Monday, June 28, 2010 Rhiannon s White Horses, near Ty Canol We packed our bags and loaded ourselves and luggage onto the bus for our trip north toward the Cardigan area in Pembrokeshire. Ash tree on the lawns of Warpool Court
Off to Ty Canol Woods We stopped to visit the ancient Ty Canol Woods located in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. One of the few remaining ancient woodlands in Britain, there were trees estimated to be over 8,000 years old. This amazing woodland was full of ancient, gnarled, root twisted scions of an elder age and rocky lichen covered outcrops whose heights overlooked the mystical Carn Ingli mountain. Carn Ingli Mountain
Ty Canol Woods
Deep in the ancient Ty Canol Woodlands Mara took us to visit a very special cave occupied since pre-historic times and linked to both the Druids, Tylwyth Teg (Welsh Faeries), Merlin and Saint Brannock. St. Brannock was a 6 th Century visionary and mystic, who arrived on the coast of Wales in a coracle. He was said to have found the cave once occupied by Merlin. Sightings reported in this area include Faeries, UFO s and even Pan himself in the 1920 s! A very active psychic spot, indeed.
The Druid s Cave, Ty Canol, surrounded by fern Inside the Druid s cave
The cave was surrounded by fronds of fern, a sacred plant in Celtic mythology, said to grant a person invisibility if picked on Midsummer Day. This would have been an auspicious place to gather the fern, with all its fairy connotations! We gathered before the entrance of this cave and Mara led us on another guided meditation inviting us to meet with whatever spirits still resided here. Being a Druid, I got a glimpse of a white robed and hooded Druid with a solid oak staff. He had a long gray beard and stood guard at the entrance to the cave, pointing inside. I managed to draw a crude picture of him in my day notebook. Mara reported seeing St. Brennock, who had an early influence on the Celtic Church in Wales. All of us got a chance to climb inside and spend some quiet time absorbing the magical atmosphere. We climbed higher in the woodlands to the rocky outcroppings, where we could gaze directly at Carn Ingli mountain across the valley. Merlin, ensconced in the scene!
Carn Ingli Mountain from Ty Canol Carn Ingli is also called the Hill of Angels. The remains of a hill fort and burial mound were found at the apex. This mountain was probably a regional holy site, and the source of fairy sightings, UFO s and otherworldly happenings.
Welsh ponies, sacred to Rhiannon As we were traveling back down the hill from Ty Canol, we came across a field of gorgeous white horses, reminding us of another local Goddess Rhiannon, who is associated with horses in Welsh mythology.
Note the rolling Welsh landscape behind the horses
Welsh Pony
Then, on to another amazing site Pentre Ifan, the most famous cromlech or dolman in Wales. Mara told us that this may have been used as a place of initiation for Druids, from the Druid college in the Ty Canon woods below. The dolman was once a vast burial mound with a white quartz cap. White quartz was considered magical to the Neolithic people, who used it in most of their monuments. Pentre Ifan Dolman Pentre Ifan is the largest and best preserved neolithic dolmen in Wales (Wikipedia). It was used as a communal burial site, dating from 3,500 B.C. The largest capstone in existence, it weighs around 16 tons. The huge stone is delicately balance on the point of three upright stones, making it look precarious, yet it has lasted four thousands of years!
Pentre Ifan Mara told us that in folklore, this site represents the womb of Cerridwen, and is associated with the birth of Taliesan. The great bard was thrice born a sign of a great magical being. He was first born as a human child Gwion Bach; then born again when he had transformed himself to a seed of grain and was swallowed by Cerridwen, who had transformed herself to a giant hen, and swallowed the grain. To her annoyance, she found herself pregnant, and gave birth to an unwanted child. She placed him in a coracle, wrapped in a swaddling cloth, and set him adrift. His third birth occurred when he was discovered 500 years later in a salmon weir by Prince Elffin, the son of Gwyddno Garanhir, Lord of Ceredigion. Astonished by his find, he named the child Taliesan, meaning radiant white brow. This may have also been an initiatory center dedicated to Cerridwen, for women giving birth or seeking fertility. There are other Welsh legends that concern women and fertility. Blacksmith s were once considered wizards for their ability to turn raw materials into metal. Pregnant women sometimes lay under a blacksmith s apron to ensure a safe birth. There is a local legend that the Goddess Morgan married King Urien and gave birth to the hero, Owain. In the Irish version of this legend, Morgan is Morrigan, the great Witch, and she met her mate, Dagda at the ford of a river the Ford of Barking, and gave birth to two children.
