#prince of annwn

[wellspringofallagony]

Prince of Annwn by Evangeline Walton

Cover art by David McCall Johnston

[knightsquire]

"he will serve cunt as I have never cunted before"

[jackals-ships]

returns to jackal nuada thots but it's more about jackals Big Boy Fae Form and i was thinking about their mane and

do you see the vision

[vowcomic]

[jasminewalkerauthor]

Deep dives into folklore: Welsh folklore

Welsh folklore is a rich tapestry of myths, legends, and traditional stories that have been passed down through generations, shaping the cultural identity of the Welsh people. Rooted in a landscape steeped in history and mysticism, Welsh folklore reflects the unique character of Wales and its people. Let's take a deep dive into some key aspects of Welsh folklore:

The Mabinogion:

The Mabinogion is a collection of Welsh prose tales, comprising some of the earliest literary works in the Welsh language. It consists of four branches: Pwyll Pendefig Dyfed, Branwen ferch Llŷr, Manawydan fab Llŷr, and Math fab Mathonwy.

These tales are a blend of mythology, legend, and fantasy, featuring gods, heroes, and magical elements. Notable characters include Pryderi, Rhiannon, and Bran the Blessed.

The Red Dragon:

The Red Dragon is a symbol deeply ingrained in Welsh folklore and mythology. Legend has it that the red dragon was the emblem of Cadwaladr, a legendary king of Gwynedd. The dragon is associated with Welsh identity and pride and is prominently featured on the national flag of Wales.

King Arthur and the Welsh Connection:

The legendary King Arthur has strong ties to Welsh folklore. While the broader Arthurian legend is widespread, some key elements, such as the magical sword Excalibur and the wizard Merlin, have roots in Welsh tales like the Mabinogion.

Places like Caerleon and the ruins of Castell Dinas Bran in Llangollen are often linked to Arthurian legends.

Y Tylwyth Teg (The Fair Folk):

The Tylwyth Teg are Welsh fairies or magical beings often associated with mounds or fairy rings. They are known for their beauty and magical abilities. Crossing paths with them could lead to both blessings and misfortune, depending on the encounter.

Tales warn of the Tylwyth Teg taking humans to their underground realm, where time passes differently.

The Legend of Gelert:

The legend of Gelert is a poignant tale of loyalty and tragedy. It tells the story of Llywelyn the Great, a medieval Welsh prince, and his faithful hound Gelert. The dog is mistakenly killed by Llywelyn, who later discovers that Gelert had actually saved his son from a wolf.

The Mari Lwyd:

The Mari Lwyd is a traditional Welsh custom associated with the winter season. It involves a horse's skull mounted on a pole, decorated with ribbons and bells, carried by individuals who go from house to house, engaging in a form of door-to-door singing and challenge.

Celtic Water Spirits:

Wales, with its rivers, lakes, and coastline, has numerous tales of water spirits. Creatures like the Afanc, a lake monster, and the Gwragedd Annwn, beautiful water maidens, are part of Welsh folklore. These spirits often play pivotal roles in cautionary tales and myths.

Branwen Uerch Lyr:

The tragic tale of Branwen, the sister of the legendary King Bran the Blessed, is another prominent story in Welsh folklore. It involves betrayal, war, and the symbolic connection between Wales and Ireland.

Welsh folklore continues to inspire contemporary literature, art, and cultural expressions, maintaining a strong connection to the country's past. The tales and mythical elements contribute to the unique identity of Wales and its people, adding a layer of enchantment to the historical and natural landscape.

Taglist (reply or reblog to be added): @axl-ul @crow-flower @thoughts-fromthevoid @alderwoodbooks @harleyacoincidence @tuberosumtater @sonic-spade @theonlygardenia @holymzogynybatman @nulliel-tres @w0rkah0licz @sylvanthorn @tigertaurus22 @profiterole-reads @mathias-musings @1899adgg1997tbmd @grimmparanormalinvestigations

[mask131]

The fantasy in modern Arthuriana (2)

This is a loose translation of Claire Jardillier’s article “Les enfants de Merlin: le merveilleux médiéval revisité” (The children of Merlin: Medieval magic revisited), for Anne Besson’s study-compilation.

II/ Wizards and witches

The fantastical elements within modern rewrites are often embodied in the most visible way by a few key characters. First and foremost among this magical cast is, of course, Merlin the enchanter, but also regularly the bard Taliesin, despite his lesser presence within the Matter of Britain. Taliesin indeed only appears obviously tied to Arthur within the Welsh sources, especially “Preiddu Annwn”, where he is part of the expedition led by Arthur to steal away the cauldron of resurrection from the Otherworld. We can make the hypothesis that is it because of the historical rewrites of the Arthurian legends that the character of Taliesin gained such an importance, since it is in the Welsh sources that he is most frequently seen, sources that modern rewriters especially love due to judging them more ancient and thus more “authentic” and more Celtic than the chivalry romances and knighthood romans of France and England. Since Wales resisted more strongly to the Saxon invader, then to the Normand influence, modern novelists like to use the “Mabinogion” and the Welsh poems to historicize their Arthur. Taliesin usually stays within his traditional role of bard, in accord to the historical and bibliographical information we have about him. While quite brief, these information naturally designate him as the symbol of the Arthurian legend within a “realistic” rewriting, as a character between the history and the myth.

