pranksters like playing tricks on Christians who don’t respect their duty. They are sometimes accused of stealing animals or objects, or making a mess in houses.

See more :

They usually live in megalithic monuments, which are sometimes called “ville des korrigans,” “city of the korrigans”. They keep inside of these constructions their treasure, which they take out at night to spread it out on the ground. Sometimes they do it in the summer sunshine. Still at night, in some stories at full moon, they dance around blocks of stone, singing often the days of the week till Friday. If one tries to complete the song adding the two last days, the korrigans might dislike it and shower them with blows. If one runs into them, they could get swept up in the korrigans’ dance. They are forced to dance to the point of exhaustion.

Korrigans seem to be related to fairies. For instance, when a fairy steals a human baby, sometimes, it substitutes it with a korrigan.

In Chants populaires de la Bretagne, Théodore Hersart de La Villemarqué explains his theory about the origins of korrigans. The ancient bards venerated a goddess called Korid-Gwen. She was associated with another character who was similar to dwarves and who was called Gwion. He was nicknamed “le Nain” (the Dwarf) or “le Nain à la bourse” (the Dwarf with the purse), because he was sometimes represented with a purse in his hand. He was in charge of guarding a mystical vase containing the water of genius, divination and science. Three drops fell on his hand, and he took them to his mouth. Thus, he discovered the future and science. In addition to carrying a purse with them, Armorican dwarves are related with magic, occult, alchemy, metallurgy and divination, which reminds of the legend of Gwion. This link can also be found in a medicinal plant that dwarves are said to like. It is sometimes called the herb of kov, but the Welsh also call it the herb of Gwion, while the Gaulish used the word korig.

In an article from Bulletin de la Société polymathique du Morbihan, Alfred Fouquet tells a legend about a very poor farmer. One night, the farmer saw little black men around a tumulus. Some were dancing on it, others came in and out. The farmer let out a scream in surprise. The little men, who were korrigans, ran away when they heard him. A few days later, the man wanted to go back there at night. It took him the whole night to clear the entrance of the tumulus, but he eventually managed to go inside. He saw the goblins gathered around a pot. They noticed him and started to run all over the place. One of them even went to the neighbouring wood to hang itself, giving to the place the name of “bois du Pendu” (wood of the Hanged one). The man, who was, as we said, very poor, took their pot filled with their treasure, and brought it home. He became rich, and bought the farm where he worked. Years passed, and his children grew up used to a wealthy life. The farmer died, and shortly afterwards, his children reached the bottom of the pot. Finally, his grandson was buried in debt. He had to sell the farm. As he wasn’t able to pay the land rent anymore, he was evicted.

Emile Souvestre, in Foyer Breton, tells another story about these tiny beings. Lao was a Breton bagpipes player. One night, he went down the mountains with a group of people to play during the pardon of the Armor. They reached a crossroads. The women wanted to go down the path that leads to the ocean. But Lao wanted to take the one that goes through the heath. The women explained that there was a city of korrigans and only those who never committed any sin could go through there without trouble. He didn’t believe in these stories and said he would play for them since they liked dancing. He took the path to the heath and began playing. The women went down the way to the sea. He saw the menhir and the korrigans’ home. He heard a murmur which, little by little, became a rumble. Tussocks shook and became hideous dwarves. Surprised and intimidated, Lao stepped back against the menhir. The korrigans surrounded him and forced him to play. The musician was unable to stop, and he played and danced until dawn. Eventually, he collapsed from exhaustion.

Sources

Marie-Charlotte DELMAS. “Korrigan”. In: Dictionnaire de la France Merveilleuse. Paris, France: Omnibus, 2017, p. 418-420.

Alfred FOUQUET. “Un kilomètre en Crach”. Bulletin de la Société polymathique du Morbihan, 1863, p. 1-7.

URL (Gallica)

Théodore Hersart de La Villemarqué. Chants populaires de la Bretagne, First Volume, Fourth edition, p. 46-53. Paris : Leipzig, 1846.

Désiré Monnier, Aimé Vingtrinier. “Les Fées Chrétiennes”. In : Croyances et traditions populaires recueillies dans la Franche-Comté le Lyonnais la Bresse et le Bugey. Lyon : Henri Georg, 1874, p.  393-397.

Prisma Media. “Korrigan : qui est cette créature légendaire bretonne ?” Geo [online]. Gennevilliers. 05/11/2021. [Visited between 01/06/23 and 02/06/23]

URL

Louis Pierre François Adolphe Chesnel de la Charbouclais (marquis de). “Gauriks ou Gores”, p. 216, “Korandons”, p. 262, “Korigans ou Korigs”, p. 262, “Korils ou Kourils”, p. 264, “Kornikaneds”, p. 267, “Poulpicans, Poulpiquets, ou Korils”, p. 466, “Teus”, p. 594. In: Dictionnaire des superstitions, erreurs, préjugés et traditions populaires, vol. 20 of Troisième et dernière encyclopédie théologique. J.-P. Migne, 1856

[lesbiansybelle]

ten songs, ten people

Tagged by @xinamiguel < 3

rules: put your music on shuffle and list the first 10 songs that come up, then tag people.

Three hits- Indigo Girls

Shame- Mary Lambert

The Foggy Dew- Sinéad O'Connor, The Chieftains

Pull the Trigger- Patrick Page

Fire Water Burn- Bloodhound Gang

What was I Made For -Billie Eilish

Big Rock Candy Mountain- Pete Seeger

Wayside/Back in Time- Gillian Welsh

Say Goodbye- Green Day

The War Racket- Buffy Sainte-Marie

Tagging: @bannedbookreader @xinakwans @theclonesaga & whoever else wants to!!