A Modern Welsh Storyteller

A friend reminded me of Saint David's Day on March 1st. St. David is the patron saint of Wales. It made me realize how often I shortchange Wales in this blog “of all things Celtic”. I am just not as familiar with this important part of Celtic lands even though I honor it as a stronghold of Celtic legend and tradition. Next year on March 1, I will buy daffodils, make potato leek soup and perhaps bake bara brith, the bread I have come to know through the Great British Bake-Off. (The leek is the national emblem of Wales and traditionally worn on St. David’s Day plus a very tasty winter soup.) Meantime I hope to learn more. And will share more on this blog.

I joined the on-line “Mabinogi Challenge”, offered free by noted Celtic scholar and wonderful Welsh storyteller, Dr.Gwilym Morus-Baird. His style, knowledge and talents have opened me to Welsh folklore, especially The Mabinogi. Gwilym has an online presence, CelticSource, which is filled with free videos. I highly recommend this page to anyone interested in Welsh myth. The picture above is the logo of his FB Page. Some of his free videos are on youtube, his website and he was a weekly talk via email sign up.

Gwilym not only tells the tales with great flourish, he also breaks the sagas and ancient writings down, asking questions that evoke the listeners’ own interpretation and gives meaning and context to the stories. He identifies symbols and gives their origin.  One of his email invitations contained this quotation from a Greek philosopher:

To conceal the truth by myth prevents the contempt of the foolish, and compels the good to practice philosophy.

I think these words speak to his depth and the nuance he offers. They also express my motivation for following and learning about Celtic myths and legends from him. Plus, did I mention that he is a great storyteller.

We all may know of the Grail and Autherian legends and the interpretations that have revealed so much about the unveiling of the Divine Feminine. But there is so much more about the linkage to Wales and its earlier legends that I want to discover.. As I learn more, I will share more on these pages.

For those of you who love Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings, you will see their archetypes in the Mabinogi. For those of you who watched the British television series Cadfael, you too will be intrigued. And if you like a good folktale, you will enjoy his storytelling.