[In the “Hanes Taliesin” mainly, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest and which follows her “Mabinogion” translations, we discover the two births of Gwyon Bach/Taliesin, is exploits as a bard within the court of prince Elphin, and some of his poems. The historical Taliesin seems to have been a bard at the court of Urien Rheged during the 6th century, and the poems attributed to him were preserved within the “Llyfr Taliesin” (The Book of Taliesin). It notably contains the famous “Cat Godeu” (Battle of the Trees) and the previously mentioned “Preiddu Annwn”. These Welsh poems, like many others, were translated and published by William F. Skene within his “Four Ancient Books of Wales”]

As such, within Fay Sampson’s “Daughter of Tintagel” cycle he becomes one of the five narrators that relate the life of Morgan. A first-person narration that give a voice to a secondary character of the medieval corpus is a fundamental trait of modern Arthurian literature : as such, we can hear Kai, Pelleas, Bohort, Rhys or Bedwyr, characters whose point of view is rarely given in legends, alongside the manifestation of more novel characters, such as Derfel, a shadowy warrior turned saint in the 6th century who narrates Bernard Cornwell’s “Warlord Chronicles”. [Respectively, Kai is heard within Phyllis Ann Karr’s The Idylls of the Queen and John Gloag’s Artorius Rex ; Pelleas within Stephen R. Lawhead’s Arthur and Courtway Jones’ In the Shadow of the Oak King ; Bohort within Dorothy Jane Roberts’ Launcelot my Brother ; Rhys within Gillian Bradshaw’s Kingdom of Summer ; Bedwyr within Catherine Christian’s The Sword and the Flame and Stephen R. Lawhead’s Arthur.]

Within Stephen Lawhead’s works, the role of Taliesin is more developed since he becomes the father, and so the precursor of Merlin (within Marion Zimmer Bradley’s, he is Merlin’s first incarnation). In his trilogy, the bard Talesin paves the way for Merlin, who will surpass his father in his role as the companion of the major hero, Arthur king of Britain. It is precisely this dimension that is often used by modern Arthurianists. [Stephen R. Lawhead wrote in reality five novels, the last two being a flash-back to episodes from between book 2 and 3. This Arthurian cycle is especially concerned with the questions of filiation, legitimacy and predestination. As such, Taliesin announces and foreshadow the coming of his son, a sort of messiah for the Britons, but Merlin himself works for the coming of Arthur, the savior of Britain as much on a spiritual level (the writings of Lawhead are distinctly Christian in tone) as on a political level. It is probably why we also see here a weird and exceptional element introduced, as Arthur is made the posthumous son of Aurelius, and not the bastard of Uther. Here Arthur is the product of an union blessed by the Church, and as such he descends from the first High-King, not from his replacement out of a “side-branch” of the family.]

We also have to note that modern rewrites love to tell what happened during the life of characters in the form of prequels – in this case, the youth of Merlin, which is rarely detailed in the Middle-Ages outside of his birth and his encounter with Vortigern. It was the case within Mary Stewart, the first author who was concerned with the wizard’s youth, and who sems to have deeply marked modern Arthurianists, since the same pattern can be found in other novels, including those of Stephen Lawhead. This concern with “what happened before” is not exclusively Arthurian, and can be seen within other contemporary sagas – Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Blueberry… It is a tradition as old as the various “Childhoods” texts of the Middle-Ages. [Mary Stewart wrote “The Crystal Cave”, “The Hollow Hills” and “The Last Enchantment”. As a proof of the intertextuality of Arthurian novels, “the last enchantment” is an expression reused and exploited by Bernard Cornwell in the last part of his trilogy, where a dying Merlin, entirely devoured by his own student Nimue, preserves a “last enchantment” to allow Arthur and a few others to escape the battle of Camlan]

Be it Taliesin or Merlin, the first way the question of the magic implants itself within the narrative device is about the relationship between the king and his wizard. The magical element is thus tied to the political power, weighed down by a reality which, if not historical, is at least coherent. This heirloom is directly tied to the medieval sources, even if it is not obvious at first. The idea of an Arthur raised as a boy by Merlin owes much more to T.H. White’s “The Once and Future King” than to the medieval texts, where only a slow and complex evolution allowed the association of those two characters now seen as undividable. [White’s work is a set of five novels, first published separately, then compiled as one work in the 50s, and to which the last novel, The Book of Merlin, was added in 1977. This work is a precursor of all the rewrites that happened from the 60s onward, especially the first book that tells of Arthur’s childhood and his education by Merlin. It was a best-seller, and the adaptation of this first novel into an animated movie by Disney (63’s The Sword in the Stone) amplified its impact]. Indeed, within Geoffroy of Monmouth, Merlin and Arthur follow each other in the text… but never meet. It was within later rewrites, Wave, Lawamon, and in the French “Lancelot-Graal”, that the king and the enchanter will develop a more intimate relationship, culminating within Malory’s Morte Darthur. [In Geoffroy’s tale, the two characters at least never meet within the context of the tale. A doubt is allowed since in most of the manuscripts, Merlin makes a brief apparition at the very end of the “Historia”, where an “angelic voice” talks to Cadwallader, telling him that “God wishes that the Britons stop ruling within Britain until the moment that Merlin prophesized to Arthur” ; this sentence implies that Merlin might have been the king’s prophet, a role that will become more and more obvious in later rewrites]