Pentre Ifan Many anomalies have been reported at this site, even in modern times Faerie sightings, UFO s, magnetic aberrations, colored lights, frightening black animals, particularly giant black dogs and panther like creatures (supernatural beasts). Continuing our journey north, we visited the National Coracle Center in Cenarth, Carmarthenshire. http://www.visitcenarth.co.uk/location.htm
Coracles come up in so many Celtic legends they were an ancient, simply constructed means of travel over the seas, something like Native American canoes. Coracle Museum A Welsh Coracle The Coracle used in an episode of Cadfael
This intriguing museum contained coracles from every continent in the world, from Africa to the Americas, including one made for the Cadfael series! I bought a tiny silver coracle charm from the museum.
This amazing sketch shoes how easy it was to transport these relatively light weight one-person boats, crossing one river, hiking across country, then crossing another river until they reached their destination.
Cenearth Falls We explored the town, discovering a wonderful waterway and several pubs!
Salmon Leap pub in Cenearth
White Hart Pub, Cenearth The days are still long this time of year, and Mara had one more stop to make before we arrived at our new digs for a dinner. This was a place I ve read about in all the myths form the Mabinogion, and was one of the highlights of the trip the Pool of Annwn the portal to the Welsh Underworld. We found this incredible place in the forest of Ffynnone, (which means "springs") in the Cych valley in North Pembrokeshire. This is one of the portals that mortals could enter the world of the dead. (Other places would be the Isle of Avalon, or under Glastonbury Tor.) Ruled by Lord Arawn in some tales, by Gwyn ap Nudd in others, it is a land of eternal youth and joy where food is abundant, disease and aging are non existent. The land of ancestors is seen as a Celtic paradise.
Pool of Annwn Mara gathered us around and told us the legend associated with this place. From the First Branch of the Mabingi, there is a tale of Pwyll, the Prince of Dyfed who went hunting in the nearby woods, not realizing that he had invaded the realm of Lord Arawn. Pwyll s dogs fell upon a stag that Arawn s hunting dogs had already brought down, offending the Lord of the Dead. When Pwyll realized his terrible error, the Otherworldly lord offered him a chance to right his wrong. He asked them to exchange places Pwyll to rule in Annwn, while Arawn ruled in his place in Dyfed for one year. During that time, Pwyll must defeat Arawn s mortel enimy, Hafgan, in battle. It was a trying year for the young prince, especially so because Arawn had a beautiful, almost irresistable young wife, who believing Pwyll to be her husband, greatly desired to couple with him. With an extreme act of will, Pwyll resisted her temptation, which in itself earned him the respect of the Lord of the Dead. (In some legends, Arawn s wife is the underworld Goddess, Morgan). Pwyll, a mighty warrior did battle with Hafgan and defeated him before his year was up. When they exchanged places at the end of the year, Arawn rewarded him well, naming him Penn Annwn Head of Annwn. It was here, at this very spot, that the Lord of the Dead and the young prince exchanged places. Mara encouraged us to wander the area in silence, and allow our spirits to guide us to a place of deep meditation.
Waterfall of Annwyn
There was an incredible hush to this place, deep in the forest the only sound was the steady fall of water into the mystical pool. Ancient birch trees surrounding the pool
Susa and Merlin at Annwyn s Pool I picked up some white pebbles from the pool to bring back treasured memories of this eerie yet enchanting spot.
Merlin immersed in Annwn s Pool
Mara called us back together again, and told more stories. There are also Arthurian tales of this region, where the Knights of the Round Table tried to steal a magic blue cauldron rimmed in pearls from Annwn. The imagery probably reflects the ocean rimed in white waves. There are nine maiden sisters of Annwn at the bottom of the ocean, grinding at a mill that turns out all that exists in the material world! Finally, we made our journey through the incredible Welsh countryside, arriving at our home for the next two days - Rhosygilwen House, in Cardigan. Rhosygilwen House The hotel is known for its fabulous gardens and fresh foods, and we were hungry and tired!
Goodnight! My bedroom in Rhosygilwen House
Websites: Coracles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/coracle National Coracle Center: http://www.coraclemuseum.co.uk/ Cerridwen: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ceridwen Rhiannon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/rhiannon St. Brannock: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/saint_brannock Tylwyth Teg (Welsh Faeries): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/tylwyth_teg Quartz: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/quartz Pentre Ifan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/pentre_ifan Taliesan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/taliesin Mabinogion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/mabinogion Annwn: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/annwn Resources: Mara Freeman s Celtic Tours: www.celticspiritjourneys.com/ Lodgings: Rhosygilwen House, Cardigan http://www.rhosygilwen.co.uk/accommodation.aspx Camera: Nikon Coolpix P100 (with 26 zoom)