This exploration of the Welsh-Celtic myth of the prophet/poet Taliesin and the witch/goddess Cerridwen takes the reader on a transformative journey. It introduces them to core Celtic philosophy and magic, then embarks on a powerful, experiential foray into one of Wales' most profound legends. Readers will gain a deep understanding of the myth that is the heart of Celtic mystery and become well-versed in a magical ritual for successfully working with one of Celtica's most esteemed goddesses: Cerridwen. Author Kristoffer Hughes, a practising Druid and scholar, examines the historical development of the Taliesin myth, provides an engaging in-depth analysis of each character's archetypal role in the story, and presents practical applications, including a year-long magic ritual. As lyrical as it is practical, this unique guide offers readers the tools and understanding to immerse themselves fully into the mysteries of Celtic magic.
The Four Branches of the Mabinogi are the most famous stories from the collection of medieval Welsh prose called the Mabinogion. "Mabinogi" was originally used only for these four tales, which are actually parts or "branches" of a single work, rather than the whole collection.
Celtic mythology, Arthurian romance, Welsh history--these are just some of the threads woven into the eleven magical tales that make up The Mabinogion. Here are stories full of colorful characters, such as Gwydion the shape-shifter and Math the magician. Dragons, witches, and giants live alongside kings and heroes, and quests of honor, revenge, and love are set against the backdrop of a country struggling to retain its independence. This magnificent new translation, the first in thirty years, recreates this fantastical blend of myth, folklore, legend, and history. Davies' introduction places the tales within their oral storytelling context and illuminates their central themes and the key role that public performance played in their evolution. Invaluable explanatory notes shed light on aspects of medieval Welsh society and highlight the relationship between the tales, cross-referencing them in a way that has never been done before. The book also includes glossaries of personal names and place-names, a map showing the locations mentioned in the tales, and a guide to pronunciation.
Palaeolithic Brittany is thought to have supported few if any people prior to the end of the last glaciation. A few Palaeolithic sites are known such as the rock shelter of Perros-Guirec near Rochworn and the cave site Roc'h Toul in a sandstone promontory near Guiclan in Finstere. The cave contained about 200 artefacts.
Mesolithic
Well known Mesolithic sites from Brittany are the cemeteries on the islands of Hoedic with 10 graves and Teviec with 9 graves in Morbihan. Funeral gift'flint tools, engraved bones, shell ornaments and are found on the sites.
Neolithic
The Kerloas Menhir, near Plouarzel. This menhir at a height of about nine and a half metres is the tallest standing menhir in Bretagne. Prior to severe weather damage it was thought to stand at over ten metres.
Early long mounds date back to the middle of the fifth millennium as in Barnenez. Early passage graves can date to between 4000 and 3000 bc, followed by evolved passage graves between 3000-2500 bc. In the later part of the Neolithic, allee couvertes and simple dolmens became the main type of burial monument. Passage graves that are decorated include Gavrinis. Middle Neolithic settlements include La Motte, La Butte-aux-Pierres and Lannic. They are mainly in the Coastal areas.
Bronze Age
Early Bronze Age culture is believed by many to have grown out of Beaker roots. In the early Bronze Age, individual graves are found under barrows. The Breton barrows have been divided into two series by Cogné and Guiot, the first dating from 1900-1600 bc, the second to 1600-1400 bc. The barrows of the first series can six metres high and fifty in diameter. Found in Western Brittany, along the coast, the Blavet river and at the southern border of the Monts d'Arree, other examples have been found in Normandy. The barrows contain a small cairn over a stone cist, wooden coffin or dry stone structure containing the burial. The chambers can be covered by stone slabs. Roofed mortuary houses have been found such as St. Jude en Bourbriac.
The barrows of the second series are smaller and mostly inland. They contain numerous pottery vessels. The later part of the early Bronze Age saw the beginning of the exploitation of the Armorican tin deposits. Discovered hoards contain tools and weapons such as the Tréboul-group of hoard. The hoard from Bignan (Morbihan) contained bronze jewellery only. The Museum of Pre-History at Carnac has significant quantities of Late Bronze Age bronze and copper artifacts from the Atlantic Bronze Age. This maritime trading culture that included Brittany, France and the other Celtic Nations.