This is due to the two characters, Merlin and Arthur, originally belonging to two distinct traditions. Once they became connected thanks to Geoffroy’s Historia Regum Britaniae, the two characters got closer and closer, and gained many interactions, just as Merlin’s interventions became more and more fantastical. This is very clear when we look at an episode shared by all the medieval Merlinian tales: the moving of the stones of Ireland to create Stonehenge. Within Geoffroy’s, it is a mechanical process. Within Wace, an unexplained way. Finally, within Lawamon, it becomes a powerful spell that makes the stone “as light as feathers”. Modern authors follow this tradition and often reuse this episode, or a similar one, in what we can call “the motif of the dancing stones”. In the same way, within Lawhead’s novel, a child Merlin proves his powers to an assembly of druids by making the stones of a cromlech levitate. Stonehenge plays an important role for Cornwell: it becomes the place of a ghost-filled ceremony during which Merlin gives Excalibur to Arthur. Even among comic books, Merlin makes stones dance before amazed mortals. [It is within the first volume of the BD series “Merlin” by Jean-Luc Istin and Eric Lambert, “La colère d’Ahès” (The Wrath of Ahès). The dancing stones of Istin and Lambert are quite similar to the ones described by Lawhead, and the scenarist confessed having read the “Pendragon Cycle”. We find in this “Merlin” the same habt of syncretizing religions as within Lawhead’s works (father Blaise is a former druid, and offers Merlin as a symbol of the union of religions).]

We find back here what we said before: the historicized Arthurian literature of the 60s-80s greatly deprived the medieval text of their fantasy, and since the 80s-90s we have a slow re-appropriation of the medieval magic within novels that still, however, wish to be historical. In other terms – the stones are dancing again, but they are always dancing in a mentioned 6th century.

Before Lawamon, Merlin only acted during the lifetime of Aurelius and Uther, before disappearing for no reason after Arthur’s birth. However, the encounter between those two historical characters was too tempting to be avoided, and we can see a true shift between Geoffroy and Malory (for example), which today leads to the many tales in which Merlin acts as the teacher, tutor, or even adoptive father of Arthur. This filiation is helped by two elements. On one side, that is an elliptic moment covering Arthur’s childhood in medieval texts, and we go from him as a baby to him as a young fifteen-year old king. [We find within Lawamon the beginning of an explication: child-Arthur was raised by elves at Avalon. This idea was reused by Parke Godwin within the novel “Firelord”.] On the other hand, we can see that all of his next of kin die around the same time. In front of this absence of parents, it is very tempting to remove Ector (the father of Kay and the tutor of the royal child in the tradition) and put in his place a more familiar and impressive character, Merlin the wizard.

We talked before of the habit of “prequels”: the cyclical temptation of modern novels, which in a way mimics the Arthurian medieval tradition of a condensed and fractioned writing of the whole Arthurian legend (usually in three volumes), favorizes the writing of the origins, of the “before Arthur”. The introduction of Merlin, but also of Taliesin, proves this attraction for what Anne Besson calls an “Arthurian prehistory”. For Stephen Lawhead, the link between the various generations (Taliesin, father of Merlin, Merlin spiritual father of Arthur) insists upon the greatness and the predestination of the king of the Britons, the bearer of Light. Even when the Arthurian tale is limited to a single novel, it is not unusual to see it begin with the generation before Arthur: it was the case with Victor Canning’s “The Crimson Chalice”, where a third of the novel follows the events that led to Arthur’s birth (even though here Arthur’s parents are named Tia and Baradoc, and bear no resemblance to Igraine or Uther).

To all the reasons described above, we must add the fictional temptation of having characters coexisting to allow a powerful confrontation. But this temptation also bears a prevalent trait of the modern Arthurian fiction, and of its dialogue with the sources. Indeed, it is not uncommon to see a rearrangement, to various degrees, of the links that traditionally unite the characters. As such, in most sources Ygerne is the wife of Gorlois and the mother of Arthur, but she can be his half-sister and the mother of Medraud within Rosemary Sutcliff’s “Sword at Sunset”. The same Ygerne becomes Gorlois’ daughter, not his wife, in Stephen Lawhead’s work, as the author plays with the writing of the myth, has his Merlin-narrator laugh about the mad rumors that circulated about the siege of Tintagel “I have even heard it said that Ygerna was Gorlas’ wife – Imagine that!”). The marvelous does not escape this kind of more-or-less extreme shifts: the case of the female characters, of their relationship to magic, and of their role within history is especially revealing.

