Welsh Folklore Research Articles

‘The rain soaked sky is leaden’: Welsh Identity and Dystopian Impulses inThe Doctor of Myddfai

AbstractThe Doctor of Myddfai(1995), Peter Maxwell Davies's third full-scale opera and his first collaboration with David Pountney, is a work that occupies an important position within the composer's output for the opera house and theatre. However, whereas a significant amount of scholarly attention has been afforded to Davies's music-theatre works of the 1960s and the operasTaverner(1962–8) andResurrection(1986–7),The Doctor of Myddfaihas been somewhat neglected by comparison. This article examines the opera from two perspectives. The first addresses the work's dystopian setting and argues that key issues highlighted in the libretto – especially in relation to certain political concerns and environmental anxieties – have a strong contemporary resonance. The second focuses on the opera's articulation of Welsh identity, particularly through the use of Welsh folklore, native landscape and place, and indigenous musical signifiers. The intersection of these two elements – the work's celebration of Welshness and its dystopian qualities – imbues the opera with an intrinsic yet highly productive sense of tension and opposition: characteristics that drive the work towards its compelling conclusion.

Writing Britain's Celtic History in the Nineteenth Century: The Study of Folk Tradition by Sir John Rhŷs

Sir John Rhŷs was the first professor of Celtic studies in Oxford and was also a renowned collector of Welsh folklore. This paper explores how Rhŷs used tales and narrative motifs from folklore, especially those related to traditions of the Tylwyth Teg, the Welsh fairies, to construct and support his idea of Britain’s prehistory. In this context, it will be shown how he employed contemporary ideas based on social Darwinism, such as the development of social organization according to Bachofen, Morgan and Engels and the development of religion according to Frazer.

The Unrepentant Twyllforwyn: Modern Perspectives on Virginity Testing in Medieval Welsh Folklore

<em>The Island of the Mighty</em><span>, by Evangeline Walton (1936), is one of the first modern adaptations of the </span><em>Mabinogi</em><span>. The novel’s re-publication in 1970 launched Walton’s career as a critically and popularly successful fantasy fiction writer. Although her work is little-known today, the re-publication of </span><em>The Mabinogion Tetralogy </em><span>(2001) indicates a renewed interest in this ground-breaking work. This essay examines the novel’s feminist re-visioning of Arianrhod’s virginity test in the Fourth Branch as a case study for Walton’s ability to re-examine the </span><em>Mabinogi </em><span>from a modern perspective while maintaining a fidelity to the medieval narrative. Walton’s re-visioning focuses on the transformation of gender roles in a Mother Goddess-worshipping culture on the verge of monotheism, as the pagan traditions of the Old Tribes are slowly eroded by the patriarchal New Tribes. The novel utilizes the virginity test as an exemplar of this emerging patriarchy’s desire to place the formerly venerated female body under its masculine jurisdiction.This essay will utilize Luce Irigaray’s theory of the maternal function of the female gender to explore how Arianrhod’s decision to reject the maternal role undermines both Gwydion’s gender identity and necessitates her vilification in the eyes of the </span><em>Mabinogi</em><span>’s medieval redactor. Walton’s re-visioning of the extant version of the Fourth Branch re-casts Arianrhod not as villain, but as a complex anti-heroine, allowing the reader to question the patriarchal gender constructs in the medieval tale and their own society.</span>

Edward Lhwyd (c.1660–1709): Folklorist

Edward Lhwyd's ambitious Archaeologia Britannica project, for which he undertook an extensive tour of the Celtic-speaking regions of Britain and Brittany from 1697 to 1701, was to include “A Comparison of the Customes and Traditions of the Britains with those of other Nations.” Though this part of the Archaeologia was not written, some of the data that were collected survive. Lhwyd's comments on the material reveal that as an antiquary his primary interests were historical and lay in customs and rites as survivals, rather than in narrative; as an experimental scientist he was consistently sceptical of traditional or popular explanations of phenomena. Edward Lhwyd was the first systematically to record Welsh folklore, and the geographical breadth of his collecting, his structured approach, and his critical responses make him the foremost pioneer in the field.

Arthurian Wonder Women: The Tred of Olwen

Though introduced as a curse placed upon her suitor, Olwen, the most beautiful giant's daughter in Welsh folklore, brings to this tale wisdom and an aura of enchantment worthy of the most exemplary Arthurian heroines.

Perceptions of the Past in Welsh Folklore Studies

This paper discusses various ways the concept of the past has been interpreted and used in Welsh antiquarian and folklore studies, beginning and ending with illustrations of popular concepts of “Welshness” in the tourism and heritage industries, and en route making a critique of “centre vs periphery” scholarly models. Special attention is paid to the work of the Celtic scholar Sir John Rhys and Iowerth Peate, the founder of the Welsh Folk Museum.

