Welsh Legends: Druids, Saints, and a Faithful Hound
Here are three well-known Welsh
legends - and one written by an excursioner. The Druid Merwin,
who influenced King Authur; the patron saint of Ireland, David,
who performed miracles when the early Christians were struggling
for power with the Druid priests; and the amazing dog named
Gelert, after whom a town is named. (So what if an 18th-century
innkeeper revised this legend to help market his village, naming
the dog Gelert and introducing Prince Llewellyn?) And click
on to Annette's legend to learn about the origin of the beautiful
mountains of Snowdonia!
Mareike Link & Christoph Meinecke
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Wales- the land of which legends are made
Where the giants live and the angels
sleep
An excursion to Wales is like a never-ending dream: This land is in
possession of such mysterious beauty which does not only attract one's
senses and inspire one's imagination; these marvellous landscapes let
you look through the eyes of an artist, a poet. If you spend a night
in one of these imposing castles, which are monuments of history, while
having a look at the awe-inspiring mountains, listening to the stories
of the cold sea-wind and smelling the soft scent of nature and earth,
you only have the choice between becoming insane or poetic.
Wales is a country of story-tellers, a nation of self confident people
who proudly keep their language and their traditions alive. This land
has so much to offer. It is a modern civilisation where scientific progress
and high standard education go hand in hand with old myths and strong
belief. I have never been to a country where people were so kind to
strangers as this nation.
Wales is alive because Welsh culture is alive.
My personal opinion of our trip is
more than positive: The atmosphere of Welsh pubs, the romantic view
over the sea mixed with natural beauty made our short trip an unforgettable
experience. I even enjoyed listening to Welsh music; though I could
not understand the lines, I caught the rhythm and the message being
transmitted through overwhelming, extraordinary sounds.
Since our excursion project follows
an academic aim, I decided to choose Welsh myths as the topic of my
research. But soon I realized that Wales consists of a large number
of legends. Therefore I made the decision to create my own legend
about the circumstances under which the mountains and the area of Snowdonia
were created. My unconventional way of approaching this topic is a result
of the streams of creativity being inspired by the intensive spirit
of majestic nature.
I decided against insanity. Here I am, caught in this
mystic passion inspired by pure beauty...
by Annette Dworski