[alephskoteinos]

Notes from Ronald Hutton's lecture "Finding Lost Gods in Wales" from Gresham College

A major problem for locating Welsh paganism in historical terms is that there really is very little source material to work with, certainly not much medieval literature seems to have survived in Wales, at least when compared to other countries such as Ireland and Iceland. It was thought that several Welsh stories and poems reflected the presence of an ancient Druidic religion and thereby some form of paganism, but this idea has since been rejected. It is now believed these stories and poems originated much later, possibly dating to around 500 years after "the triumph of Christianity". Only four manuscripts written in the 13th and 14th centuries might contain some possible relevance to paganism. Hutton tells us that these are The Black Book of Carmarthen, The White Book of Rhydderch, The Red Book of Hergest, and The Book of Taleisin (so-called). About 11 stories from the White Book and Red Book were compiled into what was called The Mabinogion in the 1840s. None of these are stories are certain to be older than the 12th century, although the oldest stories in the Four Branches of the Mabinogion may have been written as far back as 1093, and according to Hutton some of the stories of the Mabinogion were actually inspired by foreign literature, including not only French troubadour stories but also Egyptian, Arabic, and Indian stories that were brought to Europe.

Hutton notes that, unlike in medieval Irish and Scandinavian literature, the stories of the Mabinogion don't seem to feature any gods or goddesses or their worshippers (at least not explicitly anyway), despite being set in pre-Christian times. Many characters have superhuman abilities, but it's apparently not clear if these are meant to be understood as gods, or magicians, or just narrative superhumans. If there are pagan survivals in these stories, it may be the presence of an otherworld realm called Annwn, often equated with the underworld, and/or the presence of shapeshifting abilities (and on this point I believe Kadmus Herschel makes a convincing point in True to the Earth about this being reflective of a non-essentialist pagan worldview). Of course, Hutton believes that these are generalized themes and no longer linked to paganism in themselves, but of course I'd say there's room for skepticism here (I'm not exactly picturing a Christian Annwn here).

An important figure within the Four Branches of the Mabinogion is Rhiannon, a woman from Annwn who often believed to be a surviving Welsh goddess or survival of the Gallo-Roman goddess Epona. Her marrying two successive human princes has been interpreted as signifying Rhiannon as a goddess of sovereignty. Hutton argues that this is not certain because Rhiannon does not confer kingdoms to her husbands, there is no clear sign of a sovereignty goddess outside of Ireland or British horse goddesses in Iron Age archaeology or Romano-British inscriptions. Hutton argues that it's more likely that Rhiannon was a member of human royalty or nobility rather than a goddess. Of course, this is perhaps a zone of contestation. Hutton does not deny the possibility that Rhiannon was a goddess, but believes that the decisive evidence is lacking. For what it's worth, Rhiannon is a unique figure in the literature of the time, as a being from the otherworld who chooses live in the human world and willing to stay there even after every misfortune or crisis she encounters, responding to every problem with an indomitable and perhaps "stoical" willpower and courage.

The mystical poems, or the court poets from 900-1300, are also thought to contain some aspect of lost Welsh paganism. These were to be understood as a kind of artistic elite that delighted in prose that was sophisticated to the point of being almost beyond comprehension. They apparently believed that bards were semi-divine figures, permeated by a concept of divine inspiration referred to as "awen". They drew on many sources, including Irish, Greek, Roman, and even Christian literature, but also apparently the earlier Welsh bards. Seven mystical poems are credited to Taliesin, and these could be dated any time between 900 and 1250, though contemporary scholars typically favour 1150-1250 as the likely timeframe. Despite probably being written at a time when Wales was likely already Christianized, the poems are repeatedly referred to as sources of paganism and ancient wisdom by modern commentators.

The poem Preiddeu Annwn is one "classic" example. It is the story of an expedition into the realm of Annwn, which is undertaken to bring back a magical cauldron. The poem that we have seems to be explicitly Christian, but it is often believed that this is merely a Christian adaptation of an older pre-Christian text. But apparently no one really knows the real meaning of the Preiddeu Annwn, not least because no one can agree on what a third of the actual words in the poem mean. No one really knows if Taliesin was demonstrating a certain knowledge that only he possessed or what, if anything, he was referencing, so in a way we just don't "get" his poem.

Over the years the court bards ostensibly developed a new cast of mythological characters, or simply an enhanced an older cast of characters, to the point that they seem superhuman or even divine, yet just as medieval as King Arthur or Robin Hood. One example of this is Ceridwen, a sorceress who first appears in the Hanes Taliesin. Court poets apparently interpreted her as the brewer of the cauldrons of inspiration, and eventually the muse of the bards and giver of power and the laws of poetry. In 1809 she was called the "Great Goddess of Britain" by a clergyman named Edward Davies, which has been taken up by many since. Then there's Gwyn ap Nudd, who appears in 11th and 12th century texts as a warrior under the command of King Arthur. In 14th century poetry he seems to have been interpreted as a spirit of darkness, enchantment, and deception, and in the 1880s professor John Rhys identified him as a Celtic deity. Another major character is Arianhrod, who first appears in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogion as a powerful enchantress whose curses were unbreakable. Over time it was also believed that she could cast rainbows around the court, the constellation Corona Borealis was dubbed "the Court of Arianrhod", and somehow since the 20th century she was identified as an astral goddess.

