Oct 3, 2017
Welsh Death
Omens
British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy
Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881)
Book 2 Chapter
7
by
Wirt
Sikes
Welsh Death Omens includes the Welsh Banshee or Gwrach y Rhibyn, crying spirits, the groaning spirits as well as corpse candles and the chirping of a bird at the door of a person about to die. Taliesin predicted the frightful monster known as the Fad Felen which comes from the marsh with hair, teeth and eyes like gold and brings death in its wake. Sikes also talks about the frightful female spectres, banshees and black maidens familiar across the Celtic World as harbingers of death.
Running Order:
- Cambrian Death Portents
1:33
- The Corpse-Bird
2:48
- The Tan-Wedd
4:00
- Listening at the Church Door
6:12
- The Lledrith
7:27
- The Gwrach y Rhibyn
9:22
- The Llandaff Gwrach
12:08
- Ugliness of this Female
Apparition 15:03
- The Black Maiden
15:13
- The Cyhyraeth, or Crying Spirit
16:45
- Its Moans on Land and Sea
17:55
- The St. Mellons Cuhyraeth
21:22
- The Groaning Spirit of Bedwellty 23:05
Names Used in this Section
All proper names, and words in Welsh or other languages, are recorded here in the show-notes and we've done our best to get the pronunciations right for you.
Tan-Wedd
Lledrith
Gwrach y Rhibyn
Llandaff Gwrach
Cyhyraeth
St. Mellons Cuhyraeth
Bedwellty
The Banshee
Mr. Baring-Gould
Tolaeth
Cwn Annwn
Cwn y Wybr
Canwyll Corph
Teulu
Aderyn y Corph
Warwickshire
Mr. Davis to Mr. Baxter
Walter Watkins
Neuadd, parish of Brecknockshire
Taf Fechan Chapel
Llewelyn Sion of Llangewydd
Fad Felen
Rhos Church
Maelgwyn Gwynedd
Taliesin
Mallt y Nos
Rev. D. R. Thomas
Archaeologia Cambrensis
Croker
Ceffyl heb un pen
Marw coel
Y mae mor salw a Gwrach y Rhibyn
Fy ngwr (my husband)
Fm ngwraig (my wife)
Fy mlentyn bach (my little child)
Och Dduw!
Cardiff
Cow and Snuffers Inn
Benshi
Sir Walter Scott
Hermes
Black Maiden
Caerleon
Peredur
Avagddu
Glamorganshire
Prophet Jones
David Prosser, of Llanbyther Parish
'Woolach!'
Joshua Coslet
Towy
Carmarthenshire
Inis Cenin
Non, mother of St. David
Llan-non, Church of Non
Monmouthshire
Mary Morgan
Crumlyn Bridge
'O Dduw, beth a wnaf fi?' (O God, what shall I do?)
Meredith Thomas
Thomas Edward Morgan
Anthony Aaron
William Harry Rees
British Goblins can be found on Archive.org
You can find out more about Wirt Sikes on Wikipedia.
Try the Celtic Myth Podshow for the Tales and Stories of the Ancient Celts at http://celticmythpodshow.com or on Apple Podcasts.
Our theme music is "Gander at the Pratie Hole" by Sláinte. You can find their music on the Free Music Archive.