Iron Age, Roman Rule and into the Middle Ages
Roman sources point to a number of tribes such as the Venti, Armoricani, Osismii, Namnettes and Coriosolites. In 56 BC the area was conquered by the Romans under Julius Caesar. The Romans called the district Armorica an interpretation of the Celtic word meaning "coastal region" (Gallia Lugdunensis). The present département of Côtes-d'Armor is a continuation of that name. By the 4th century AD British tribes started to settle. The continued immigrant ion of Britons (during and after the withdrawal of Roman forces from Britain and the need to escape the invading Anglo Saxons) contributed to the Breton language, Brezhoneg, which is linked to the languages of Welsh and Cornish. The name Brittany from "Little Britain" also developed at this time. The early Middle Ages saw Brittany divided into the three kingdoms of Domnonia, Cornouaille (Kernev) and Bro Waroc'h. These were eventually incorporated into the Duchy of Brittany.
Frankish Rule
After a long period of continual resistance (which included alliances with Vikings) to Frankish designs on Brittany. The Kingdom of France defeated the Breton army in 1488 and the last Duke of independent Brittany was forced to submit to a treaty giving the King of France the right to determine the marriage of the Duke's daughter, the heir to the Duchy. The Duchess Anne was the last independent ruler of the duchy. She was ultimately obliged to marry Louis XII of France. The duchy passed on her death to her daughter Claude, but Claude's husband François I incorporated the duchy into the Kingdom of France in 1532. The duchy kept specific laws and taxes until 1790, when the French revolutionaries withdrew all the "privilèges".
Brittany into the modern era
To the present day, Brittany has maintained a distinctly Celtic identity. Brittany, along with Scotland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Wales and Cornwall is seen as one of the Six Celtic Nations and as such is a member of The Celtic League and Celtic Congress. The language continues to be spoken into the modern era and is one of the two Insular Celtic Languages (Brythonic as spoken in Brittany, Wales and Cornwall and Goidelic as spoken in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man). Despite years of pressure from a much centralised France the Breton language has survived and similar to other Celtic languages is experiencing a significant revival at this time. Part of this success is due to the Diwan which is a federation of Breton language medium schools.
Politically there have always been movements in favour of an independent or autonomous Brittany. Such organisations as the Breton National Party, Front for the Liberation of Brittany (FLB) and more recently Unvaniezh Demokratel Breizh (Union Démocratique Bretonne) have sought political autonomy, as well as promoting the Breton language and culture in Brittany and Loire-Atlantique. In 2012 Paul Molac was elected to The National Assembly of France when he stood for the UDB in Morbihan.
The City of Nantes and the Loire-Atlantique Department were formerly part of the historic province of Brittany and Nantes along with Rennes was one of its traditional capitals. Historically, the country around Nantes was always seen as part of Brittany. In 1207 the Dukes of Brittany lived in Nantes. Most of the Dukes and Duchesses were buried in the cathedral or adjacent abbeys. The Loire-Atlantique was split from the other four departments in Brittany by the Viche regime in 1941; a new region had been created centred on Nantes called the Pays de la Loire. However, Loire-Atlantique is culturally, historically and geographically united to Brittany. There continues to be active campaigns for the reunification of Brittany.
Further reading
The information above is only given as a compacted and brief sketch of the history of Brittany. New discoveries and further academic work gives varied views of the historical developments in trade, culture and lifestyle that have added to and influenced Brittany. We would encourage you to look further into the works of, Browen, Monnier and Cassard, Tonnerre, Fleuriot, Dylan, Myles Chadwick, Nora and Guyonvarc'h, Flueriot and others. Clearly the information contained in the museums of Brittany can add and point to other sources to increase your knowledge of Historic Brittany.