Then we get to the canon known as "Arthurian legends": that is, the stories of King Arthur. Hutton says that these tales originated as stories of Welsh heroes who fought the English, and these stories also contained what are thought to be residual pagan motifs. One example is the gift of Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake, which is either based on memories of an older pre-Christian custom of throwing swords into lakes, the rediscovery of an older custom through finds, or even a persisting medieval custom of throwing a knight's weapons into a water. The Dolorous Blow which strikes the maimed king and turns his kingdom into a wasteland is thought to suggest a residual belief in the link between the health of a king and the health of a land, though the blow itself is inflicted by a Christian sacred object. The Holy Grail is often believed to derive from a pre-Christian sacred cauldron, but it was originally just a serving dish before becoming a Christian chalice.

And of course, there's Glastonbury, featuring as the Isle of Avalon, the refuge and possible burial site of Arthur. It has been thought since at least the 20th century that Glastonbury was a centre of paganism, but no remains have been found there which might suggest the presence of a pagan reigious site. And yet, in 2004, some prehistoric Neolithic post-holes were discovered near the Chalice Well garden in Glastonbury after the Chalice Well house started a kitchen extension. Although no deposits were found that suggest anything about the religious life of the area, the point stands that it was the first trace of anything Neolithic at Glastonbury. But there is perhaps always more to be found. As Hutton says, there are always new kitchen extensions, garden developments, street work, or any other renovation that might result in archaeological excavations, and we could find almost anything at any time. For my money, if there's hope anywhere, it's in that. Almost makes me want to get back into my childhood metal detecting hobby. It would certainly have a purpose: to rediscover anything from our pre-Christian past that could possibly be found.

From the Q&A we can incidentally note that many contemporary artefacts of Welsh national/cultural identity are very modern, they have nothing to do with some ancient past, but they weren't always to do with the romantic nationalism of Iolo Morganwg. The daffodil, for example, was probably first taken up as symbol of Wales in 1911, during the investiture of the then Prince of Wales. The leek, on the other hand, seems to have been symbolically associated with Wales since the Middle Ages, possibly as a reference to St David as his favorite dish, or possibly as a less then flattering reference to Welsh agriculture. The dragon, or rather Y Ddraig Goch (literally "the red dragon") as it is called here, dates back to a medieval narrative about a tyrannical king named Vortigern. He tries to build a castle but it repeatedly collapses, and according to the legend that's because two dragons, one red and the other white, are always fighting beneath the ground. The white dragon is supposed to represent the English and/or the Saxons, while the red dragon represents the Welsh and/or Celtic Britons. Although traditionally, at that time, Welsh princes took up the lion as their symbol much like English and other European royalty did, the Tudors established the red dragon as an official heraldic symbol of Wales to distinguish from English iconography, and that has been a mainstay of Welsh culture ever since. All-in-all, however, probably nothing to do with paganism here, unless the dragon has some older significance that we don't know about (and I'm inclined to be charitable here, considering that dragons in Christian symbolism usually represent Satan and/or evil).

There is the suggestion that Arianrhod is to be identified with Ariadne, the Cretan princess who became the lover and consort of the Greek god Dionysus. Both Ariadne and Arianrhod are associated with the Corona Borealis, which in Greek myth was a diadem given to Ariadne as a wedding present from Aphrodite. But that's about it. Any identification based solely on that would be a stretch.

There is the discussion of the legend of Bran, or Bran the Blessed, a king of Britain whose head was said to be buried in a part of London where the White Tower now stands. Hutton says it's possible that this may have reflected an ancient pre-Christian custom of burying parts of "special" people in "special" places to give them enduring magical/divine power, or alternatively that it references a Christian tradition of similarly venerating the relics of saints (itself possibly adapted from pre-Christian traditions in the Mediterranean, but that's another story; any input on that subject though would be much appreciated!). Hutton suggests that Bran's head being specifically buried beneath The White Tower is one of the best indications that the Four Branches of the Mabinogion as we know them were composed no earlier than the early 12th century, because the White Tower was built by William the Conqueror in 1080, and the Norman occupation in Wales as well as England at the time was part of the backdrop of the writing of the Four Branches. Hutton also suggests that stories concern parables from a distant, lost ancient time that were marshalled by Welsh poets who applied them as lessons for how to survive in the present, against the threat of Norman occupation. I should like to have answers on that front, because something about the reactivation of a distant past against the present order resonates very well with Claudio Kulesko's concept of Gothic Insurrection. It makes for interesting horizons, especially when applied to radical political dimensions relevant to things like the question of political identity in the context of the British union.