A Classic of Welsh Folklore Reissued

OVER fifty years have passed since T. Gwynn Jones wrote his Welsh Folklore and Folk-Custom at the invitation of the Methuen Company in 1930. During that period much research work has been done in the field in which Gwynn Jones, like Sir John Rhis before him, was such a pioneer. Yet his volume remains a classic. I know of no better introduction to Welsh folklore, and at least two reasons can be given to explain why the volume is so valuable. Firstly, it is a volume which is a mine of information, with that information (gathered from manuscript, printed and oral sources) presented in an interesting, orderly and concise manner. It would be easy to argue that the author should have dealt also in some measure with subjects such as games, riddles, tongue-twisters, lullabies, rhymes, proverbs and sayings--subjects which are now considered a central part of folklore-but it should be remembered at the same time that he had to restrict substantially the size of the volume to fulfil the demands of the publishers. And remember, too, that the field of folklore then had not been explicitly defined. Indeed, to this day it remains one of the most indefinable fields. It is a special subject, and yet it is more than a subject. It is an attitude of mind which is an inex tricable part of every subject. One cannot discuss subjects of a 'material' nature, such as ploughing and sowing, harvesting and thatching, without mentioning also the folklore that was an integral part of such work-all the beliefs and customs never recorded on paper, but transferred from mouth to mouth and from generation to generation, such as the belief that the proper time to sow oats was 'tridiau'r deryn du a dau lygad Ebrill' (lit. 'the blackbird's three days and April's two eyes'). I, like many another, certainly, would have liked to have seen a man as cultured as T. Gwynn Jones discussing folklore in the widest meaning of the term, but it is unfair to criticize an author for not doing what he had never intended doing at all. His intention, according to his own words in the introduction, was:

British Goblins: Welsh Folk-Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions

British Goblins: Welsh Folk-Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions

Folklore Studies in Wales

IN Wales, the national folk museum was opened in 1948 at St Fagans. This development was the culmination of long years of collection and study which began at the beginning of this century. During those years work had been carried on at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, under the leadership of Professor H. J. Fleure and Professor T. Gwynn Jones and from 1930 onwards in the sub-department and later the Department of Folk Life in the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff. The Rev. Elias Owen, Mr Jonathan Ceredig Davies, Professor T. Gwynn Jones and others had published valuable works on Welsh folklore. The Department of Folk Life in Cardiff and later the Welsh Folk Museum were forced by circumstances to concentrate primarily on rescuing the material evidence of the traditional culture of Wales; the extensive national Welsh Folk Collection and the buildings re-erected at St Fagans testify to the work carried out in this direction. At the moment Wales is the only country in these islands with a national folk museum comparable to the well-established institutions in the Scandinavian countries.

1. The Wren in Welsh Folklore

1. The Wren in Welsh Folklore

TRACES OF CATHOLICISM IN WELSH FOLKLORE AND CUSTOM

New BlackfriarsVolume 12, Issue 136 p. 428-441 TRACES OF CATHOLICISM IN WELSH FOLKLORE AND CUSTOM T. Charles Edwards, T. Charles EdwardsSearch for more papers by this author T. Charles Edwards, T. Charles EdwardsSearch for more papers by this author First published: July 1931 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-2005.1931.tb04979.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume12, Issue136July 1931Pages 428-441 RelatedInformation

Welsh Folk-lore and Folk-Custom

Welsh Folk-lore and Folk-Custom

Scraps of Welsh Folklore, I

Scraps of Welsh Folklore, I

Notes on Welsh Folklore.

Notes on Welsh Folklore.

Welsh Folklore

Welsh Folklore

Welsh Folklore Items, I.

Welsh Folklore Items, I.

Reviews

Babylonian Magic and Sorcery, being “The Prayers of the Lifting of the Hand.” By Leonard W. King. London: Luzac & Co., 1896. By A. H. Sayce. Natural History in Shakespeare's Time. Being Extracts illustrative of the Subject as he knew it. By W. H. Seager. London: Elliot Stock. The Sacred Tree; or, The Tree in Religion and Myth. By Mrs. J. H. Philpot. Macmillan & Co., Limited. 1897. Corpus Inscriptionum Atticarum: Appendix continens defixionum tabulas. Ed. R. Wrench. Berolini, 1897. By W. R. Paton. Welsh Folk-Lore: a Collection of the Folk-Tales and Legends of North Wales, being the Prize Essay of the National Eisteddfod, 1887, revised and enlarged. By the Rev. Elias Owen, M.A., F.S.A. Oswestry and Wrexham: Woodall, Minshull, & Co. Blason Populaire de Franche-Comté. Par Charles Beauquier. Paris: Le Chevallier et Leroux. The Celtic Doctrine of Re-birth. By Alfred Nutt. With Appendices: the Transformations of Tuan McCairill, the Dinnshenchas of Mag Slecht, edited and translated by Kuno Meyer. London: D. Nutt, 1897, (Grimm Library, vi.)By F. Y. P. The Chances of Death and other Studies in Evolution. By Karl Pearson. 2 vols. Edward Arnold.By Alfred Nutt. The Miracles of Madame Saint Katherine of Fierbois translated from the Edition of the Abbé J. J. Bourassé, Tours, 1858. By Andrew Lang. Chicago: Way and Williams. London : David Nutt, 1897.

British gollins : welsh folk lore, fairy mythology, legend), and traditions.

British gollins : welsh folk lore, fairy mythology, legend), and traditions.

Welsh folk lore: "Coming in with the tide."

Welsh folk lore: "Coming in with the tide." Get access J. Eliot Hodgkin J. Eliot Hodgkin Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Notes and Queries, Volume s3-VI, Issue 134, 23 July 1864, Page 69, https://doi.org/10.1093/nq/s3-VI.134.69j Published: 23 July 1864