Many people first take an interest in the Cornish language because they are curious to learn more about the distinctive and fascinating place names of Cornwall. The key to understanding the meaning of these place-names is language. Most derive from the Cornish language primarily, but many of them have their roots in Old English, Middle English, French, and other languages which have left their mark on Cornwall. Through the tireless and exacting work of place-name specialists, the secrets of Cornish place-names are being unlocked for everyone. This dictionary offers in a concise format more than 3,300 place-names. It is the fruit of Craig Weatherhill's many years of research, not only of the meaning of the names themselves, but of considering the question of how best to represent those names in Revived Cornish. The recommendations in this dictionary preserve the authentic and attested linguistic forms while at the same time honouring the traditional orthographic forms which have been visible on the Cornish landscape for at least four centuries. The orthography used in this dictionary is compatible with the Standard Written Form (SWF), adopted by the Cornish Language Partnership for educational and official use. It is also compatible with Kernowek Standard (KS), a practical orthography which informed the development of the SWF. In turn, KS has been modified in light of the published SWF specification, while adopting a few emendations to make the orthography more consistent and more like the spelling of traditional Cornish.
The Celtic nation of Cornwall has many myths and legends involving giants. One such giant was Cormoran. His legendary home was St Michaels Mount and from this base he launched many raids on the terrified locals, stealing their livestock. The desperate people offered a reward to anyone who could rid them of the giant and allow them to live in peace. Not fully expecting anyone to be brave enough to rise to this challenge they were surprised when a young boy called Jack stepped forward.
In his introduction to Celtic Cornwall, the author writes:
"Observers have tried to debunk Cornish Celticity over the years, claiming that after the Anglo-Saxon invasions and the Norman Conquest then, in effect, Cornwall ceased to be truly Celtic. This assertion is wrong on several levels because fundamentally it seems to lack recognition of the resistance of Cornish people over time to reconfigure and re-negotiate their Celtic identity. It is also assumes a kind of assimilation and integration into England which has clearly not fully occurred. Resistance has been there in many different ways across the centuries, and it is still there in the twenty-first century. The entries in this book confirm this. They also deny the sceptics."
The Celtic peoples of Europe, despite subjugation by more powerful nations, have retained their essential 'difference', a remarkable tribute to their resilience and a phenomenon celebrated in what today is known as the Celtic Revival. Nowhere is this feeling stronger than in Cornwall which, in spite of (or perhaps because of?) losing its native language and parts of its distinctive identity, marches at the head of this revivalism.
This new, revised and updated edition of Cornovia is eagerly awaited by those many people who have an interest in Cornwall's ancient past. Combining as it does the work first published in two volumes (Cornovia and its sister work Belerion), this new book is one of the most complete guides to individual historic sites to be found in Cornwall and Scilly, and is ideally suited to those wishing to visit the sites themselves. This new edition explores almost 250 sites, with an explanation of each, along with detailed maps, plans and colour photographs, specially prepared for this edition.
The original books quickly became standard works of their kind, being reprinted and remaining in print for almost two decades. The author has brought Cornovia into the 21st century and it will undoubtedly also become a bestseller.
The International Celtic Congress is a non-political cultural organisation that promotes the Celtic language in the six nations of Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, Ireland, Isle of Man and Cornwall. The annual meeting of the Congress in 2013 is being held in Bodmin, Cornwall from 1st to 6th April.
The story of Tom Bawcock emanates from the Cornish village of Mousehole (Porthenys). The village is located on the shores of Michael’s Bay (Cammas an Garrek Los) to the south of Penzance (Pennsans). It is set in a stormy winter many years ago. The relentless winds had prevented the fishing boats from leaving harbour. As Christmas approached the local people were becoming desperate and there was a danger of starvation.
A fisherman, Tom Bawcock, seeing the misery and desperation of the people, decided to risk his life and take his boat out into the turbulent seas. He set out on 23rd December and his vessel was tossed and thrown on the crashing waves. Brave Tom Bawcock continued to fish, defying the weather to do its worse. When he arrived back into port he brought with him a mighty catch of fish; enough to feed the village. They were baked into a pie, with the heads of the fish pushed upwards through the pastry.
The Celtic nation of Cornwall has many myths and legends involving giants. One such giant was Cormoran. His legendary home was St Michaels Mount and from this base he launched many raids on the terrified locals, stealing their livestock. The desperate people offered a reward to anyone who could rid them of the giant and allow them to live in peace. Not fully expecting anyone to be brave enough to rise to this challenge they were surprised when a young boy called Jack stepped forward.