Relating to the legend of Wearyall Hill, the place in Glastonbury where Joseph of Arimathea supposedly planted the "holy thorn", there is the point made by the late historian Geoffrey Ashe (who, incidentally, died in Glastonbury) that none of the legends concerning Glastonbury have been or even can be disproved, which means that they all just might be correct. Hutton seems inclined to take what could be described as the "glass half full" side of that problematic, in that he thinks the great thing about myths and legends is that there also the possibility that there's something to them. I think that this presents possibilities for paganism, but in the sense that we are to look at it as an act of assemblage, or rather re-assemblage, and in a sense it works to the precise extent that we take it as medieval and contemporary mythology, without at the same time believing the lies that we tell ourselves through our romance and mythology.

Then there's the subject of the demonization of Gwyn ap Nudd in the Buchedd Collen, which incidentally counts as yet another Glastonbury legend. Hutton says that there is no doubt that Gwyn ap Nudd was demonized by Christians, but says that this was not specifically the work of the St. Collen myth. The legend of St. Collen was already fairly well-established in the Middle Ages, and the Welsh town of Llangollen takes its name from St. Collen. The legend goes that Collen was preaching in Glastonbury when Gwyn ap Nudd had taken over the Glastonbury Tor (Ynys Wydryn) and set up a mansion from which to tempt and seduce the inhabitants with vices and pleasures. Collen then goes to Gwyn ap Nudd's mansion and sprinkles holy water everywhere, causing it to explode and leave nothing but green mounds. Hutton suggests that by the 14th century Gwyn ap Nudd was already interpreted as a demon, but we don't really know how or why that happened. Here a horizon of assemblage emerges from the context of Christian demonization.

Gwyn ap Nudd, if taken as a Welsh or Brythonic deity, is interesting to consider as a demon invading Glastonbury and being exorcised by a Christian monk with holy water. There's an obvious question, albeit one that may have no answer: why does Gwyn appear as the subject of an exorcism myth in the context of a Christianized society? It seems plausible to consider Christians interpreted Gwyn ap Nudd as a demon by way of his already being the ruler of Annwn, an otherworld realm then recast as Hell. It may also be possible that Gwyn was a persistent reminder of an older pre-Christian polytheism, even if it's unlikely that he was actually worshipped by anyone living in the Middle Ages. Everything sort of hinges on the fact that the figure of Gwyn ap Nudd was pre-eminent enough in medieval culture, and enough of a thorn on the side of the Christian imaginary, to first of all be recast as an evil demon and then become the central antagonist of the legend of a Christian saint who exorcises him. That might allow Gwyn's presence in the legend to be interpreted as symbolic of the pre-Christian past, albeit through Christian eyes, and a figure who could represent its potential reactivation in Wales.

Lastly, there's the matter of apparent similarity between Welsh and Irish mythology, and the idea of a shared "Celtic origin" between them, in which we are again at a crossroads of possibility. That whole connection comes with a problem: there are definitely similarities between the Irish and Welsh characters at least in name, but these characters also to tend to share names more than they share almost anything else. The two explanations are either that these characters were deities that were worshipped in pre-Christian Wales as well as Ireland, or that Welsh authors were just well-acquainted with Irish folklore and literature and simply borrowed ideas from there. Hutton suggests that the first explanation may not be entirely wrong, or at least not completely invalidated, and leaves it up to the individual to decide between the two possibilities. It is very difficult to be certain is the first possibility holds up, and I have the suspicion it might not, at least not sufficiently. But it doesn't seem totally impossible, given the resonances between the mythical figures in Wales vs the pre-Christian gods of other lands. A relevant example would be Nudd, or Lludd Llaw Eraint, the mythical hero whose name was cognate with the Irish Nuada Airgetlam and apparently derived from the name of the ancient god Nodens. Not to mention Lleu Llaw Gyffes coming from the name of the Celtic god Lugus. That presents the slim possibility of connection, and perhaps assemblage by way of Irish myth.

If you want to see the full thing I'll link it below, here:

[beyondmistland]

Book Review (1/22/24)

Ap Ector No 1: Cries in the Storm by C. Leslie and C. Blackwood (3.5/5)

Ap Ector is the debut novella by C. Leslie and C. Blackwood, owners of the Arthurian Mythia podcast. As the title implies, it focuses on Kay and Arthur.

What I liked about the book: As someone with four younger brothers, Kay and Arthur’s relationship felt both relatable and realistic. They get on each other’s nerves constantly but underneath all the fighting and bickering is a genuine love for each other.

Most stories about King Arthur that I know of tend to gloss over his childhood and relegate Kay to a cameo role in favor of focusing on more popular characters like Lancelot or Gawain so it was definitely refreshing to read something set in Arthur’s formative years that also gave his foster brother prime of place.

Incidentally, that ties into the next thing I liked about Ap Ector. Being set prior to Uther Pendragon’s death and thus a time of peace, we get to see for a change what medieval society looks like when things are functioning the way they’re supposed to. The authors clearly did some research in that regard and it shows. In particular, I was surprised (and delighted) by the time they took to lay out in detail the duties of a squire and why each is important but in a way that avoided info-dumping while still making sense in-story from a plot and character perspective.

