Llyn Tegid (LL-in TEG-id)—The Welsh name for the lake famed in the tale.
Llyr (LL-ir)—Celtic god of the sea whose offspring play significant roles in the Mabinogi tales. He was one of the three exalted prisoners of the islands of Britain.
Mabinogi (Mab-INN-Og-ee)—Small tales, or tales of youth, the collective name given to a series of native Welsh tales, the most famed being the Four Branches of the Mabinogi. Mabinogion is an Anglicisation assumed to have been coined by Lady Charlotte Guest; the correct form—Mabinogi—appears in the original manuscripts.
Maelgwn Gwynedd (MA-eel-Goon GWIN-eth)—King of Gwynedd in the sixth century.
Manawydan (Man-ah-WID-ann)—Primary character in the Third Branch of the Mabinogi.
Mona (Moan-Ah)—The Celto-Romano name for the island of Mon/Anglesey, chief seat of the British druids.
Mor (More)—Welsh word meaning “sea.”
Morda (MORE-da)—The blind man employed to stoke the fires beneath the cauldron.
Morfran Afagddu (More-VRA-nn Av-AG-thee)—The ugly son of Tegid and Cerridwen, the brother of Creirfyw.
Ochren (OCH-wren)—A fortification in the poem “The Spoils of Annwn.”
Ogyrwen (OGRE-wen)—Of unknown origin, believed to be a spirit of personification or a goddess of great antiquity.
Pair (PA-eer)—Welsh term meaning “cauldron.” Used interchangeably with crochen.
Pedryfan (Ped-RUV-ann)—The four-walled enclosure synonymous with the island of Britain. A fortification in the poem “The Spoils of Annwn.”
Pharaon (FAR-Ah-on)—Legendary priesthood of magicians perpetuated by Edward Davies.
Pheryllt (FAIR-ee-llt)—The unknown caste of magicians that Cerridwen consulted, also synonymous with the magician Virgil.
Pryderi (PRUD-erry)—The kidnapped son of Rhiannon who is the main protagonist in the First, Third, and Fourth Branches of the Mabinogi.
Prydwen (PRUD-wen)—The divine feminine figure in the poem “The Spoils of Annwn,” she is represented as a ship that carries Arthur, Taliesin, and their explorers on a quest in search of the cauldron.
Pwca (POO-ka)—A mischievous Welsh nature spirit.
Pwyll (PWEE-ll)—The main character of the First Branch of the Mabinogi who trades places with the King of Annwn. He is Rhiannon’s husband.
Rhiannon (Rhee-ANN-onn)—A goddess, also known as Epona in Celto-Romano culture, and a main character in the First and Third Branches of the Mabinogi. She is the otherworldly wife of Pwyll and the mother of Pryderi.
Rigor (REE-gor)—A fortification in the poem “The Spoils of Annwn.”
Siddi (SIDD-ee)—A fortification in the poem “The Spoils of Annwn.”
Syw (SEE-OO)—Alleged old Welsh name for “sage” or “sorcerer.”
Taliesin (Tal-YES-inn)—The Prophetic Spirit, poet, he with the radiant brow; Gwion Bach becomes Taliesin.
Tegid Foel (TEG-id Vo-yal)—Cerridwen’s husband, the tutelary deity of Lake Tegid in Bala.
Vandwy (VAN-doo-ee)—A fortification in the poem “The Spoils of Annwn.”
Wydr (WID-hr)—A fortification in the poem “The Spoils of Annwn.”
Ynys Y Kedeirn (UN-is Ugh KED-airn)—A Welsh term meaning “Island of the Mighty,” an old name for the island of Britain.
[contents]
A Guide to Welsh Pronunciation
the language of the gods
The Welsh language is one of the oldest indigenous languages in Europe; by connecting to it you are being linked to thousands of years of history. The language may appear to serve only to twist the tongue and demand guttural utterances from unfamiliar parts of your vocal range. Your lips may tremble in effort and your tongue collapse from the confines of your mouth whilst spittle spatters anyone in close proximity. But fear not: it is not necessary to engage the spitfire operations of your mouth. Welsh, whatever you have been led to believe, is not as difficult as you would imagine. All that is required is the complete surrender of your normal vocal programming and the ability to embrace something new yet ancient.
There are tricks, the most significant being your ability to enunciate. The English tongue and palate is firm, precise; the Welsh tongue is loose, the palate free, the mouth fully engaged. Let your mouth move when pronouncing the Welsh language—set free the muscles of your face and throw yourself into this most musical of languages. The English mouth can be a rather lazy mouth—words fall limply from the cavity—whereas Welsh is similar in nature to Italian, where the mouth is flung open to enunciate each letter and word with utmost passion and flair; whilst you’re at it, throw in your arms! Our language is colourful, rhythmic, and dances from the whole body. Let loose the English stiff upper lip and go for it!
The key to effective pronunciation is in the phonetic nature of the language; i.e., every single letter is utilised, every sound is important to the whole word. If you can pronounce the letters, you can pronounce the words. The World Wide Web has video and audio tutorials that can be consulted free of charge for sound comparison. So, with all that said, here follows a list of the letters and sounds.
The stress of any word almost exclusively stands on the penultimate, or next to last, syllable.
The Welsh Alphabet
a, b, c, ch, d, dd, e, f, ff, g, ng, h, i, l, ll, m, n, o, p, ph, r, rh, s, t, th, u, w, y
Welsh Vowels
a -
Short as in mat
long as in farmer
e-
Short as in let
long as in bear
i-
Short as in pit
long as in meet
o-
Short as in lot
long as in lore
u-
Short as in ill
long as in limb
w-
Short as in look
long as in fool
y-
Short as in up
long as in under
Welsh Consonants
Some may be similar in sound to their English counterparts but with emphasis on heavy aspiration of sound.
b-
as in bin
c-
as in cat
ch-
as in loch, never as in chin
d-
as in dad
dd-
as in them, never as in thin
e-
as in elephant
f-
as in van
ff-
as in off
g-
as in gate, never as in gem
ng-
as in song, never as in linger
h-
as in hit; it is never silent
l-
as in lit
ll-
no counterpart; voice by placing tip of tongue in L position and exhaling voicelessly through the sides of the mouth
m-
as in mat
n-
as in nit
p-
as in part
ph-
as in phrase
r-
trilled by the tip of the tongue, as ravioli in Italian
rh-
no counterpart; voice by placing tongue in R position and exhaling quickly and harshly but voicelessly through the narrow gap the lips form
s-
as in sit, never as in kiss
t-
as in tap
th-
as in thick, never as in them
[contents]
Bibliography
Manuscripts Consulted
NLW MS 5276D. Chroncile of the History of the World. Elis Gruffudd. ca. 1552. National Library of Wales.
Peniarth MS 111. Hanes Taliesin. John Jones. 1607. National Library of Wales.
Peniarth MS 2. Llyfr Taliesin (Book of Taliesin). Fourteenth Century. National Library of Wales.
These manuscripts can be viewed by means of the National Library of Wales website, which can be found at www.llgc.org.uk; follow the links to “Digital Mirror.”
• • •
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