Finally, the low but more personal stakes gave the story a comforting, slice-of-life feel, which was a nice change of pace from the often world-shattering drama popular in fantasy.

What I didn’t like about the book: This being a debut work the writing is a little rough around the edges and I did spot a handful of typos.

Overall, I enjoyed C. Leslie and C. Blackwood’s first foray into King Arthur and look forward to seeing how they as well as the characters grow when the next novella, Bedwyr and the Prince, comes out later this year.

https://www.amazon.com/Ector-No-Cries-Storm-ebook/dp/B08KMX5HX5

Currently reading: Dark Reflections (A Historical Horror & Dark Folklore Anthology) by Annwn Press

Next: The King-Killing Queen by Shawn Speakman

[stardustbee]

3. Why did they decide to become parents (assuming they made this decision)?

8. Are there any interests that they share with their kids? If not, how do they nurture their kids’ interests?

21. Which parent do the kids seek out for comfort when they’re scared?

29. Assuming they named their kids, how/why did they pick their names?

for Ayane and Maul? 🤗

So this might be a little bit spoilers for fmttm. Not major plot spoiler but as you can see it's a subject that might have contains spoiler!

Couples and theirs kids Asks 💕

3. It wasn't a descion they made. It was more of a thought they had after Ayane had a vision of her own children. They assume that Ayane can't get pregnant anyway because she is a vampire .

21. Definitely Ayane! She is a very soft and kind mother. Maul is somtimes to stern to give much comfort to them. Expect his little Eve...she makes his hearts melt and she has so much of her mother. Yes, he would totally spoil her...

8. So the first born son is Hal. He is a mix between Ayane and Maul but has his very own interests. He is stubborn and knows he will be the heir of what his parents will give to him when they are no longer. He is more interested in having fun and all that stuff, like he really love running around and doing nonsense.

Arawn is the second son. He is more like Maul, especially his face. His interest is to become just like his father in sword fighting and in the way of the force so he always tries sticking around Maul and imitating his interests. BUT he has one thing very similar to Ayane, he loves to read!

Eve is the little sweet heart and the delight of the family. She just loves to listen to stories and is interested in flowers. Also she is very interested in her mother and loves listening to her stories.

29. So IF they have kids... they would be named (order of birth)

Hal Opress = The leader

Arawn Opress = in Welsh mythology, a prince of the Otherworld Annwn and subordinate and opponent of Hafgan.

Eve Opress = "the life-giver", "the life-giving", "the living", "the enlivened" and "the mother of the living"

[ygobigbang-archive]

How to be a Good Prince

Artist: @americankestrelprojects Full version here

Moodboard Artist: @americankestrelprojects

Writer:  FullmetalDude1 Status: Complete Rating: Teen Characters: Jesse Anderson, Haou the Supreme King, Yubel, Jaden Yuki (trans girl named Yuuna), Yubel, Blair Flannigan, Harrington Rosewood, Light And Darkness Dragon, Adrian Gecko, plus a few other minor characters (cameos from Duel Monsters and 5Ds) Ship(s): Jaden Yuki/Jesse Anderson, Yubel/Haou Content Warnings: Minor character death (Jesse kills Adrian), references to sexual intercourse, characters shapeshifting so technically identity fraud, attempts to steal romantic partners, kidnappings, mild violence Summary: Jesse son of Valon and Prince of Dyfed lived a relatively ordinary life of a Prince in Wales. But one day when he comes across Haou the King of Annwn injured and alone in his domain, his entire life is launched into an entirely new path.

A tale of honour, restraint, battle, compassion, duty and love follows the young Prince as he grows into his title and becomes a worthy ruler of his people. But this path is not without challenges, be they of his court or outside it.

No matter what stands in his way though, the young Prince will take care of his people and protect the ones he loves. (A First Branch of the Mabinogi AU)

Available on AO3

[tunglo]

Been messing about with the AI art generator on Canva, seeing what it would make of various cryptid / ufo descriptions... Disappointing, unsurprisingly. Mostly it just completely ignores the actual details - e.g. a two headed ghost in Blaenavon was just two creepy looking blokes stood in a Victorian street.

This is what it gave me for the Cŵn Annwn (hell hounds, literally 'dogs of the otherworld') in Owen Pughe's translation of Pwyll Pendefig Dyfed (Powell, Prince of Dyfed). Again, it ignored most of the actual details - of all the hounds that he had seen in the world, he had never seen any that were like unto these. For their hair was of a brilliant shining white, and their ears were red; and as the whiteness of their bodies shone, so did the redness of their ears glisten. - but, still.

This is now my new cŵn annwn headcanon. They're not freaking people out 'cos they're demon dogs. They're just too motherfucking cool for even medieval princes to deal with. I mean, look at him. That dog could take Pwyll any day.

[bluedevilsrpg]

the cast as fairytale characters or creatures, pretty pls? 🤩

Much credit to Ever for coming up with all of these!

- god killer: typhon (greek) | the younger son from the story of the youth who went forth to learn what fear was - saint guillotine: chimera (greek) | death from death's messengers - cursed soldier: cŵn annwn (welsh) | jack from jack the giant-killer - king of drought: nalusa falaya (choctaw) | the shadow from the shadow - master of death: nuckelavee (scottish) | the evil one from the stone of the wise men - crooked hound: dybbuk (jewish) | the prince from the wicked prince - razor fist: jersey devil (american) | the prince from the swineherd - demon eater: draugr (scandinavian) | the soldier from the tinderbox - flower of ice: la cegua (nicaraguan) | the princess from the travelling companion - queen of plague: jorōgumo (japanese) | the demon from the painted skin - madame massacre: pontianak (malaysian / indonesian) | helga from the marsh king's daughter - bells of hell: fossegrimen (norweigian) | the cat from the cat and mouse in partnership - little miss red: penanggalan (malaysian) | little red riding hood from little red riding hood - sunken witch: grootslang (south african) | ursula from the little mermaid - child of flames: ördög (hungarian) | peter pan from peter pan - blood thief: ciguapa (dominican republic) | the princess from the three snake-leaves - moon blade: bubak (czech) | the witch from the son of seven queens - angel of terror: bū daryā (qatari) | the bridegroom from the robber bridegroom

[ao3feed-tolkien]

Vannymorr's First Yule

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/gW6escr

by AnnEllspethRaven, SonaBeanSidhe

It is a very special Yule at Eldamar in the forest community of New Lasgalen in general and the home of Eldamar in particular. Elves who have never been able to cross back from Valinor are able to visit for the first time in thousands of years...but everyone is busy relocating to Valinor! It may be the last time to share such a large meal and their quirky family traditions with so many guests from near and far for quite awhile...so naturally the day will unfold smoothly? Of course not, we wrote this.

The events that occur in the story can be considered to be compatible with the main fic. Though it's not Christmas for 2 months yet, consider the events in here as being parts of the story, Glimpse of the Future.

We tried so hard to have this ready for Christmas Day, we are sorry we didn't make it. I feel like some of this leaked into real life. Definitely my puppy read over my shoulder and got ideas. We won't be able to repeat the chapter release for New Year's as we have in the past, just doing this was our limit...we want to get back to writing the fic for you! Please everyone have a safe New Year's celebration!

Words: 21468, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Lasg'len's Box of Crackers

Fandoms: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, Dark Prince: Vanimórë

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Multi

Characters: Vanimórë, Faeleth, Earlene, Thranduil, Thanadir, Lorna, Maglor, Celegorm, Fëanor, Mairead, Khadakhir, Ossë, Ratiri, Daeron, Kelsey, Annwn - Character, Pat, Saoirse - Character, Harker, Idun, Erestor, Glorfindel, Ithiliel, Eleniel, Shane, Katje

Additional Tags: Christmas Fluff, Christmas Special, Big Extended Family, The Elvenking's Wine Cellar, Holiday at Eldmar, Bob Rivers Songs

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/gW6escr

[ao3feed-thehobbit]

Vannymorr's First Yule

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/MDsRekQ

by AnnEllspethRaven, SonaBeanSidhe

It is a very special Yule at Eldamar in the forest community of New Lasgalen in general and the home of Eldamar in particular. Elves who have never been able to cross back from Valinor are able to visit for the first time in thousands of years...but everyone is busy relocating to Valinor! It may be the last time to share such a large meal and their quirky family traditions with so many guests from near and far for quite awhile...so naturally the day will unfold smoothly? Of course not, we wrote this.

The events that occur in the story can be considered to be compatible with the main fic. Though it's not Christmas for 2 months yet, consider the events in here as being parts of the story, Glimpse of the Future.

We tried so hard to have this ready for Christmas Day, we are sorry we didn't make it. I feel like some of this leaked into real life. Definitely my puppy read over my shoulder and got ideas. We won't be able to repeat the chapter release for New Year's as we have in the past, just doing this was our limit...we want to get back to writing the fic for you! Please everyone have a safe New Year's celebration!

Words: 21468, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Lasg'len's Box of Crackers

Fandoms: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, Dark Prince: Vanimórë

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Multi

Characters: Vanimórë, Faeleth, Earlene, Thranduil, Thanadir, Lorna, Maglor, Celegorm, Fëanor, Mairead, Khadakhir, Ossë, Ratiri, Daeron, Kelsey, Annwn - Character, Pat, Saoirse - Character, Harker, Idun, Erestor, Glorfindel, Ithiliel, Eleniel, Shane, Katje

Additional Tags: Christmas Fluff, Christmas Special, Big Extended Family, The Elvenking's Wine Cellar, Holiday at Eldmar, Bob Rivers Songs

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/MDsRekQ

[vowcomic]

[faith-gigliorosa]

“In old tales people who had seen the Fair Folk dancing in the moonlight and been drawn into that dance, had returned from what seemed a night’s frolic to find all their friends and kin long dead.”

The Mabinogion Tetralogy, Evangeline Walton